CBD Oil and Going Under Anesthesia

theorangecat

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Does anyone have any experience with their cat being on CBD oil and then undergoing anesthesia?

My 9(ish)-year-old tabby has been on PetReleaf's CBD oil for about 4 years now. He takes 0.5ml/day for what my previous vet called "localized seizures." He needs his teeth cleaned, and my new vet wants him off the CBD oil until his appointment in 15 days. I've been googling, but I'm having a hard time finding any information on how long it takes CBD oil to clear a cat's system, though I have found one instance indicating that the same system that clears the CBD oil also is responsible for clearing anesthesia medication. I found something else saying that repeated use of CBD oil will take longer to clear than short-term use. But none of these are backed by actual studies.

My vet doesn't know anything about CBD oil, doesn't recommend it, and can't give me any guidance on it. I've had great success managing his seizures and his car anxiety with it, but my terror about him under going anesthesia has now gone into hyperdrive given the apparent lack of any studies done on CBD oil in cats and the unknown of its interactions with anesthesia medications.

I've never stopped his CBD oil cold turkey like I now need to do, and I'm not sure if that's the best way. I'm considering tapering his dose over the course of a week or two and then rescheduling his teeth cleaning for at least 30 days after his last dose of CBD oil. I've read 30 days is how long it can take to clear a human's system, which is what I'm basing that number on.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation?
 

neely

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Depending where you live, if it's in the U.S., my first thought was to contact a Board Certified Anesthesiology Specialist at a University Veterinary Medical School or a Veterinary Specialty Center/Clinic in your state. This might help give you peace of mind since you mentioned your vet doesn't know anything about CBD oil.
 
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theorangecat

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Depending where you live, if it's in the U.S., my first thought was to contact a Board Certified Anesthesiology Specialist at a University Veterinary Medical School or a Veterinary Specialty Center/Clinic in your state. This might help give you peace of mind since you mentioned your vet doesn't know anything about CBD oil.
Yep, I'm in the US, and that's a really good idea I wouldn't have thought of. Thank you!
 

daftcat75

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15 or 30 days seems excessive. You want his serum CBD levels to be insignificant. You're not trying to get him to pass a drug test. One study on Google says it takes 1.5 hours for half the serum CBD to be eliminated. Six half-lives is generally sufficient (reduces total amount down to about 1.5%.): 6 * 1.5 = 9 hours. It would take approximately 9 hours after his last dose to reduce his blood concentration of CBD to approximately 1.5% of the original dose. This is not likely to cause any issues.

I agree with the suggestion above to contact an anesthesiologist if you can. Otherwise, I think 3 days off the CBD oil would be plenty.
 

fionasmom

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The fifteen days may be standard advice for anyone undergoing surgery with anesthesia. When I had surgery 3 years ago I was given a window of 15 days to stop all pain killers, supplements, etc. I would check to make sure it has to be this stringent.
 
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theorangecat

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I just wanted to give an update in case anyone else has to go through this specific situation since I had a difficult time finding any answers. I tapered his CBD oil down over a couple of days before taking him off of it completely. He was off it for a total of 10 days before his surgery. He had absolutely no issues with the anesthesia!
 

fionasmom

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Thank you for posting this. I think that the 10 day window you gave him was probably the safest thing to do and it worked out. Everything went well with the procedure?
 
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theorangecat

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Thank you for posting this. I think that the 10 day window you gave him was probably the safest thing to do and it worked out. Everything went well with the procedure?
Yes, the procedure went great! They didn't find any issues with his teeth once all the tarter was cleaned off, and he was much, much less loopy after he got home than he had been the previous time he underwent anesthesia. Whatever medicine my new vet used worked so much better for him than what he was given the previous teeth cleaning.
 

fionasmom

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Great news! Thanks so much for the update. Hoping for a speedy return to normal.
 
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