Not sure what kind of response I will get on this. If it's negative by all means close it and delete. I just wanted to share my positive experience.
There are only a couple of vets in the entire U.S. that will advocate this and even fewer that will actually treat and prescribe the appropriate amounts of marijuana. Not only the legality angle but also because studies are so few on this topic (but not really if you think about it, marijuana is already used in animal studies just not "pets")
I have a dog that recently developed grand mal seizures, he was a rescue that was hit by a car when he a puppy several years ago, everything seemed okay until the seizures (perfect health, intelligent) I studied this topic extensively and having looked at all the information available and then discussing it over with my vet (I live in a state where pot is legal) I decided to try cannabis before committing putting my dog on seizure medication. The reason I did this is because all the medications available have significant side effects and will end up increasing the seizure threshold.
My vet wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, and extremely unhelpful. Maybe it's just my experience but the advice of the medical community seems to be "if it helps use it but we're not getting involved" really it is only advocated for pets who are terminal.
This means I had to figure out the dosing entirely by myself. There are just CBD extracts you can buy but everything I've read on the matter suggests THC is necessary as well for proper seizure control and brain healing. I use a high CBD lower THC strain.
What I did of course was start off small putting pinches of pot in olive oil in the microwave. Being a small dog I was and am extremely worried about side effects such as poisoning or even the dog having a bad trip being prone to them myself. The most evident side effect is extreme sedation but at no time has my dog seemed uncomfortable or anxious, if I call my dog while it is "out of it" it snaps out of it happily and acts normal.
About a nugs worth a night before bedtime is the right dosage. Yes it works and tolerance doesn't seem to be an issue. My dog was having Grand mals twice every two weeks in the morning and with the pot I got it down once every two months (a seizure once a month is the "target" when using "regular" seizure medication) Me and my partner have alternating work schedules and there are other people that live here so there is always someone around the dog to track seizures.
I'll also add a few times I've felt guilty and skipped a night to see if I could stop and maybe it was just coincidence that his seizures have stopped (after all correlation does not equal causation) Without fail he always has a seizure the nights I skip a dose.
I have read of other people doing the same and having success but I am very cautious about advocating this for anyone else. Not all types of seizures or disorders might be treated by cannabis in a pet. I really wish this was more accepted and you could talk to a vet about it because I feel really bad about self diagnosing as I know ethically it is seen as extremely negative.
I am not advocating getting your pet high and if you're a health freak who wants all the other non-psychoactive effects of cannabis there are hemp foods and cbd oils you can purchase that will not effect your pet.
There are only a couple of vets in the entire U.S. that will advocate this and even fewer that will actually treat and prescribe the appropriate amounts of marijuana. Not only the legality angle but also because studies are so few on this topic (but not really if you think about it, marijuana is already used in animal studies just not "pets")
I have a dog that recently developed grand mal seizures, he was a rescue that was hit by a car when he a puppy several years ago, everything seemed okay until the seizures (perfect health, intelligent) I studied this topic extensively and having looked at all the information available and then discussing it over with my vet (I live in a state where pot is legal) I decided to try cannabis before committing putting my dog on seizure medication. The reason I did this is because all the medications available have significant side effects and will end up increasing the seizure threshold.
My vet wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, and extremely unhelpful. Maybe it's just my experience but the advice of the medical community seems to be "if it helps use it but we're not getting involved" really it is only advocated for pets who are terminal.
This means I had to figure out the dosing entirely by myself. There are just CBD extracts you can buy but everything I've read on the matter suggests THC is necessary as well for proper seizure control and brain healing. I use a high CBD lower THC strain.
What I did of course was start off small putting pinches of pot in olive oil in the microwave. Being a small dog I was and am extremely worried about side effects such as poisoning or even the dog having a bad trip being prone to them myself. The most evident side effect is extreme sedation but at no time has my dog seemed uncomfortable or anxious, if I call my dog while it is "out of it" it snaps out of it happily and acts normal.
About a nugs worth a night before bedtime is the right dosage. Yes it works and tolerance doesn't seem to be an issue. My dog was having Grand mals twice every two weeks in the morning and with the pot I got it down once every two months (a seizure once a month is the "target" when using "regular" seizure medication) Me and my partner have alternating work schedules and there are other people that live here so there is always someone around the dog to track seizures.
I'll also add a few times I've felt guilty and skipped a night to see if I could stop and maybe it was just coincidence that his seizures have stopped (after all correlation does not equal causation) Without fail he always has a seizure the nights I skip a dose.
I have read of other people doing the same and having success but I am very cautious about advocating this for anyone else. Not all types of seizures or disorders might be treated by cannabis in a pet. I really wish this was more accepted and you could talk to a vet about it because I feel really bad about self diagnosing as I know ethically it is seen as extremely negative.
I am not advocating getting your pet high and if you're a health freak who wants all the other non-psychoactive effects of cannabis there are hemp foods and cbd oils you can purchase that will not effect your pet.
Some years back, when my dog was still alive but already very sick, I tried to medicate him with very weak outdoor weed in order to spark his appetite (he wouldn't eat much anymore), unfortunately it didn't work and one time, when I gave him a higher dose, he seemed out of it (not in a good way) for a couple of hours, so I stopped the experiment. he was put to sleep not so many months after that, if i recall correctly.. :/