After feeling my dog Rye’s knees during her annual checkup the veterinarian said to me, “You can feel how crunchy her knees are. She’s virtually a cripple and she’s got to be in a lot of pain.”
Yes, it was clear to me that she was. After 11 years of dashing, jumping, bolting, lunging, and hunting, my German Shorthaired Pointer suffered from severe arthritis. She was increasingly intolerant of standing and she hunched her back in an effort to shift weight from her painful knees to her front legs. In order to sit, she had to gingerly slide her legs and rear end out from under her and ease her way wincingly to the floor. It was hard to watch.
“There are three treatments that are proven to be effective therapies for arthritis in pets,” explained veterinarian, Dr. Howard Gittleman, “Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, omega three fatty acids, and Adequan. I’m going to put her on all three. You may consider researching another that’s available for purchase online. It’s a new supplement that incorporates the pain relief benefits of cannabis without the ‘high’. It’s called ElleVet Sciences Mobility and contains an ingredient in hemp known as cannabidiol (CBD). The supplement has been linked to reduction of inflammation, pain, and anxiety in both humans and dogs.”
CBD: An Effective Solution For Arthritic Pain
To date, studies on the therapeutic effects of CBD in animals have been limited, mostly restricted by the hazy border between states that allow for the sale of CBD, and federal law that still considers it to be a Schedule I drug (more on this, below). Only the Cornell and Colorado State colleges of veterinary medicine have conducted research (Auburn awaits approval for a planned study), but study leaders of both renowned institutions are enthusiastic. Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, who headed up the study at Cornell wrote a full-throated endorsement of ElleVet Mobility:
“Over the past 8 months we have conducted a pharmacokinetic and clinical trial on the efficacy of ElleVet Sciences CBD preparation on osteoarthritis. To date our findings have confirmed that their product is safe and efficacious for pain in dogs with osteoarthritis, chronic joint pain and geriatric pain with dramatic beneficial effects in our more geriatric patients.”
He went on to say,
“Considering these very promising initial results, we are continuing our work with ElleVet Mobility examining post-surgical and oncology pain at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.”
Read more of Dr. Wakshlag’s comments on the Cornell study in this VIN article
A Company To Help Navigate Law, Research, and Treatments
With interest in CBD as a human therapy option on the rise, veterinarians’ interest in the drug for animals also continues to mount. There is even a company, Veterinary Cannabis, which is dedicated to keeping the veterinary community apprised of the latest studies, laws, and therapies involving medical marijuana. Its first symposium in 2017 included the voice of veterinarian, Dr. Stephanie McGrath, who directs two important CBD studies at Colorado State. A second conference is planned for 2018 and will feature key opinion leaders Dr. Casara Andre, Liz Hughston, and Stephen Cital.
Federal and State Laws on CBD Often In Opposition
Under federal law, even the ‘non-high’ cannabinoid, CBD, is illegal and veterinarians in all states, even those that allow for its use medicinally, are precluded from prescribing its use, a status that California vets are currently battling. Yet, at least one veterinarian in Oregon prominently displays CBD drugs for sale at his practice satisfied that a 2013 memo written by Deputy Attorney General, James Cole, sufficiently eliminates concern that vets would be the target of federal prosecution (though state board and DEA censure is another thing). In an important side note, Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, issued his own memo in 2018 that untied some of the constraints put on prosecutors outlined in the 2013 memo, but the focus of federal prosecution remains on the bigger issues with state-legalized marijuana: abuse of the drug by children, organized crime, and interstate trafficking. In Jeff Session’s words, “I am not going to tell Colorado or California or someone else that possession of marijuana is legal under United States law, but federal prosecutors haven’t been working small marijuana cases before and they are not going to be working them now.”
FetchDVM360 instructors Drs. Michael Petty and Sarah Wooten discuss CBD legal issues
Federal CBD Law Restricts Research
When asked why states don’t green light the use of CBD for use in pets, most cite the lack of information on efficacy and safety, yet when veterinary research colleges petition the federal government for permission to do research on CBD, they are often denied on grounds that there isn’t sufficient information on efficacy and safety. It’s a Catch 22 that would have delighted Joseph Heller, but makes for lousy progress in CBD animal research. Fortunately, ElleVet and Cornell bravely waded these murky legal waters when they conducted their valuable study in 2017 and Colorado State continues their own studies in the face of conflicting state and federal law, but there’s little doubt that more clarity from the federal government and looser federal restrictions would increase the amount of much-needed research.
Hemp-based and therefore…legal?
Products like ElleVet Mobility distance themselves from federal law by extracting all of their CBD from industrial hemp, a close cousin of marijuana that contains only trace amounts of the ‘high’ part of pot, and a plant that is perfectly legal in the U.S. Still ask any attorney (as Colorado veterinarian, Dr. Sarah Wooten did), or interview Tom Davis, Department of State, State Board of Veterinary Medicine in Pennsylvania, as I did, and you’ll get a scope of opinion that spans from ‘I think it’s okay’ to ‘I’m not sure’. From 30K feet, it seems quite clear that consumers who purchase products like ElleVet won’t be carted off to federal prison, but upon closer inspection, more detailed state and federal laws are what’s really needed to improve our understanding of the drug; to ease our concerns about recommending or selling it in our practices; and to one day, prescribing it.
Read all of Dr. Sarah Wooten’s article on CBD, her research into the law, and more.
Rye Responds to ElleVet in 48 Hours
ElleVet Mobility is available as a chewable and contains both CBD and glucosamine, but since I own the only dog in the world that refuses to eat a chewable anything, I ordered the CBD oil (a version of which is also available for cats, btw). Rye responded to treatment within 48 hours. I first noticed it when I saw her lying on my bed. Was it my eyes or was my dog one foot longer than usual!? In fact what I was witnessing was my dog’s muscles relaxed for the first time in more than 2 years. The hunch in her spine was gone. She no longer grunted and sighed when she got up or down. Outside, she was once again tearing down the trails of my farm.
Time for the Next Chapter?
While my experimentation with CBD to treat Rye’s arthritis is hardly scientific, it’s my observation that the ElleVet supplement has dramatically improved my dog’s mobility and reduced her pain. Data from Cornell, Colorado State, and the many testimonials by vets endorsing the benefits of CBD are positive enough that we should explore how to make legal, safe use of CBD. Clarity from the federal government on how it will act inside states with medical marijuana laws and looser restrictions on research will go a long way in improving our understanding of CBD; reducing our concerns about DEA and federal law illegality; and easing state boards’ concern over safety and efficacy.
About Bash Halow
Is there a difference between Canine and People CBD or just the usage?
Just found out my dog has cancer last weekend so far has helped her too feel more herself and eat again we thought we would lose her last week when her mass on her spleen blead filling her stomach now she is walking and eating again hope it helps her as long as possible as surgery isn’t an option with her liver health.
ElleVet Mobility Oil has been a godsend for our 8 yr old coonhound who has been battling a nasty cancerous tumor in her nasal cavity since it was discovered in November. She underwent three sessions of palliative radiation therapy at Cornell in December and we started using ElleVet Mobility Oil to ease her discomfort with great success. I can”t say enough good things about the product and ElleVet; awesome folks! I did A LOT of research on line, etc. and HIGHLY recommend ElleVet !
Hi. I have a 12 year old Husky with a liver mass. When he was 12 weeks old he had to have his front left leg removed due to the growth plates not growing. He now has severe arthritis pretty much all over. He is taking a bunch of medication including an NSAID which is not good for his liver. I have tried decreasing his medication however he is very uncomfortable. My question is, with his liver mass, it this a safe option?
Thank you.