Curious About CBD
CBD has taken the human wellness world by storm and is now rising in popularity with horse owners.
cbd has taken the human wellness world by storm and is now rising in popularity with horse owners.
From dogs and cats to horses, animal owners across the united states are purchasing CBD products (short for “cannabidiol”) to help their fourlegged companions cope with a variety of health issues. In fact, these products have become so popular that the pet CBD market is estimated to grow to $1.7 billion by 2025, according to the Brightfield group, a market intelligence firm for the CBD and cannabis industries.
WHAT IS CBD?
CBD is one of the most common cannabinoids found in cannabis. Hemp and marijuana are actually legal terms for cannabis plants, but hemp is a taller plant containing 0.3 percent or less THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the cannabinoid that causes the sensations of being “high.” Meanwhile, marijuana can contain as much as 30 percent THC.
Hemp has a plethora of uses, ranging from textiles, paper and fuel to clothing, cosmetics and more. But for decades, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 rendered all cannibas products illegal in the United States.
Things began to change with the Farm Bill of 2014, which allowed for limited hemp growth and research. After the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which was signed by President Trump on December 20, 2018, industrial hemp was removed from the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. As a result, hemp
agriculture and hemp products became legal, allowing hemp-derived CBD products to be legally purchased in all states.
“More veterinarians are getting educated about CBD because clients are very interested in it,” says Joyce Harman, DVM, a Flint Hill, Va., veterinarian who specializes in acupuncture and chiropractic care. “The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) just did a seminar on CBD. When you have an organization like this put on a conference, there is significant mainstream interest.”
How CBD works
There’s a very scientific reason as to why
CBD works. Humans, horses and all mammals have an endocannabinoid system (ECS), which helps the body’s nervous and immune systems self-regulate and communicate. In simple terms, think of the ECS as a “monitor” that searches out unstable conditions in the body, seeking to return them to a balanced state.
CBD acts on cannabinoid receptors in the brain, organs and immune system, allowing the ECS to be more productive in coping with instabilities, such as inflammation, pain, anxiety, immune deficiencies, digestive disturbances and more.
“The endocannabinoid system is located in every part of the body, so consequently, CBD works on almost every part of the body,” says Harman.
Case Histories
Harman has been using CBD for clients’ horses—including the two described below— for four years now, and has found it very successful for horses with inflammatory problems, arthritis, immune system issues and mental trauma.
A warmblood-cross gelding in his late teens suffered from chronic joint issues that left him stiff and unable to move freely. After 10 days on CBD, he was moving noticeably better; after three to four weeks, he was playing in the pasture. He was even able to go back into regular work as a low-level dressage horse.
Severe abuse had left a 20-year-old Arabian mare so traumatized that even after rescue to a safe place, she was terrified to have someone enter the stall and touch her. After being given CBD in her feed for two weeks, she was able to be handled for veterinary treatment. Ongoing daily CBD made her much calmer and more manageable so her recovery could continue.
“CBD has a tremendous mental effect on horses that have had bad experiences and serious trauma,” says Harman.
ongoing researCH
“The potential for CBD to be an important part of veterinary medicine is great,” says Harman. “The hemp companies have a lot of money and are willing to put it into research. There is research, both human and veterinary, coming out of multiple universities.”
At press time, multiple CBD research projects were underway at Tarleton State University’s Equine Center in Stephenville, Texas.
Kimberly Guay, Ph.D., assistant professor at the university, is leading some of the research.
“[The projects include] an acute dose study, which is more controlled in that we
use university horses, dose them once and monitor how quickly the CBD is detected in their system, as well as how long it took to metabolize it,” says Guay. “Another single-dose study we are performing measures a change of behavior, such as anxious or stereotypic behavior, after a single dose. We are researching several daily-dose studies that will document any changes in behavior, immune response, and stress indices over time. Lastly, we will be doing several transport studies that will evaluate how CBD—both single and daily doses—may help mediate the stress of transport.”
Guay expects to release initial research findings in early 2021.
The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine is also undertaking CBD research on horses.
“We will be starting a project in the winter evaluating the blood levels of two doses of a CBD product given orally to determine how much makes it into the bloodstream and how quickly CBD and its metabolites are eliminated from the body,” says Taralyn McCarrel, DVM, Dipl. ACVS-LA, assistant professor of large animal surgery, noting that they should have results by spring 2021. “We will also be evaluating the
impacts on gastrointestinal motility, neurologic effects, and general locomotor activity.
“I think at this time it’s very important that people understand that there currently are no studies on the appropriate dose, safety, or efficacy of CBD in horses,” adds McCarrel. “I’m sure that we will see more research coming, but this area of research is in its infancy.”
The AVMA encourages manufacturers of cannabis-derived products to pursue FDA approval and clinical research. Both would go a long way toward making veterinarians more comfortable and informed about recommending CBD products for their animal patients.
Determining Dosage
Always read the label recommendations of the specific product you’re using, but realize you may have to experiment a bit to determine how much is needed to obtain beneficial results.
“For most CBD products, I’ve found the amount to start with is about 25 mg given two times a day,” says Harman. “This is a good starting amount for most average-sized horses, and then you go up or down from there. If a horse is super sensitive and known to have strong reactions to drugs or even topicals, you might start with half that amount. They may never need more than that.”
It can take up to two weeks to see benefits, although some horses will show positive effects the first day of receiving a CBD product.
Once you are consistently seeing benefits, you may be able to reduce the amount given. For example, if the horse has been doing well on one amount for three months or so, you can try cutting the amount in half.
“The amount given is very flexible depending on the response,” says Harman. “If you aren’t seeing the response you hoped to see, you can very safely double the amount. If you increase the quantity given over a period of time, there doesn’t seem to be an upper limit that becomes unsafe. It will become unaffordable long before it becomes unsafe.”
Occasionally, a horse on a high amount of CBD will get sleepy and mellow. If this happens, just back down on the amount given.
If you’re thinking of using a CBD product on your horse, it’s always good to talk to your veterinarian first, especially if your horse is on any kind of medication, so that you can rule out drug interactions.