CBD/Hemp and Cats

fionasmom

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I received my email from ConsumerLab.com this morning with their scheduled updates about medications and supplements. One was called CBD Safe for Pets? and had some interesting information.

The part that involved cats said that 8 cats were given a CBD infused fish oil capsule at the dosage of 2 mg CBD per kg of body weight. One of the eight cats had elevated ALT, but the rest were normal. If the capsule broke, the cats reacted by salivating, drooling, shaking their heads, and gagging. However, there were no changes in food consumption, body weight, or behavior. Interestingly, the bioavailability of the CBD was only 1/5 of that of dogs. Cats either have lower absorption or faster elimination of it. They declared it safe for use in dogs, but said that more studies needed to be done for cats.

Studies being what they are, I had some slight disagreement with their dog conclusions because my dog definitely gets the munchies when he takes it. However I did agree with their finding that in dogs it did not help lameness or weight bearing, which is exactly what I am seeing, but might help pain. I do not give it to any of my cats as it does not seem indicated for them right now.
 

stephanietx

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I use it on my cats, but I give it in olive oil. I have noticed it calms anxiety and helps with arthritis. I started giving it to her to help decrease inflammation and sneezing. I know many people who use it for kitties that have chronic kidney issues such as kidney stones and crystals.
 

Kieka

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I give Link 1.65mg of CBD twice a day for his arthritis (he is 6.3kg) and I definitely see a difference between before and now. I put it in his food and have tried one with olive oil and the current one is coconut oil (which needs just one drop for the dosage). Before the CBD he was having trouble getting on my bed, used the step to get in the cat tree and held his bad leg out about 45 degrees from his body when sitting. On the CBD he can jump on my bed, jumps on the cat tree and hold his bad leg at about 10-15 degrees (he broke the leg twice in three months at two years old). I am giving him a very low dosage and this is instead of prescriptions since he responds poorly to pain medications.

I would agree that there aren't any outward changes on behavior or body. Link gets hyper usually about an hour after getting his CBD but I figure that is when it's working the best and he feels the best. From my own experiences with my cat Is say it helps with lameness and pain, as Link shows less of each when he is taking the CBD. I did stop it for a week a while back to see if it was just in my head and there was a marked difference in his mobility. He had notable difficulty getting up our back steps and laid down to eat towards the end of the week (he was able to go up the steps without problems after a week back on the CBD and ate normally again).
 

daftcat75

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2mg/kg is a pretty high dose for cats. 0.5 to 1 mg/kg is more inline with what I've been researching.

I don't know that it is strong enough to work for the dental pain my Krista is having. But I'm also not certain the transdermal buprenorphine is either.
😿

Unfortunately, and this is my biggest objection with using CBD in cats (or dogs), while very safe on its own, CBD is not without dangerous drug interactions. I have to pick between bupe and CBD because they are both metabolized, competitively, by the same enzymes in the liver. Giving them both together can result in a dangerous level of over-sedation.
 

Kieka

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2mg/kg is a pretty high dose for cats. 0.5 to 1 mg/kg is more inline with what I've been researching.
My research shows a starting dose of 0.1mg/kg up to 0.5mg/kg depending on what you are treating for with a max of 3mg/kg (primarily for end of life pain management in which case the long term safety isn't an issue). I probably wouldn't do more than 1mg/kg. Everything I was reading said to start low and build up to efficiency for your situation. The 2mg/kg does seem a little high. Where permitted, it is probably good to check with a vet first and always be open about what you give your cats outside of perscriptions to prevent bad interactions.
 
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fionasmom

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CBD is definitely a pathway disrupter and can cause other meds to be either increased or decreased in strength. In CA currently, vets are allowed to discuss the use of it, but cannot prescribe or advise....now, how far this goes, who knows, but my dog's vet definitely sticks to those rules. I am always really glad to hear that it helped animals with pain issues as for me and my dog, nothing has been conclusive.
 

daftcat75

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I am doubtful that Krista is getting enough relief from the transdermal bupe based on how her eating is dropping off. We have just a couple more days until we can see the dentist and make a decision about a feeding tube until her procedure, if the dentist is willing to work with her and her feeding tube. In the meantime, I bought dog CBD oil. Same oil as the cat version just more concentrated. I can give her 0.5 mg CBD in 1 drop of the oil instead of half a dropper like the cat version. I tried to give her a little extra bupe this morning since the first dose from a new syringe is always a little larger. She puked up breakfast. We can't have that when she's not eating enough as it is.
 

stephanietx

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I spoke with my vet about this today because I had to take my girl in for an arthritis assessment and other treatment options. She mentioned that there's been very little research done on cats, but more on dogs. In dogs, the recommended dose is 2mg/kg. She said that we would have to extrapolate that out for a cat. She is not opposed to using it, but did recommend to give the appropriate dose. She also mentioned that you have to remember that a cat's liver and kidneys are much more sensitive than a dog's and that everything has to be filtered by those 2 organs.
 

Kieka

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I spoke with my vet about this today because I had to take my girl in for an arthritis assessment and other treatment options. She mentioned that there's been very little research done on cats, but more on dogs. In dogs, the recommended dose is 2mg/kg. She said that we would have to extrapolate that out for a cat. She is not opposed to using it, but did recommend to give the appropriate dose. She also mentioned that you have to remember that a cat's liver and kidneys are much more sensitive than a dog's and that everything has to be filtered by those 2 organs.
That's why my 6kg cat only gets 1.6mg. I started him at .5mg and worked up until there was a noticable impact over six months. I am sure I could see better results with a higher dosage but he is only 5.5 years old so I don't want to build up a tolerance now that lessens the effect later on accident plus minimize the dosage to make sure he doesn't have too much stress on his system to filter it out. I also use the dog labeled since it's a higher concentration so less oil carrier and less potential problems with his liver from oils. This is my own personal non medical experience and I do realize the potential risks. But it's a quality over quantity discussion at this point as his arthritis was already at the point I was expecting him to be immobile by 7 or 8 and he really can't handle any -orphine medicine.
 

daftcat75

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I didn’t think it would be so effective so quickly. But I’ve been giving her three drops twice a day. I don’t know if it’s 0.5 mg a drop. I misread the label thinking it said it was 30 drops per dropper. It’s 30 1 mL droppers per bottle. So how many drops in an mL? I haven’t determined that yet. But 3 drops seems to have replaced the need for bupe and sparked her appetite too. Of course mixing Tiki Cat Ahi Tuna into her Rawz Rabbit definitely picked up her eating too. Whatever it takes to get us to and through the dental consultation.
 

daftcat75

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The dentist rocks! He had an afternoon procedure appointment cancellation that same day as our consultation. So we consulted and then I left her with him and picked up a toothless cat in the afternoon eating more readily and happily than I’ve seen in months! I told him to make it the last dentist appointment she’ll ever need and I think he did. So she’s back on the liquid bupe for a week or two. The liquid bupe I still have confidence in. When she no longer needs that, I’ll switch her back to CBD just to see what it does for pain and inflammation she has elsewhere—like her IBD and her arthritis.
 
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fionasmom

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That is great news and certainly spared both of you an extra day of worrying about a return trip. I hope that she makes a speedy recovery.
 

daftcat75

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That is great news and certainly spared both of you an extra day of worrying about a return trip. I hope that she makes a speedy recovery.
Oh vet dentists are hard to come by. If he wasn’t able to help Krista that day, it was looking like I’d have to put a feeding tube in her to get her to the procedure appointment which could be 2 to 6 weeks out depending on his schedule (he splits time in another state) and workload. I’m so amazed and grateful for the turnaround and results. She’s cleaning plates and timed feeder portions again.
 

mocha bee

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Thanks for all the info I have ordered the CBD oil for Delilah from chewy. She is afraid of most things and all people except for me. She was a rescue who was in 2 shelters and also a big box pet store where she was in a small cage looking out onto the store with kids and dogs running about. she loves to play and is content to lie in the sun a distance away from us. But still runs under the bed a lot. We have had her almost 3 years. Forgot to mention she sleeps on the bed with us as soon as my husband goes under the covers and she feels safe.
 
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