In this article, I am going to share a little bit about the Cannabis plant. As many of you know, I am a registered veterinary technician, in other words, I am a veterinary nurse and I will be soon a Veterinary Cannabis Counselor.
Cannabis itself is the genus of the plant and we have species:
Cannabis Sativa
Cannabis Indica
Cannabis Ruderalis
As you see above it is a polymorphic plant, which means it has many forms.
What we know about Industrial Hemp is that is a tall plant bred for its fiber production and it contains less than 0.3% of THC.
THC is one of the 2 major cannabinoids that we found in the plant, THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol and it has strong anti-inflammatory and pain control effects.
On the contrary, Marijuana is bred for medicinal and recreational reasons and it has more than 0,3% THC.
Hemp-based products are purchased over the counter and it is used for chronic disease, immune deficiency, stress management, and behavior disorder. And their most important molecule is the other major cannabinoid, the CBD or cannabidiol
Marijuana-based products are purchased through dispensaries and contain THC molecules used mostly for inflammation, uncontrolled or neurogenic pain, or cancer treatment.
Apart from the major cannabinoids, also we have minor cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids but this will be subject to another article
Now CBD can be used isolated for situational anxiety or can be mixed with minor cannabinoids and terpenoids for complex anxiety, chronic anxiety, or concurrent diseases, even more, we can mix CBD, THC, minor cannabinoids, and terpenoids as well.
Which patients need to be careful?
young, pregnant, or lactating animals
animals with cardiac abnormalities
animals with renal abnormalities
patients that may have drugs interactions
As you see there is a lot of information to be shared about this amazing plant and it currently affecting the veterinary field, many owners are using CBD or THC products and sometimes without any guidance at all. So the owners, in this case, should always find trustful sources of information about these products, because THC products could seriously harm our pet.
Always ask questions or even request the laboratory analysis of your product at the store, or also look for information science about the product or ask specialists about cannabis for animals ( no humans).