Well… Unpleasant as it is, pain serves an important purpose. It tries to protect our dogs joints from causing further damage by making known the presence of some sort of injury or damage. Most of us have had a need for pain killers in our life, and for some of us, they even form part of our daily routine.
This is because us and our dogs have Nociceptors. (Pain Receptors)
In the early stages of an injury or infection. That information is useful. It encourages our dogs to stop moving around and rest, thereby preventing further damage and allowing for healing.
But sometimes pain continues in our dogs, when it is actually physically safe to be up and going for walks without fear of further damage.
Sometimes there is pain and it doesn’t necessarily mean our dogs need to stop moving and rest, such as a toothache. In these circumstances, they may be prescribed pain killers (analgesics) by a veterinarian.
Different Analgesics work in different ways, Some such as aspirin works to inhibit the formation of those chemicals which trigger your dogs pain receptors. Meanwhile stronger analgesics (novacaine) actually block the transmission of nerve impulses along certain pain fibres.
Opiate drugs (morphine being the best-known example) changes the way the brain perceives the pain signaling, which means it doesn’t interpret it in the same way.
So our dogs don’t feel it as a intense pain anymore.
Imagine if pain was shaped like a square, when you take morphine it changes the pain into a triangle, which makes it harder for the brain to interpret.
Ok, great so now that we have a little background information on how pain and medications works in our dogs bodies and why pain can sometimes be a good thing.
Can CBD Oil Help With My Dogs Hip And Joint Pain?
In order to answer that question, we must first understand our dogs endocannabiniod system. This will be a quick overview specifically about pain and its actions with the endocannabinoid system.If you are interested in learning more about you dogs endocannabinoid system. Check out this article, it dives deep into our dogs ECS.
As we seen above the endocannabiniod system has a role in regulating pain. We’ve also learned that it synthesizes endocannabiniods in response to tissue damage and ceasing it once the tissue is healthy again.
This system also exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by modulating the release of the relevant neurotransmitters.
We know the endogenous cannabiniods are important in pain management because a lack of endocannabiniods is seen in those conditions which are associated with prolonged, chronic and severe pain in diseases such as fibromyaligia and migraines.
Chinese healers, who have known about the healing properties of endocannabinoids since 2000 BC, have claimed that cannabis “undoes rheumatism”.
Evidence supporting the anti-inflammatory effects of endocannabinoids come from preclinical studies that have shown that all classes of cannabinoids including phytocannabinoids (tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol) and synthetic analogs such as Ajulemic acid, “Nabilone,” and elmiric acid possess anti-inflammatory effects.
The Role of Endocannabinoids in Joint Inflammation (3)
The protective effects of endocannabinoids have been noted in other inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, and periodontitis.
Endocannabinoids can block progression of joint inflammation in rodent models of arthritis. The anti-inflammatory potential of CB2 has been confirmed in mouse models of arthritis. (4)
The protective CB2 effects include the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokine and damaging proteinases secretion; as well as regulating immune cell adhesion and migration to the inflamed joint. Together, this helps slow the perpetuation of disease and alleviate associated arthritic pain primarily derived from localized inflammation. (5)
Cannabiniods have been found to reduce the flow of accending pain signals (those which travel up the spine and brain) and they also modulate decending pain signals too
(Travel backwards). Research suggests that cannabiniods makes us less sensitive to pain.
Over the past 50 years hundreds of studies have been carried out on the use of cannabis and cannabiniods for pain, which have offered a mixed bag of results.
Though across the board it appears that cannabis and cannbiniods (CBD) will help pain arising from cancer – hence the use of cannabis based medications such as Sativex.
Generally results have been good for chronic pain like the kind we find in our dogs joint pain but for other types of pain it isn’t always so clear cut in terms of traditional analgesia.
Cannabiniods may allow doctors to lower the dose of prescribed opiates, well still allowing for the same degree of relief. (6)
Clinical trials working with cases of pain in arthritis, multiple sclerosis and chronic musculoskeletal issues indicated that the use of cannabis saw a 40% improvement in pain levels.
Can CBD Oil Help With My Dogs Hip And Joint Pain?
What is interesting is that the cannabiniods may not actually be reducing the pain but allowing for better symptom management by relaxing our dogs and raising their spirits.
Cannabinoids Don’t Relieve Pain So Much as Boost Tolerance (9)
This is a important point to consider for our dogs when choosing to use CBD oil for joint pain.
Dosage:
It is very important to consider dosage here!
Cannabis and cannabinoids appears to be the most effective for pain at low, or medium dose. rather than high dose. Potentially…
Certain trails didn’t find the best dose for the individual and in the case of CBD oil we certainly see that there is a large variation between effective doses across different groups of dogs, with the same health issues.
START LOW, GO SLOW.
IF NEEDED SPLIT THE DOSE
ONE in the AM. ONE in the PM.
Even when cannabiniods aren’t necessarily reducing the intensity of the pain. A common theme is that they help the dog mange their pain more effectively, by relaxing them and raising their spirits. This is important point to consider when reading through the research, it is important to consider the bigger picture.
CBD has been studied as a analgesic as well as being a anxiolytic and antidepressant and thus contributing to the more holistic approach to pain management by mentally supporting our dogs through the process.
CBD oil has been trialled for its pain-reliving actions over the course of many studies.
Topical application on arthritic joints over the course of a few days saw a reduction in both inflammation and pain, (7) similar outcomes where seen when CBD oil was taken internally for chronic pain too.
While findings so far have been encouraging, more research is necessary to confirm that CBD oil is an effective treatment for all types of arthritis.
CBD may help manage chronic pain by affecting the brain’s response to pain signals.
Cannabinoids, such as CBD attach themselves to specialized receptors in a dogs brain and immune system. One of these receptors, called a CB2 receptor, plays a role in the immune system by managing pain and inflammation.
Researchers believe that when CBD enters a person’s body, it may attach to CB2 receptors. Alternatively, it may cause the body to produce natural cannabinoids that attach to the CB2 receptors.
Either way, scientists think CBD affects the way that these receptors respond to the signals that they receive, possibly helping reduce inflammation and pain.
A review of research into CBD and its possible mechanism of action suggested that CBD could play a role in chronic pain management. (8) CBD is available as an oil or powder, which it is possible to use to make creams or gels that people can apply to the areas affected by arthritis.
Always speak to a veterinarian before using CBD oil. A person should also educate themselves regarding CBD oil, as the use of these products is not legal everywhere and quality can vary a lot. Always make sure the products are lab tested
Stop And Think.
If we stop and think for a moment… The Endocannabiniod system helps to regulate the body’s management of pain.
When all is well this system pain is only felt when tissue is injured or irritated, but we know their are conditions where our dogs feel pain in the absence of such stimuli, in some cases, it is believed that the endocannabiniods is out of balance and a lack of endocannabiniods is often cited as a contributing factor to this.
CBD oil potentially offers a alternative route to triggering the cannabiniods receptors in place of the endogenous endocannabiniods.
Can CBD Oil Help With My Dogs Hip And Joint Pain?
You could see CBD oil as a way of correcting an endocannabiniod deficiency and activating the cannabiniod receptors so as to reduce the pain signalling messages to the brain. Which might be a reflection of a imbalance in the endocannabiniod system.
Thanks for taking the time to learn today, if you have any questions send us a message on our website Earthmade.store or email us at Info@earthmproducts
REFERENCES:
(2)
Cannabinoids and Pain: New Insights From Old Molecules
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5685274/#!po=5.55556
(3)
The Role of Endocannabinoids in Joint Inflammation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5685274/#!po=5.55556
(4)
The nonpsychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an oral anti-arthritic therapeutic in murine collagen-induced arthritis.
https://www.pnas.org/content/97/17/9561
(5)
The medicinal use of cannabis in the UK: results of a nationwide survey
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-1241.2004.00271.x
(6)
Access to medical marijuana reduces opioid prescriptions
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/access-to-medical-marijuana-reduces-opioid-prescriptions-2018050
(7)
Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis
(8)
Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain