If you have a pup that’s starting to show signs of aging, there are plenty of good reasons why you should consider using CBD oil for your aging dog. As pet parents, we can’t help but think of our dogs as eternally boundless puppies. As much as we don’t like to admit it, at some point, they will enter their senior years. And when this starts happening, it’s important to keep an eye out for health conditions to make sure your fur baby ages comfortably and happily.
When Do Our Dogs Become Seniors?
But, age is not the only factor that determines our pooches’ senior status. For instance, factors like genetics, environmental conditions, overall health, and diet can all affect how rapidly a dog ages. That is why, once a dog starts showing signs of age-related health issues, he or she is considered a senior dog, regardless of age.
What Signs of Aging Do I Have to Look Out For?
As our dog’s age, genetic and environmental factors, as well as stressors and events from their lives, will start showing up in their bodies. For instance, lungs develop scar tissue, the skin becomes fragile, the fur becomes less shiny and muscles weaken. While aging isn’t a disease, it comes with a range of symptoms that cause discomfort and challenges for our pooches.
The types of issues our dogs may face can range from relatively mild to quite serious. By far, the biggest issue for the vast majority of senior dogs are things like mobility, joint problems, and osteoarthritis. But our aging dogs can also suffer from cognitive issues like difficulties with their memory, anxiety, and depression. Although less common, they may also experience gastrointestinal issues or even cancer.
What Can I Do to Help My Aging Dog?
Regardless of what our senior pups are dealing with, our focus should be on keeping them as comfortable as possible. We can positively impact their quality of life by addressing symptoms and issues as soon as they crop up. But one of the most important things to remember is to maintain and strengthen your bond with them. Our emotional support and love are invaluable to them during this delicate phase of their life.
For dogs with mobility issues, even small environmental changes can make a huge difference. For instance, putting additional rugs and carpets on slippery wooden or laminate floors will help provide traction. This can help them get around easier and reduce stress on their aging joints. It also allows them to move freely around the house which makes them feel secure and helps maintain their bond with us. And for dogs that suffer from cognitive issues, specialty foods and enrichment games can help a lot.
But there is one other thing that can really help an aging pooch and that is cannabidiol, better known as CBD. CBD is known to have a wide range of different properties that can help pets deal with the symptoms of aging. Let’s take a look.
5 Reasons to Try CBD Oil for your Aging Dog
Reason 1: It can help with inflammation and pain
Many of the issues that senior dogs have to deal with are either caused by some form of inflammatory issues resulting in pain. This is because aging causes the upregulation of inflammatory responses and increases in oxidative damage. This process results in pathologies linked to chronic inflammation. In fact, scientists believe that almost every chronic disease is essentially an inflammatory condition, with oxidative stress at its root.
CBD has repeatedly been shown to have powerful pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties while simultaneously reducing oxidative stress. Likewise, CBD also reduces pain sensitivity and inflammation while also significantly reducing pain. As a result, CBD oil is ideal for aging dogs that suffer from conditions such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
Reason 2: It can help with joint problems and mobility
As mentioned, by far the number-one issue that senior dogs have to deal with is difficulties with joint problems and mobility with osteoarthritis being its most common cause. Because of this, the effects of CBD in dogs with osteoarthritis are relatively well researched.
For instance, one such study showed that CBD significantly reduced osteoarthritis-related pain in dogs while another study found a significant decrease in pain and an increase in activity when dogs were given CBD oil. Not only that, but the researchers also found that it is a safe treatment option and recommends that a 2 mg/kg dose of CBD twice daily can help increase comfort and activity in dogs with joint problems and mobility issues resulting from osteoarthritis.
Reason 3: It can help with dementia
Just like us, our dogs can also lose cognitive function as they get older. This can result in them having symptoms similar to those of senility and dementia. This can leave them feeling confused and disorientated that causes them to whine or bark for no apparent reason or get lost in familiar surroundings.
Several studies have now shown that CBD has neuroprotective properties while also being able to help with neurogenesis. One study, in particular, showed that CBD encourages neural regeneration even in adult and aging brains, indicating that it could help your pooch stay sharper longer.
Reason 4: It can help with anxiety and depression
Many dogs can also become anxious and depressed during their golden years. This can be due to cognitive issues as we described above, but is often simply because their senses are starting to deteriorate, making them feel insecure. Imagine you’re a dog with painful arthritis and hard of hearing, you’re snoozing on the couch and don’t hear someone approaching. How would you feel if you get startled when they pet you or accidentally hurts you? I bet you will start feeling anxious and depressed too.
CBD can help your pooch by boosting their serotonin levels by binding to the 5-HT1A serotonin receptor, which is thought to play the biggest role in anxiety. It can also increase your dog’s natural feel-good endocannabinoid called anandamide, by preventing the overstimulation of CB1 receptors working in a similar way as pharmaceutical anti-depressants do.
Reason 5: It can help with cancer
Older dogs are especially prone to getting lumps and bumps. Luckily though, most of the time these are harmless, but with age, our dogs’ risk of cancer increases.
CBD can help dogs with cancer in a couple of different ways. Scientists have found that CBD may work similarly to chemotherapy by “programming” cancer cells to kill themselves off while at the same time causing a toxic environment that leads to their death. They also found that CBD can treat cancer, by starving tumors of their blood supply while simultaneously regulating tumor growth and stopping cancer cells’ ability to spread.
What Else Do I Need to Do or Know Before Giving My Aging Dog CBD Oil?
1. Speak to your vet
The first thing you need to do is speak to your vet, especially if your aging pooch is already on other types of medications. Although CBD oil is available without a prescription, it can interfere with the metabolism of other drugs as it can temporarily inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver which are critical for metabolizing these medications.
2. Choose a quality CBD Oil
The second thing you need to do is find a quality CBD oil or product that is formulated specifically for dogs. People CBD oils can contain ingredients that could be dangerous to your fur baby. You also want to make sure that the CBD extract is organic and that the other ingredients are as natural as possible. Also, consider a CBD product that is made from a broad-spectrum extract without any THC (which could be harmful to dogs) so that your pup can still safely benefit from the Entourage Effect.
3. Decide on a dosage
This is a tricky one because of how much CBD to give your dog is dependent on a bunch of different factors. For more information on how to determine the dosage, take a look at our dosing guide here [link to CBD Oil Benefits for Dogs] that explains everything in more detail.
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