TAILS ARE WAGGING FOR HEMP by FRED METZGER, DVM, MRCVS, DIPLOMATE ABVP
H emp (often referred to as CBD) products are every- where. You can’t pick up a newspaper or go on social media without being bombard- ed by news for hemp (often referred to as CBD). How do you pick one for your beloved pet that will be effective at a fair price? The answer is, you find one that has been well tested and endorsed by vets. Sadie* is a 13-year-old German Shep- herd that suffered from debilitating arthritis and a serious decrease in qual- ity of life. Jan*, her owner, was heart- broken at the thought of losing her but felt that euthanasia was the only humane option left. Sadie’s vet, Dr. Joe Wakshlag, of Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine, requested that Sadie participate in a new clinical trial he was leading at Cornell on dogs with osteoarthritis using a new hemp oil produced by ElleVet Sciences. Sadie was enrolled in the trial and placed in the placebo group. It was a double- blind trial, so neither the vet nor Jan knew which group was given hemp oil and which was the placebo, but Sadie did not respond. Jan told Dr. Joe Wak- schlag that she couldn’t see her in pain any longer and needed to pull Sadie from the trial. Dr. Wakshlag convinced her to wait until she switched groups. Sadie finished the first phase of the tri- al and was put into the second group with the “real” hemp oil. The difference was both dramatic and fast. In a matter of days, Jan was in Dr. Wakshlag’s office crying because she woke up to find that Sadie had climbed the stairs and slept in her room for the first time in two years. She started playing with the other dogs and interacting with family in a way she hadn’t done in many years. Two years after the trial, Sadie is still alive with a good quality of life and is still taking a regular dose of ElleVet hemp oil.
ElleVet Sciences, based in Portland, Maine, collaborated with Cornell to conduct the first clinical trial in the world on dogs with osteoarthritis using a hemp product, which resulted in the first published paper on the subject matter. The findings were significant. Over 85% of dogs showed dramatic improvement, similar to Sadie. ElleVet and Dr. Wakshlag were committed to doing the research to determine how it worked, find out what dose is needed for it to be most effective, and make sure it was safe. A long-term safety study along with the clinical trial proved the safety of ElleVet hemp oil for both dogs and for cats. Accord- ing to Dr. Wakshlag, “We haven’t had a game changer in 20 years. This will change the face of veterinary medicine for years to come.” So how does it work, exactly? The endocannabinoid system, which is present in all mammals, is involved in modulating a variety of processes in the body, such as pain sensation, inflammation, appetite and mood, and CB1 and CB2 receptors are located in the peripheral nervous system, brain and organs. Hemp contains a wide variety of cannabinoids and the body has cannabinoids receptors which bind with the cannabinoids and are reported to aid in managing diseases such as cancer, immune mediated dis- eases, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other diseases. Their basic function is to maintain homeostasis in the body. But, not all hemp works the same way, and one strain may work better on one area, such as an immune mediated, and another strain may work better on epilepsy. For the most part, it’s a complex and poorly understood field, but with every scientific study, we are learning more about the possibilities for this substance. One thing that’s important to note, is that dogs and humans are not the same when it comes to dosing. Elle-
Vet and Cornell determined that dogs metabolize hemp in a different way and need to be dosed accordingly. Also, THC, while not toxic for humans is toxic for dogs. When you hear of a dog going to the emergency room because of cannabis, it is because a dog was given or got into a product that has THC. THC is the part of the plant that causes the psychoactive effect, or the “high” which is not good for any dog. A hemp product should have a certificate of analysis which includes not only the cannabinoid profile but also a test for heavy metals, mold and pesticides. At this time, vets all over the coun- try, including some of the most promi- nent vets in the world, are providing hemp for both their patients and their own dogs. One pet owner, after 48 hours on ElleVet, asked, “Was it my eyes or was my dog longer than usual? I realized my dog’s muscles were relaxing for the first time in more than 2 years. The hump in her spine was gone and she no longer grunted and sighed when she got up and down.” As studies progress, pets continue to improve. Another vet and pet owner professed, “I’ve worked in veterinary medicine for 15 years and when my 16-year-old dog started having trouble, I switched to ElleVet Hemp Oil. She’s improved so much that she’s no longer on hospice status.” Many vets and pet owners are cur- rently using hemp to treat seizures, but science and data are still needed. Dr. Wakshlag and ElleVet are about to begin three additional groundbreak- ing studies in the areas of oncology, seizure and post-operative pain man- agement, with results expected to be extremely positive. *names changed for confidentiality of pet owner and pet patient
180 • S how S ight M agazine , D ecember 2018
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