SUN CITY WEST, ARIZ. — An unprecedented collaborative study by experts at the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) and Guelph, Ontario-based Nutrasource Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Services demonstrated the safety and tolerability of various hemp-derived cannabinoids in healthy dogs. The latest peer-reviewed data, paired with other historical evidence, suggests that these products are well tolerated by healthy dogs at doses of 5mg per kg of body weight per day.
The study included 32 healthy Beagles who were randomly separated into four treatment groups. For 90 days, one group was orally given a placebo of medium chain triglyceride oils, while the other three groups were orally administered either broad-spectrum cannabidiol (CBD), broad-spectrum CBD with cannabigerol (CBG) , or broad-spectrum CBD with cannabidiolic acid (CBDA). Each group receiving the CBD product was administered a daily dose of 5mg per kg of body weight.
The researchers noted that beagles fed CBD products tolerated the products well, and no significant health risks were observed in the long term, including during the 14-day recovery period.
“These data show that the cannabidiol variety is safe for long-term use in healthy dogs when given at the dose studied,” said Bill Bookout, NASC president. “In safety studies, no matter how well controlled or carefully defined, it is impossible to consider everything that might happen once a product is commercialized. That is why safety studies include this is not only data from a well-designed study protocol, but also 10 years of post-market surveillance data from the NASC Adverse Event Reporting Database (NAERS®), which is the most advanced monitoring system in the world for these types of products administered to companion animals. There is no other study that we know of that is as comprehensive and includes the same data set.”
The study was conducted by ClinVet USA LLC, an Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, and supported by several animal health experts. It was published in the March 2024 edition of Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
“Many people are to be thanked for their support in the completion of this study; however, it was the contributions of the NASC Board of Directors and NASC members, along with retailers and veterinarians that helped propel this landmark study forward,” said Bookout. “Special thanks to study co-authors Margitta Dziwenka, Kaiti Valm, and Jennifer Kovacs-Nolan for their invaluable assistance in what has been a long, but very rewarding process. Thanks also to Joseph J. Wakshlag, DVM, Ph.D., of Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine for his support and encouragement as we completed this instrumental study.
Find the full study here.
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