This is Flash.
He's my one-year-old long haired chihuahua.
And Flash has recently had knee surgery.
Flash started the CBD oil, and we give him a little bit
in his food once a day.
And his swelling came down really, really fast,
and he was on his way to recovery a lot faster
than I expected.
CBD has been popping up all over the place lately.
You'll find it in restaurants and coffee shops and things
like brownies and drinks And people are using it--
buying it from pharmacies or retail stores--
for health conditions.
And they're even now using it for their pets--
to help dogs and cats with arthritis and seizures
and anxiety.
A lot of people want it just to calm their pets.
And so dogs will have noise aversion or dogs have
a little anxiety it seems to help with.
And a lot of people are using for pain management.
CBD is short for cannabidiol, and it's
a compound found in cannabis plants, which includes
both hemp and marijuana.
And unlike THC, which is another well-known compound found
in cannabis, CBD won't get you high.
So in most states, at this point,
you're going to have to bring up CBD to your vet.
Because state laws for veterinarians are still murky,
and many vets will not take it upon themselves
to recommend it while the laws are being worked out.
But experts suggest it's best to get guidance from your vet.
They may be able to answer questions about it
and help you with dosages and monitor
your pet for drug interactions or possible side effects.
They just did a recent study at Cornell University
that showed it was very effective at pain
management in dogs.
And we're starting to see more studies come out
over the next couple of years--
I think for both people and animals.
Van Dyke was a guide dog, and when we got him,
he was an older dog.
And he was 10 pounds overweight.
He had a little bit of a head tilt.
His eyes were a little glossed over.
I thought CBD might be able help Van Dyke,
because it helped me with my pains.
We don't know what kind of pains he's in.
He can't tell us.
His hair's changed, so he went from white hair to yellow hair.
All right?
His eyes are nice and clear.
You can see he's very alert.
He's like, look, you're moving.
You're going around.
And before, we didn't have that same movement.
I can't say it's all CBD.
I could just say that we have given him as much
of a spectrum as we can in healing.
Some of that is included-- acupuncture, Chinese herbs,
moxa.
We've done the CBD, turmeric.
There's a variety of different things
that we're putting into the food that have been recommended
to us, as well.
It's a bit controversial how CBD might work in the body,
but researchers have identified the endocannabinoid system.
And there are receptors in that system throughout the body that
help respond to some of the conditions
that CBD is being used to treat.
For both pet and people, it's important to remember
that there are risks to CBD.
Because the market is unregulated,
you can't always trust the label on the product.
Some products might contain contaminants,
others might contain more THC than is listed on the label.
And THC in large amounts can be toxic for pets.
My concern is there are so many players on the market
right now.
And when you have something that's hot,
you have people who put out product.
And unfortunately, a lot of this product is not tested.
It's not an FDA approved product.
There is a wide range of dosages,
and there is a wide range of forms to take it in.
So you really want to start cautiously.
Ask your vet about it.
And do your due diligence as far as researching the company.
You also can't be sure of how much CBD is actually
in the product.
So the best precaution to take right now
is to look for a certificate of analysis,
which shows that the company has tested their product.
You can find the certificate of analysis, usually online,
where the company is advertising.
As any typical pet owner, I want to do the very best by my pet.
And I don't think that Flash would
have recovered as quickly if it weren't
for us starting the CBD oil.