Updates & News: False CBD Press And Keeping Pets Safe From Coronavirus
I hope you’re home safe with your pets and enjoying some quiet time reading this blog today. We’ve just wrapped up our Healing Naturally tour and are safe back at home ourselves. There’s always a lot going on in our world and I thought it would be really fun to have a regular monthly podcast and blog to share with you …
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What’s currently happening in our pet industry
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What we’ve recently learned about cannabis and how to help your pets
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Some of the struggles and issues we go through as a company.
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And with Coronavirus (COVID-19) on everyone’s minds … we’ll cover how you can keep you and your pet safe.
First, on the list today was to check in with Carter and Hernando, “So how does it feel to be back home?”
“It’s nice to be out of an RV … but I am missing the experiences we had speaking with everyone … our mission … missing the community and relationships”, said Hernando who’s back to life in New York City.
Carter agreed that being home is nice and shared his feelings about the tour. “I love that we’re able to bring back all this treasured information and share with people what we learned.”
And he’s right. We’ve got some great information that we’re working on getting ready for you that we’ll post up on Youtube. Our YouTube channel is really going to start to grow and will have some amazing resources for you including…
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Updates we have from great holistic vets
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Industry news updates
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How to navigate through CBD products and COA’s
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Our podcast videos … so you can see the faces behind the voices like Dr. Goldstein, Julie Ann Lee and Dee Blanco!
So don’t forget to jump over to our YouTube channel and subscribe to stay up to date on all the latest from CBD Dog Health.
Table of Contents
It’s About Community And Trust
I began reflecting on everything from our trip the other day. I know I was ready to be home, but it was a really cool experience and I look forward to when we do another.
The tour was refreshing because we got to talk to like-minded people. People who also understand cannabis medicine and use it on a regular basis. It reminded us we’re on the right path and sharing the right information with our pet parents. A feeling of comfort that’s important to have, especially when we get industry push back like we did today.
Today started out a little rough when bad press was shared about CBD and a dog. A story was published about a woman’s dog who died after having a 5 mg CBD treat …
… And this really made us all angry!
It bothers me because there are people who don’t want cannabis medicines … and they’re going to react with news like this to scare you.
The trouble is these stories don’t share all the facts with you. So how can you develop an opinion on the topic? You’re just left wondering, “Is CBD safe? Can it kill dogs?”
But before you worry that CBD will kill your dog, Hernando and Carter did some fact-checking behind today’s story.
The Truth Behind Bad Media
Here are the facts about this story:
1- The dog didn’t die naturally after a 5mg CBD treat was given. The primary veterinarian euthanized the dog.
2- The dog had only one 5mg CBD treat … and we’ve seen 1000’s of mg of CBD and THC given to dogs … and they have not died
3- In checking the company’s website they found their COA was not complete. So we don’t know if there were any toxins like metals or pathogens present in the treat.
4-The vet assumed that it was a CBD overdose … but no toxicology or autopsy was performed on the dog. How can we know for sure it was CBD toxicity without testing?
The vet clearly doesn’t know enough about CBD to make such a statement. More concerning is why was it reported by the media without confirmed evidence.
Carter also shared with our listeners, study findings from 1973 that will ease any worry you have, “They were trying to find a lethal dose of TCH, know as the LD 50 … and they could not find one … and we know that TCH has more impact on the body than CBD. There are also studies where up to 70 mg/ kg have been given to many animals and none of them have died. So to say a 5 mg CBD treat killed a dog is inconceivable.”
The questions that need to be asked when we see or hear these reports are:
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What else may have been in that treat or other things the dog’s been exposed to?
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Does the dog have any other health issues that may have led to sickness?
Sadly this negative misinformation and behavior that we’ve seen in human competitive companies … is now happening in our pet industry. Whenever there’s competition, things can get mean and threatening between businesses.
It’s happened to us recently after a large voice in our pet community spoke out about how we share information and make our recommendations. This resulted in having the Department Of Agriculture out to check on us …
…but we’re ok! That’s the beauty of doing things the right way.
Be Safe And Navigate The Facts
Despite what others may say about us, or other great CBD pet health companies … We aren’t doing anything wrong and we have the information, and research to prove it.
This is why we have COA’s for all of our products. And if you’re not sure what a COA is, Carter has created a YouTube video for you so you can learn to navigate what they mean. His video is a great tool for retailers and consumers to become familiar with the reports. Carter walks you through all that you need to know when comparing different labs and you can watch it here.
No matter what CBD product you’re buying your pet you should always have easy access to the companies COA. It’s really the only way to regulate products right now in our unregulated industry.
Carter reminds us that, “The certificate really is the first hurdle for you to know whether or not you can trust a company. It will help you cut out a lot of cannabis companies … and really it’s the same with essential oil (EO) companies … as cannabis is an EO.”
A COA allows you to know if what the company says about a product, is what is actually in their product. So don’t forget to check out the YouTube video, or find it on our FB or Instagram page.
3 Quick Things To Look For On A COA
1- You want to be able to see which cannabinoids are or aren’t present. Just know that there are over 114 that can be listed.
2- You want to see at least 0.3 % THC to show that it’s a full spectrum product. Research has shown us that you need this percentage of THC to have the most effective medicine.
3-Confirm that a full spectrum product is actually a full spectrum product. Sadly, there are companies that will say full spectrum hemp but on the COA they report no THC. This means it’s not actually a full spectrum product.
So you can see now why the COA is an important first step in researching a product to know it’s safe.
Don’t Forget To Check Product Labels
There are two reasons we can see labels mislead consumers. The first is that some companies started in the market with a broad spectrum or isolate product. This was before the knowledge that a full spectrum is best for medicinal support. Unfortunately, some have changed the label but not their actual product.
The second reason for a label change is a company may be trying to keep up with changing industry standards. These companies are trying to do the right thing and we too have had many label changes over the years. When we hear or see label changes come from …
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The Hemp industry
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The Department Of Agriculture
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And the US government
… We change our ways to keep up to the standards they are trying to set. So check the COA’s when you’re unsure. They will guide you on whether or not a company is growing and changing vs marketing for sales only.
Another change we’ve done to help is added QR codes to our products. So now you can take a picture of the bottle with your phone and go right to the COA to learn more.
Just remember that if you go to a website and you can’t find their COA, they likely have something to hide. My fear is we’ll also soon see COA’s that are forged. I also strongly suggest you ask more questions when companies do their own in house testing. And if it seems too good to be true, it likely is.
We recently learned in CA companies are adding CBD isolates into full spectrum oils. Then they run the lab testing and report high amounts of cannabinoids … which if you do the math, it doesn’t add up. A product that is 99% CBD is not natural.
I know it’s a lot to navigate when we don’t have a lot of ways to regulate products yet. All you can do is educate yourself and reach for a good brand that is making safe and effective CBD products.
Leading With Honest Intent
You want to know what your buying is from an honest company that cares.
Hernando shared his feelings about honestly in a company, “It bothers me that this medicine that helps with pain, seizures, and cancer for our pets can be manipulated by people, and they live with it morally … It’s upsetting. And then we get the question, why doesn’t CBD work for my pet? And all we have to do is look at the labels and COA and say, this is why …”
We do get push back as I mentioned earlier, about why we do and say what we do. We’ve also been asked why we don’t just dose as other companies do by weight.
And this bothers me because everything we do, everything we’ve developed is based on …
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Successful cases from holistic vets, including Dr. Gary Richter and Oncologist, Dr. Trina Hazzah.
So of course when we have the opportunity to do things right we do. We also enjoy working with others who are doing the right things and continuing to learn. And we’ll keep evolving as new industry standards and regulations develop.
Our intent is to help as many pets heal as possible! That’s why we find it sad when other companies don’t want to grow and evolve.
Our goal is to share our knowledge with you so you aren’t scared when misinformation is shared. When you read a Forbs article that says CBD killed a dog, you’ll have the tools to dig deeper. You’ll then be able to learn that it was a synthetic isolate and not safe and pure CBD that killed that dog.
And speaking of fear, it’s Friday the 13th as I write this!
I know many of you are home to keep safe from the Coronavirus (COVID-19). So let’s cover some quick tips to keep you and your pet safe!
COVID-19: how To pREPARE tO keep yOUR Pets Safe
The hope is with everyone at home for self-quarantine for a few days, we can control the spread of the virus and stay safe. But what if you do become sick? Are our pets at risk?
Our friend Rodney Habib shared these great tips about Coronavirus and pets.
1- First your pet can not develop coronavirus. But they can spread the germs around and bring them into your home. So you’ll want to still stay away from people who may be sick and reduce traveling to busy places like the dog parks.
2- Make sure you have a good supply of food, water and any medications needed for your pet.
3- Have all your pet’s needs written down for family and friends in case you do get sick. Make a note of what they eat, what medications they need and when, and anything else that important about their daily life.
4- Hang around home and wash your hands … we can’t emphasize this enough. Wash your hands and limit social activities
It’s a really weird time and we want to send out love and good health to everyone. Stay safe, keep your pet’s safe and reach out if you need help!
Carter’s passion for cannabis activism started when he was in high school. After learning about the senseless prohibition and incredible diversity of cannabis’s utility, he was inspired to get involved. When Carter met Angela, he was excited to learn that he could combine his passions: animals and cannabis.
Carter now travels North America to educate pet parents, retailers, and veterinarians about CBD. He is excited to bring his passion for pets to CBD Dog Health.
About Angela Ardolino
Angela Ardolino is a holistic pet expert who has been caring for animals for over 20 years and operates a rescue farm, Fire Flake Farm, in Florida. She is also the owner of Beautify the Beast, a natural pet salon and shop. After getting her certificate in Medical Cannabis Biology and Therapeutic use from the University of Vermont School of Medicine, she founded CBD Dog Health to provide high quality, all-natural medical cannabis products designed specifically for pets. Angela has seven dogs, Odie a 12-year-old mini-schnauzer, Nina an 8-year-old Doberman. Jolene a 7-year-old mutt, Maza a 7-year-old mutt, Rhemi an 8-year-old poodle, Potato a 15-year-old shih-tzu, and Miss Daisie a 15-year-old black lab, plus 4-10 more at any time she is fostering or boarding. She uses Full Spectrum Hemp Extract on all her pets at her rescue farm every day, and has since 2016. She is a member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, the Veterinary Cannabis Association and has trained hundreds medical doctors and veterinarians about the therapeutic uses of medical cannabis on animals. Visit www.angelaardolino.com for more information.