If you have ever used a cannabinoid therapy, such as CBD, for yourself, you may have also considered using it for your pet. If they have witnessed pain, stress, or discomfort, it is natural to search for a solution that may provide them with relief. As their caretakers, it is our responsibility to provide them with what they need in a way that is safe and effective. In some cases, cannabinoid therapy may be beneficial to them. 

The most popular form of cannabinoid therapy on the market is CBD tincture (oil). For dogs in particular, CBD has been researched to help with many conditions, including arthritis, anxiety, and seizure disorders. Due to the anti-inflammatory and analgesic therapeutics of the CBD molecule, it may even enhance the recovery time and pain associated with sprains, fractures, and surgeries.

Just as with dogs, CBD may also ease the symptoms of ailments in cats, however, more research is needed to fully understand the benefit and absorption of the molecule that takes place. The fact that cats also have an endocannabinoid system, just as dogs and humans do, may suggest that plant cannabinoids, like CBD, may have therapeutic benefits.

The product you decide to purchase matters. You want to be sure it is a quality product you can trust and that it is consistent and sustainable. Once you have a CBD product for your pet, whether that be a tincture or a treat, it is critical to start with micro-dosing. This means that your pet could be starting off with mere drops of a tincture in a day.

Animals are more sensitive than humans in a number of ways. For example, dogs have been studied to show that the presence of cannabinoid receptors in the brain far exceeds those of humans. This explains why high levels of THC may be toxic for dogs, and further explains the importance of micro-dosing. The best analogy may be to relate THC to Theobromine – the toxic ingredient in chocolate for dogs and cats. Because they cannot metabolize this chemical in the way that humans can, they are more sensitive to the chemical effects as a heart stimulant, blood vessel dilator, and muscle relaxant. Theobromine is found in cocoa, therefore higher levels of cocoa in a product means it to be more toxic to pets. However, there are also low levels of Theobromine found in carob, which is a safe alternative and tolerable for both dogs and cats. 

When searching for products for your pet, you may find ones marketed specifically for dogs. These will likely be flavored to appease dog palates, of low concentration, and contain little to no THC. If the bottle is marked “full-spectrum”, that means all of the hundreds of cannabinoids of the cannabis plant are in the product, including THC, following the federal guidelines of equating to 0.3% or less. A bottle marked “broad spectrum” will contain all of the cannabinoids with the exception of THC. A CBD “isolate” will only consider the CBD cannabinoid. 

In short, when considering supplementing your pet’s diet with CBD; invest in a quality product, start low and go slow, and consult your veterinarian for medical concerns.

If you have any questions about this topic, a Realm of Caring Care Specialist is here to help. Call us at 719-347-5400 option 1 or email us at info@realmofcaring.org

Disclaimer

The Realm of Caring Foundation specifically invokes the first amendment rights of freedom of speech and of the press without prejudice. These statements have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration. the products discussed are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease. Realm of Caring always recommends when and wherever possible that licensed local healthcare professionals be consulted.

The Realm of Caring Foundation is an independent nonprofit with its own governing board. We do not produce or sell cannabinoid products, nor do we receive funds from the sale of other company’s products.

Many people often give up on cannabinoid therapy because they are not seeing the results they are looking for. We see it a lot, people who try a product for a week and then decide it is not for them because they find no relief. So they stop taking CBD but continue to suffer from symptoms. We want you to be able to find success with your product(s), so we thought it might be helpful to discuss the five most common reasons why your cannabinoid therapy might not be working for you. 

#1: Poor Quality of Product

A very common problem is that many CBD products are not regulated. You may actually find yourself with a product that contains little to no CBD. This has been shown on Washington Post, CBS News, NBC News, and more. 

You will want to confirm the quality and consistency of a product before buying. To do this, the company should be able to provide you with a certificate of analysis or a batch report from a third party lab for the specific product you have bought or intend to buy. This testing is done to verify that what the label says is what you have in your bottle. It is also done to show that the product has been cleared for molds and pesticides. Cannabis is safe, research proves that. What is not safe is inconsistency, misleading labels, and lack of testing. 

#2: Your Dose May be Off

Have you been taking your product for some time and have yet to find relief? Maybe you are taking a dropper-full of a tincture here and there. Maybe you tried a capsule and “didn’t feel anything”. CBD works through the accumulation of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). Through consistent, twice a day dosing, we may be able to replenish our ECS with the cannabinoids it needs to bring our bodies to homeostasis. For most, this means it will take a few increases over the course of some weeks or months to find a true “therapeutic dose”. Every individual is different so what dose works for one may not be enough (or might be too much!) for another. 

One other thing to keep in mind is that the CBD molecule is bi-phasic. Imagine a bell curve. Where you want to be is at the peak of said bell curve. This is where you are finding relief from your symptoms. Too little CBD may have no effect, so it may be a bit of a climb to get to that peak. On the flip side, too much CBD may tip you over to the other side. If this happens, from an oversaturation of cannabinoids, you may see exaggerated or new symptoms. 

In short, this reason for cannabinoid therapy not working can be summed up by the Goldilocks principle. You do not want to have a dose that is too low or too high, you need to find your individual dose that happens to be just right.

#3: Expectations

It is hard to know what to expect of cannabinoid therapy, especially when it seems so many are claiming it to be a “cure-all”. The truth is, it may take time to find relief. When someone is experiencing chronic pain or in need of seizure control, that is not necessarily something that they want to hear. However, for cannabinoid therapy to be able to consistently show day to day relief, it first needs to accumulate in the ECS. If, after giving some time, no relief is felt then it is possible you may need an increase as was mentioned in the last point. All in all, we do not want you to expect too much upfront. Just as with any lifestyle change, progress takes time. It could take days, weeks, or months before that difference is realized.

#4 Interactions

Another thing to be mindful of when starting out with CBD therapy is the other medications that you may be taking. Joanne Doyle Petorongolo, a pharmacist at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital states “as the number of medications increases, the potential for drug interactions goes up, and there’s an increased potential for side effects”. CBD is not advised for everyone depending on the medication being taken, the amount of medications being taken, or the treatment one is going through.

The first possible step to avoiding potential interactions is to space the administration of CBD and pharmaceuticals away from each other. You can also check what those potential interactions may look like with your doctor, a pharmacist, or an online drug interaction checker. 

#5 Method of Delivery 

We are sure you know by now, there are so many types of CBD products out there. From tinctures to capsules to edibles to topicals to vaping and everything in between. The percentage of CBD that is absorbed by the bloodstream, also known as bioavailability, will change depending on which method you are using. A tincture that is taken under the tongue, therefore can be absorbed mostly in the mouth, may have increased bioavailability. A product that needs to be broken down by the digestive system may have decreased bioavailability. That is not to say that edibles, capsules, and other methods that need to pass through the digestive system are not effective. For some, this can be the method that works best. It all depends on you, the individual. So if you are finding that one way “does not work” or simply is not a regimen that works for you, there are plenty of other options to try before ruling CBD out. 

If you have any questions about this topic, a Realm of Caring Care Specialist is here to help. Call us at 719-347-5400 option 1, email us at info@realmofcaring.org, or sign up for a free client account HERE.

Disclaimer

The Realm of Caring Foundation specifically invokes the first amendment rights of freedom of speech and of the press without prejudice. These statements have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration. the products discussed are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease. Realm of Caring always recommends when and wherever possible that licensed local healthcare professionals be consulted.

The Realm of Caring Foundation is an independent nonprofit with its own governing board. We do not produce or sell cannabinoid products, nor do we receive funds from the sale of other company’s products.

Helping people powers everything we do. 

It’s our mission to offer people safe, pure, and reliable cannabis and CBD products they can trust.

Our careers didn’t start out in cannabis, they began in the pharmaceutical industry. When people go to Walgreens or CVS, they trust that what they buy is safe and will help them get better. And while the pharmaceutical standards for manufacturing and production are well-trusted, some of the motives behind pharmaceutical companies are not.

We get it. And we got out because of it. 

We started to see some of the highly controlled drugs we were developing to “help” people being abused by patients, doctors and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Instead of helping people, we started to see the drugs hurting them. 

We knew there had to be an alternative to truly help people that didn’t involve potential long-term damage. 

When we learned about the healing effects of cannabis, it reinvigorated our passion to help people. From that day forward, we’ve worked to create cannabis and CBD products with the same pharmaceutical standards as what you’d find on pharmacy shelves.

What We Do

Before our team spends months developing a product, they spend time at the drawing board. After comparing the different ways to ingest cannabis and CBD, we narrowed the options down. Our research found that tablets, tinctures and topicals are the best options for rapid onset, longevity, and body receptivity. 

Because health and safety are top priorities, our focus is on products that are vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free, and our topical products are paraben-free. Excipient ingredients are pharmaceutical grade, and all of our hemp and cannabis are grown in Colorado.

Every product is tested multiple times during the manufacturing process. This includes pesticides, microbial growth, heavy metals, potency, and residual solvents to ensure your safety.

You can put us to the test by reviewing a Certificate of Analysis for our CBD products. We include one with each online purchase. We want to earn your trust, and we will go to any length to earn it. We are grateful that nearly 700 dispensaries in Colorado have entrusted our THC products to their customers by adding them to their shelves.

We’d also like to share a bit about our products for you to consider.

Tablets:

This option is portable, discreet, reliable, convenient and long-lasting. Unlike infused food products such as gummies, which may require 90 minutes to take effect, tablets have an onset of 15-30 minutes and can last up to 8 hours.

Tablets can be halved or quartered based on your dosing needs. Be sure to take the tablets with a fat source (such as a spoonful of peanut butter) to experience the maximum benefits. Cannabinoids are fat soluble so they need to bind to a lipid to absorb into the body.

• Stratos CBD tablets are available in Full Spectrum 300 (30 tablets of 10mg each), Full Spectrum 750 (30 tablets of 25mg each), Isolate 300 (30 tablets of 10mg each), and Isolate 750 bottles (30 tablets of 25mg each). 
• Stratos THC tablets are available in Sleep (Indica THC), Energy (Sativa THC), Relax (Hybrid) and CBD 1:1, CBD 2:1, CBD 15:1, CBD 25mg (THC and CBD). Tablets come in doses of 5mg, 10mg, or 50mg. Available in bottles of 75mg, 100mg, 300mg, or 500mg. 

Tinctures:

We want you to get the most out of your tincture, and quickly. To increase absorption and speed up onset, we use high-shear technology to break down cannabis and CBD molecules into smaller particles. This allows the plant to take effect in less than five minutes and last 3-4 hours. 

Placing a tincture under the tongue (sublingual absorption) is up to 10x faster than anything you chew or swallow (first pass digestion absorption). Place the tincture under your tongue, wait 30 seconds, then swallow. The tincture then heads straight to the bloodstream. 

• Stratos CBD tinctures are created with hemp-derived CBD oil and MCT oil and are available in 500mg and 1000mg quantities for Full Spectrum or Isolate.
• Stratos THC tinctures have two options:
  • A tangerine tincture created with MCT oil and cannabis oil available in Sleep 1:1 (Indica, CBD), Energy 1:1 (Sativa, CBD), Relax 1:1 (Hybrid, CBD). Each come with 100mg of THC and 100mg of CBD. There is also a 15:1 CBD option with 100mg CBD and 6.67mg hybrid THC.
  • A chocolate mint tincture created through a phospholipid emulsion of water, MCT oil and cannabis oil. This special emulsion offers the highest bioavailability tincture option available and must be mixed well before taking. It is also available in Sleep 1:1, Energy 1:1, Relax 1:1 and 15:1 CBD.

Topicals:

If you’re looking to target a specific part of the body, such as your back or legs, then a topical salve is perfect. Our salves are infused with a whopping six essential oils, shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax, so it’s like a big hug for your skin. This smooth, silky salve can be massaged wherever you need it, and you’ll feel the benefits within minutes. For those concerned about any psychoactivity, it’s important to note that you won’t “feel high” by applying a THC product to your skin (it must be ingested).

• Stratos CBD topicals have 500mg each, and are available in Full Spectrum or Isolate.
• Stratos THC topicals include Soothe 1:1, which is infused with 100mg THC and CBD, and Soothe ER, which includes 300mg THC and 300mg CBD.

We hope we’ve piqued your interest. If you’re still reading, we’d like to say thank you: visit www.stratoscbd.com 

Want to see if you’re eligible for discounted products?  Have questions about how to use Stratos’ products? Call Realm of Caring’s Care Team 719-347-5400 Option 1 

Learn more about what we offer or reach out with questions or comments at info@stratoscbd.com or info@stratosthc.com – we’d love to hear from you.

Forbes recently released an article called Marijuana Study Finds CBD Can Cause Liver Damage. It focuses on a recent research article from the journal Molecules, called “Hepatotoxicity of a Cannabidiol-Rich Cannabis Extract in the Mouse Model.” The researchers made their own CBD extract and took findings from GW’s Epidiolex clinical trials to give equivalent dosages to mice to observe the short-term effects. Keep in mind that their COA showed residual hexane, which is a known hepatotoxin.

The author uses this study to claim that CBD might be just as dangerous as alcohol or acetaminophen (Tylenol). These substances both have safe daily recommended amounts that do not harm the liver. But while alcohol’s abuse is well known and acetaminophen toxicity has replaced viral hepatitis as the most common cause of acute liver failure in the US, CBD has zero abuse potential because it is non-intoxicating, so its users have no incentive to approach similar levels.

GW observed that 20 mg/kg is the safe maximum daily dose of CBD. That’s 9 mg/lb. For a 100 pound person, that would be 900 mg a day. That’s between 1-2 grams for most adults.

The mouse researchers tested the effects of giving this max dose in a single day, and separately, the effects of giving it for fourteen days in a row. They then went on to perform the same test using triple the recommended safe daily dose and then once more using 10 times the limit.

In the same-day phase of testing, all of the detrimental effects occurred at the 3x and 10x levels. No negative effects were reported for the recommended safe maximum dose.

In the two-week phase, detrimental effects occurred only at the highest level. The author leaves a strong implication that CBD killed some of the mice, however, that isn’t the case. Some mice in the highest dosage group became so lethargic and anemic that the researchers decided to kill them on the third day. Mice in the lower two levels exhibited no visible signs of toxicity throughout the two weeks.

Because GW Pharma already determined a maximum recommended dose, it should come as no surprise that amounts higher than that can cause problems. Most people who regularly use CBD can’t or won’t ever come close to the “maximum” recommended amount due to cost, access, or simply needing less because of using whole plant extracts.

The author goes on to point out the warning on Epidiolex packaging that there is a risk for liver injury because 5-20% of patients in recent clinical trials experienced elevated liver enzymes. The overwhelming majority of increases in enzymes were at the 20mg/kg dose in combination with Valproic acid, another known liver toxin. Their published article cites three specific studies to support the case for elevated enzymes. In all three studies, the risk of elevated enzymes mostly applies to users who are also taking other medications, the risk isn’t severe, and the problem resolves itself for most. The author somehow conflates that to say all CBD users will develop a disease.

The fact that CBD can interact with other drugs in the liver is well-known and practices are already in place to avoid or minimize negative reactions.

As long as a reasonable amount of CBD is taken, and it isn’t taken at the same time as other medications, then there is a minute chance of a negative reaction occurring.

The author begrudgingly concedes that there is research on the positives of CBD. He brings up a study showing that cannabis users have a significant dose-dependent reduction in the odds of developing each of the four major stages of alcoholic liver disease. He quotes a doctor who said cannabis can lead to progression of liver disease in patients with hepatitis C, however, “cannabis” isn’t defined here and there is no citation provided by Healthline. The RoC Research Library has more studies showing the positives of cannabinoids for the liver.

One of his final warnings about CBD is actually a testament to its therapeutic potential. “CBD regulates 50 genes.” The keyword here is “regulate.” CBD works to regulate the rest of the body and help bring it to homeostasis. CBD actually has over 80 mechanisms of action.

The author concludes by saying that due to all the harms that CBD poses, users may as well be taking vodka to ease what ails them. Equating CBD to vodka is not a fair comparison. This article highlights why it’s important to do your own fact-checking and not accept everything you read at face value.