Study reveals safety of long-term daily cannabidiol use in healthy dogs

Mars Petcare has revealed results from a safety study displaying that a daily oral dose of cannabidiol (CBD) at the studied concentration and duration was well-tolerated by a cohort of clinically healthy adult dogs.

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“I’m heartened to see this study on the safety of CBD for dog health. We continue to receive questions from pet owners on whether it’s safe to give their pets CBD. We hope, with continued research, to be able to provide science-based guidance our clients expect and rely on,” expressed Jennifer Welser, DVM, DACVO, chief medical officer of Mars Veterinary Health, in a company release.¹

Led by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, the study was part of Mars Petcare, and published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Its findings contributed to expanding evidence surrounding the safety of CBD for dogs.

The goal of the randomized, placebo-controlled, and blinded study was to both¹:

• Discover tolerance of a once-daily oral dose (4 mg/kg of body weight) well characterized, broad-spectrum THC-free CBD distillate throughout a 6-month period to healthy adult dogs.
• Quantify the level of CBD in the dogs’ fasted plasma, urine, and feces throughout the same period.

Study participants consisted of 40 healthy dogs, including 17 Labrador retrievers; 8 beagles; and 15 Norfolk terriers, randomized and balanced across 2 parallel treatment groups: CBD and placebo. Researchers examined an array of health measures, including biochemistry, haematology, and urinalysis, along with monthly veterinary examinations, twice daily wellbeing observations, and a daily quality-of-life survey. The measures were recorded before, then after 2, 24, 10, 18, and 26 weeks of CBD feeding, followed by 4 weeks of washout. CBD concentrations were measured at the same intervals in plasma, feces, and urine.

Reference

Mars Petcare study shows safety of long-term daily cannabidiol use in healthy dogs. News release. Mars Petcare. September 21, 2022. Accessed September 22, 2022. https://www.mars.com/news-and-stories/press-releases-statements/mars-petcare-study-CBD-safe-dogs