IN THE PRESS: What Veterinarians Really Think About CBD For Pets
This article was originally published on the Green Entrepreneur.
CBD offers a bunch of potential benefits for our pets’ ailments, so why aren’t more veterinarians writing prescriptions?
According to Dr. Andrea Carlson at Southlake Animal Hospital, “Your traditional vet may not recommend CBD for several reasons. These include:
- Not being aware of the benefits.
- Fear of recommending CBD because it was previously listed as illegal.
- The veterinarian may have used a product that was not full-spectrum and it may not have worked [many broad-spectrum products are available, but full-spectrum is the one you need].
- The lack of available research.
- Veterinarians learn about conventional pharmaceutical medicine at vet school, not holistic medicine, like CBD.
Despite these obstacles, many vets have seen first-hand the benefits of CBD in their practice. This is what they say.
Mostly positive experiences
Like many veterinarians, Lauren Beaird, DVM, began her career as a “very traditional practicing veterinarian, where I was not comfortable recommending anything outside of the standard western medical treatments,” she says. When clients inquired about CBD, “I could not answer their questions and guide them to helpful answers. It certainly took some time and effort to educate myself on the use of properly sourced, extracted, organic full-spectrum hemp oil for pets. Through some trial and error, I realized that not all products are created equal. It is so important to know the company and its quality control standards.”
Now Dr. Beaird is more comfortable managing pets with seizures with full-spectrum hemp oil and a quality diet. “I have several pets that benefit from full-spectrum hemp oil that are suffering from arthritis, cognitive decline, anxiety, and even cancer,” she says.
She even uses it on her own dog, who suffers from separation and noise phobia. “While hemp may not be a cure-all, it is always part of my treatment plan recommendations for pets with any chronic illness or inflammatory disorder,” Dr. Beaird says.
Paul Rowan, DVM of The Center of Animal Healing, claims CBD oil has been useful in helping his patients reduce seizure activity. CBD oil has also significantly reduced cancer and tumor growth.
“We were sold on CBD products after a long-time client of ours whose doggie is always full of strange wart-like spots on his buddy that we have never truly been able to get rid of began using CBD salve,” says Dr. Rowan. “After one week of application, the spots changed shape and flattened. A couple of weeks later following continued use, the spots were gone.”
Dr. Rowan now incorporates CBD products into nearly all his patient’s treatment plans.
Read the rest of the article on the Green Entrepreneur.
