Legal Pot for Pets- What You Need to Know

Using marijuana for medicinal purposes has gained a lot of steam over the last two decades. In recent years many people have even turned to treating their animals with marijuana for various medical conditions. While this has been shown in case studies to be helpful, if you live in an area where you cannot buy marijuana then it may seem like this will never be an option to you. This is why many pet owners are turning to legal pot for their dog food.

How is This Legal?

There are a couple things to keep in mind here. These plants are not made of marijuana but rather hemp. Industrial hemp is grown for the fibers rather than the blossoms which is what is smoked. This is higher is cannabidiol (CBD) and very low in THC which is what makes it legal.

I know you are saying, “But wait! Isn’t THC what you want?” The truth is that THC is the psychoactive agent in marijuana that makes people high. This has no real medical benefits– aside from maybe relaxation. Rather the CBD is what produces the medical benefits and this is why most medical marijuana strains are engineered to provide more CBD and less THC.

dog_ownersWhere You Can Buy Hemp Oil

There are many places where you can buy this. You may be able to find it a specialty shop near you. If not, there are plenty of options online. Even just putting hemp oil into a search on Amazon will give you tons of different results for products you can use with your pet’s dog food. There are even products made specifically for pets. For example, Canna-Pet is a product that comes in treats for your dog so you do not have to put it over their dog food.

 

Buying Legal Pot for Dog Food- What to Consider

There are a few things you will want to keep in mind if you plan to buy hemp oil products for your dog:

  • Know the concentration. Even though hemp oil has more CBD in it than THC it is still a significantly lower concentration than what marijuana offers.
  • Talk with your vet about dosing to ensure you are giving the correct amount. Generally you will give them a smaller amount and then slower work up to a higher amount until you achieve the desired results. However, you want to be sure that you are not overdosing your pet
  • Only buy from reputable companies to ensure that you get a high quality product and that it actually contains the concentration of CBD you want.
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Safe Marijuana Practices for Your Dog and Dog Food

With marijuana legalization for both medicinal and recreational uses headlining the news in just about every state across the nation, it’s hard to deny the benefits it can offer. Many pet owners have started using marijuana laced dog food for their pets. If you plan to use marijuana laced dog food or pet products then it is important to understand how to do so properly. Here are a few safety tips to keep in mind:

 

Never Blow Smoke in Their Face

 While people may enjoy smoking marijuana, it is harmful to your pets. The smoke still contains carcinogens harmful to the lungs. There are other puppy plays with bone with a femaleproducts out there, such as edibles, oils and tinctures that can be used instead.

 

Beware of Ingredients in Dog Food Edibles

Obviously giving your dog a pot brownie is not safe because chocolate is toxic to dogs. This is not the only ingredient that can poison your dog in edible marijuana products so read the label. Just as you only feed them high quality dog food, be sure the treatments you are giving them are not going to harm them either.

 

Keep it Out of Reach

While overdoses with marijuana are very rare, they can happen. This is why it is important to keep your products out of reach from your pets just as you would children.

 

Understand Proper Dosing

You do not want to give your pet an overdose and on the other hand you want to make sure they are getting the right amount to give the resultsgerman shepherd puppy sleeping with head rested on a man's lap. The best way to understand this is to talk with your vet and do a little research on your own. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and give less.

 

Know the Signs of Overdose

Knowing what to look for can help you to get your pet to the vet if they do accidentally overdose on marijuana. This includes dilated pupils, lethargy, seizures and other signs. If you notice your pet acting weird after eating dog food laced with marijuana it is important that you contact the vet right away.  Even though they cannot counteract the overdose, they can observe and treat the side effects to keep your dog’s condition from getting worse.

 

If you are considering medical marijuana for your dog, then you should take a look at the next blog in our Dope for Dogs series- The Medical Benefits of Marijuana for Dogs.

 

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Medical Benefits of Marijuana for Your Dog

As a dog owner you want to make sure you are giving your pet the very best. This means feeding them the right dog food and finding appropriate toys and activities for them. Many people are also starting to use medical marijuana for their pets. This is why you should understand the benefits this controversial treatment can provide.

 

Why Use Marijuana for Pets?black lab puppy sleeping on wood floor

The first thing to understand with this is that marijuana will not cure your dog or cat of any particular issue they are suffering from. It can however be
used for symptom management. It is commonly used for pets with cancer, those undergoing certain medical treatments or seizures. Some people report it can reduce or eliminate the seizures their dogs have.

 

People also use it as a tool to improve the quality of life for their pet with incurable cancer or those sick from chemo. There is even a report of a veterinarian in Seattle that is recommending medical marijuana for dogs with arthritis to help reduce the inflammation and pain. It is also commonly used to help with pain management for pets with these conditions.

 

How Well Does it Work?

A quick internet search will show you countless case studies of pet owners dosing their pets with marijuana. One example includes a person from New York whose dog Luna was going through treatment for end stage lymphoma. The symptoms caused her lymph nodes to swell and made her cough. Her owners found that as they gave her marijuana in her dog food her symptoms started diminishing.

 

Another story about the benefits of medical marijuana was with an 11 year old cat, named Monkey with intestinal cancer. While her tumor was not in a place it could be operated on, her owner wanted her to do something to make the end of her life easier. Before treatment Monkey had lost a bunch of weight and was very lethargic. After starting cannabis treatments she was full of life and would play and eat as though she was a kitten. While she ultimately lost her life to the cancer, she was at least able to enjoy the last few months of her life.

 

What do Vets Say?

The truth about this is that the research into marijuana for medical benefits for pets is still in its infancy. There are many vets out there who are still leary of using a treatment that has not been fully studied, despite individual case studies. There is one vet, Dr. Kramer, who has been a huge proponent. He is known as the vet guru and he has been writing, making videos and talking with other vets for years about the benefits of medical marijuana for pets, such as using tinctures in the dog food.

 

The Verdict

Not all states have legalized marijuana and if you live in a state that has not, then this is something that is not even an option legally. Secondly, you will want to talk with your doctor. Find out if it can be a good option for your pet and whether mixing it with dog food is the best delivery method. Make sure you fully understand the dosing as well as the side effects to watch. This will help you to keep your pet safe and give them the best quality of life you can.

 

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Dope for Dogs- Understanding Marijuana for Pets

As laws regarding marijuana use become more lax, people are using marijuana and marijuana laced products more often than before. While there are many medical and recreational benefits of this substance, the number of pets being dosed with marijuana is also increasing. This can be done in a number of ways, such as putting cannabis oil on their dog food or other products from the pet store. If you have a pet then there are a few things you should know about this.

 

Is it Safe?

red shiba inu looking out of the corner on couch waiting for dog food

A shiba inu waits on the couch for treats or dog food

This topic is just about as hot a debate as the best dog food to give your pet. While it is getting closer to being fully legalized for people in the US (at least medicinally), it is nowhere near ready to be deemed safe for animals. There are many individual case studies that have shown the benefits for animals suffering from certain health conditions. This will be looked at more in The Medical Benefits of Marijuana for Dogs.

 

Is it Legal?

It is illegal for any vet to prescribe marijuana for pets, though they may recommend this for treatment. If you get medicinal marijuana you can use this for your pet, such as in their dog food. However, unless you live in a state where marijuana is legalized or at least decriminalized, it simply is not legal.

 

What Do They Use?

yellow lab cuddles with stuffed bear on couch

This dog looks tuckered out after a long day and is cuddling with a stuffed beat on a couch. Can medicinal marijuana help improve quality of life?

When many think about using marijuana on dogs, they think about smoking a joint and blowing the smoke in their dogs face. While this could get them high, it is not the ideal way to use marijuana for your pet. This is because it is difficult to judge how much marijuana they are getting and the carcinogens in the smoke is harmful to their health. It can cause respiratory and cardiac issues as well as lead to cancer and other health issues.

 

There are a number of cannabis products on the market that can be used for pets. This includes cannabis oil, tinctures, edibles and more. These can either be given to the pet directly or you can mix it into their dog food or treats from the pet store.

 

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