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Pot and Your Pet: How Cannabis Products — and BPA-Free Plastics — are Helping to Treat Man’s Best Friends

Posted by Drew Eisen on 09-21-2018

I confess: when I first heard about people giving pot to their pets, I was more than a little skeptical. Granted, I was at my girlfriend’s hairdresser’s house in West Hollywood and I was being told about pot’s beneficial effects for pets in between stories about various famed rockers of the 80’s and 90’s doing various infamous things up and down the Sunset Strip.

But despite the setting, the context or my dismissive, knee-jerk reaction, I would soon be schooled on the ways in which CBD and other cannabis-derived products can help our most beloved animals. I saw, first-hand, how CBD treats helped an 8-year-old Pekingese stop having daily seizures. Once the novelty wore off, I began to see just how real pot’s effects were on ailing pets of all shapes and sizes. And many veterinarians and animal specialists seem to agree.

"People are giving cannabis to dogs and cats to reduce noise phobia, anxiety and itching; control pain, especially with arthritis; lessen the severity and frequency of seizures; and treat many other conditions,” explains Liz Hughston, a 47-year-old registered veterinary tech in San Jose, and founder and head technician of VetTechXpert, who is also an administrator of the Veterinary Cannabis Academy on Facebook and an advisory board member for Phyto Animal Health (a division of Medical Marijuana Inc.), which produces hemp CBD oil for pets.

Robert Silver, a retired veterinarian of 35 years from Boulder, Colorado notes that he has seen cancer tumors shrink and many go into complete remission with cannabis, noting that in some cases CBD will do the trick, and in others a blend of THC and CBD works best. He’s also seen dogs that have been given CBD in place of their prescribed arthritis medication “do better than on the NSAIDs.

Dr. Gary Richter, 47, a veterinarian of 20 years, owner and medical director of both Montclair Veterinary Hospital and Holistic Veterinary Care of Oakland, CA agrees with Silver and Hughston, adding that his professional experience“has shown me that there is enormous potential to treat medical conditions with cannabis.” But Richter is quick to point out the misconception that marijuana products are 100% safe: “this is not true, especially in pets.”While the benefits are many, when delivered at an improper dosage, ”cannabis can lead to loss of balance, loss of appetite and sometimes collapse.”^{^[1]}

To reap the benefits of pot while avoiding the pitfalls of a bad reaction, more and more pet owners are turning to wellness treats that have been carefully dosed and infused with a proprietary blend of CBD and other non-psychoactive cannabinoids derived from hemp grown for medicinal purposes.

"In other words,”explains Julianna Carella, the owner and founder of Treatibles, “the snacks won’t get your dog high, but they will help your pup cope with separation anxiety and live a more comfortable life.”^{^[2]} Carella notes that she’s seen considerable improvements in pets experiencing a range of symptoms, from hip dysplasia, arthritis, mobility pain, aging to epilepsy and even cancer.

While many cannabis products for pets come in the form of oils or tinctures, CBD treats are gaining popularity.

These treats are typically packaged in foiled zipper pouches. While these pouches are intended to be resealable, consumers can experience excessive tearing and are susceptible to incomplete closures.

To maximize freshness, preserve the quality of your pets CBD treats, and simultaneously avoid exposure to unwanted chemicals, consumers are starting to turn to wide mouth, BPA-free plastic jars for keeping their pet’s pot fresh, like those offered by Parkway Plastics and Jars.

As is the case with cannabis products intended for human consumption, plastic jars with screw-tight lids and/or various child resistance closures offer a tighter seal that extends freshness AND provides a more reliable way to prevent your four-legged companions from being over-served.