A new study by researchers at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute has found that giving a single dose of CBD to a dog before a long car trip or when being left alone can significantly relieve their stress and anxiety.
The study was announced this week and was published in the journal Frontiers of Veterinary Science. The Waltham Petcare Science Institute is part of Mars Petcare owned by the pet product company Mars.
For the study, researchers looked at the effects that CBD has on dogs when placed in two activities and situations that normally cause stress such as car journeys or leaving them alone in a room. Researchers randomly gave a placebo or the CBD formulation to dogs placed under either condition and their physiological and behavioural responses were measured.
They measured the dogs’ physiological responses such as cortisol levels to measure stress, ear temperature and heart rate. The researchers also measured other behaviours like whining, trembling and panting.
Results showed that with 4 milligrams per kilogram of cannabidiol (CBD) dogs were significantly less “sad”, had significantly lower cortisol levels, exhibited less whining and were in a more relaxed emotional state overall than dogs that received a placebo.
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“We know pet owners try various approaches – from training to medications and supplements – to help their dogs cope with stressful situations often with mixed results,” said Dr. Jennifer Welser, Chief Medical Officer of Mars Veterinary Health.
“We’re focused on scientific inquiry that generates knowledge that can inform pet professionals and pet owners’ decisions. So, this study is important because it gives us new evidence that CBD at the dose studied can benefit dogs in specific circumstances.”
Previous studies have shown that a daily oral dose of 4mg/kg of CBD over a six-month period is safe for adult dogs.
Mars Petcare has also partnered with the Broad Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University in studying and compiling the largest open-access cat and dog genome databases worldwide. Genomes from 10,000 dogs and 10,000 cats enrolled in the MARS PETCARE BIOBANK initiative will be sequenced over the next 10 years.
