Study: Dogs Given CBD Have Below-Average Aggression
A study published this month in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science suggests that dogs receiving CBD supplements for an extended time period have below-average aggression compared to dogs that are not given CBD. The study also indicates that dogs given CBD supplements did not show a reduction in anxiety or agitation.
The study utilized survey data from the Dog Aging Project (DAP) and associated the change in behavior with canines that had consistently consumed CBD for at least two years.
Dr. Julie Albright, associate professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Tennessee and co-author of the study told UPI that the researchers “could find that CBD preferentially affects neural circuits related to the ‘fight’ versus ‘flight’ of the threat or stress response pathway” but that the study’s design “did not allow for detailed responses about the CBD use from the dog owners,” meaning the products given to the dogs, including the dosage, is unknown.
“For example, the risk that aggressive dogs pose may have prompted their owners to implement many therapeutic techniques, such as professional behavior modification and strong avoidance of triggers, compared to owners of dogs displaying fear without aggression. This multimodal treatment approach may have contributed to better outcomes for aggressive dogs compared to the other types of non-aggressive behavior problems.” — Albright to UPI
The study also found that CBD use among canines tended to be higher in states with legalized medical cannabis. Dogs with dementia, osteoarthritis, cancer, epilepsy, hip dysplasia, clinical sign–based gastrointestinal disorders, and chronic diarrhea were more likely to use CBD compared to dogs without those conditions.
Maxwell C. K. Leung, assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology and cannabis researcher at Arizona State University, and a study co-author, told UPI that the higher CBD use rates among dogs in states with medical cannabis access demonstrate how “we humans view medical cannabis and cannabidiol as beneficial to humans and dogs alike.”
“Medical cannabis is used for a number of human health conditions, such as osteoarthritis and epilepsy,” he said. “Dogs also have similar health conditions, and we give CBD to our animals for the same reasons. I think this is an example of how we treat our companion animals as members of our family.”