Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine: How Cannabis Is Used in Animal Care

Veterinary cannabinoid medicine (VCM) is an emerging field that studies how cannabis-derived compounds, mainly cannabidiol (CBD), can be used to treat animals and support their well-being. As acceptance grows and research into cannabinoids in humans piles up, vets and scientists have started looking at how the same compounds might help our pets.

In practice, VCM usually means medical cannabis oil, and it's being explored for a range of animal conditions, from pain and inflammation to anxiety and neurological disorders. Just like us, animals have an endocannabinoid system (ECS), a network of receptors and signaling molecules that helps regulate all kinds of biological functions.

Cannabinoids interact with that system to produce their therapeutic effects. In veterinary settings, the focus is mostly on CBD-based products, since CBD doesn't get animals high and has shown a favorable safety profile so far.

As research moves forward, VCM could become a valuable tool for improving our pets' quality of life, offering natural alternatives for a range of health problems.

Cannabis in veterinary medicine: past, present and future

A short history of veterinary cannabinoid medicine

Cannabis has a long track record in animal care. For centuries it was a staple of the veterinary pharmacopeia, right up until prohibition took hold in the 1930s and 1940s.

Dr. Ethan Russo, a well-known pharmacologist and medical cannabis researcher who comes from a family of veterinarians, has highlighted that history in recent seminars, including one for the Latin American Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine (AMVC Latam).

India

In India, cannabis was used to treat diarrhea in livestock, boost milk flow in cows and keep them calm. In oxen, it was used to increase energy and work capacity.

Sir William Brooke O'Shaughnessy, considered the father of cannabis medicine in the West, did his cannabis research in India. Before giving it to human patients, he tested it on stray dogs to show how low its toxicity was.

China

In imperial China, cannabis was used in a similar way, to ease digestive problems in animals and as an anticonvulsant.

Europe

• France: Hemp seed oil was used as a purgative for cattle and to treat skin conditions in dogs.
• Italy: Cannabis sativa resin was used to treat colic in horses.
• Scotland: Because cannabis worked well for human complaints (as a painkiller, antispasmodic and sleep aid), it caught on in veterinary medicine too.
• England: Vets used cannabis for asthma, seizures, coughs, cystitis and tetanus.

South Africa

Cannabis was used to treat intestinal inflammation and coughs in horses, as well as epilepsy in dogs.

United States

• Cornell University: Researchers looked at its use for cystitis and tetanus, and in horses for the excitatory phase of azoturia and exertional rhabdomyolysis.
• University of Pennsylvania: An extensive study was done on the pain-relieving, antispasmodic and sleep-inducing properties of cannabis.
• Harvard University: Researchers looked at cannabis in connection with higher survival rates in tetanus patients.

Where veterinary cannabinoid medicine stands today

Today, VCM keeps evolving as new studies explore the potential benefits of cannabinoids for a range of animal conditions. The current focus is on compounds like CBD, which doesn't produce psychoactive effects and, according to early research, appears to be well tolerated by animals.

The field is expected to grow significantly as more research comes in and more animal-specific products are developed. Demand for natural treatments keeps rising, which opens the door to new opportunities and uses for veterinary cannabinoid medicine.

As research advances and new products hit the market, VCM has the potential to reshape veterinary care, offering natural alternatives that could improve our pets' quality of life.

How veterinary cannabinoid medicine developed

Background: from prohibition to renewed research

Veterinary medicine has changed a lot thanks to the comeback of cannabis research and clinical use since the 1960s. Before prohibition, cannabis was a widely used tool in veterinary practice.

The first serious modern studies on cannabis in veterinary medicine, though, were mostly about animals that had been poisoned by it.

Meanwhile, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his research team were doing pioneering work describing how the endocannabinoid system works, a milestone that came together in the late 20th century.

With a better understanding of the ECS, researchers started exploring how cannabis affects living organisms, and how organisms affect cannabis, opening new doors for veterinary medicine.

Recent advances

Over the past decade, veterinary cannabinoid medicine has come a long way. A solid body of information has built up in support of formally using cannabis with veterinary patients.

For example, research such as Matthew E. Miller's 2018 study has shed light on the differences between the human ECS and that of dogs, the most common veterinary clinical model.

Miller found that the distribution of cannabinoid receptors in dogs is similar to ours, but dogs show higher expression of type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1).

That's part of why dogs are more sensitive to cannabis: they have lots of CB1 receptors in their central nervous system, and their bodies metabolize THC differently. It's also why a dog that eats your weed can get sick fast.

Cannabis for dogs and cats: challenges and opportunities

Despite the progress, big challenges remain in developing and regulating veterinary cannabinoid medicine. In many countries, the lack of clear rules makes safe access to cannabis-based veterinary medicines difficult. On top of that, cannabinoid medicine is barely taught in vet schools, which widens the knowledge gap in the profession.

Still, there are exciting opportunities in the field. Growing demand for natural treatments is driving investment and research into cannabis products for animals.

Organizations like the Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine (CAVCM) and EndoVet are also leading efforts to provide specialized training, such as the first certified course in veterinary cannabinoid medicine offered by the National University of Colombia.

The bottom line on cannabis for pets

Veterinary cannabinoid medicine is an exciting step forward for animal health. As we keep exploring the therapeutic uses of cannabis in animals, it's crucial to tackle the regulatory and educational gaps so pets can get safe, effective access to these treatments. And never give your pet cannabis products without talking to a vet first.