Hemp for Senior Dogs
Many of the dogs brought to my rescue farm, Fire Flake Farm, are seniors. Pet parents often find themselves overwhelmed and unprepared to care for their pets as they age and health issues begin to plague their bodies. We do our best to give them the peaceful and pain-free twilight years they deserve, by safely taking them off of their prescription medications (with the guidance of our holistic veterinarians), transitioning them to a raw diet, and adding Full Spectrum Hemp Extract to their daily regimen. They go from barely walking to running and playing, as their degenerative diseases slow down their progression, and their health drastically improves.
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Full Spectrum Hemp Extract for Senior Pets
There are many ways that our senior pets can benefit from adding a Full Spectrum Hemp Extract to their daily regimen. Let’s go over some of the ways FSHE can help your senior dog.
Full Spectrum Hemp Extract for Arthritis, Joint Pain, and Inflammation
Many people are unaware that, just like us, our pets develop arthritis and joint pain with age. Since Full Spectrum Hemp is known to reduce inflammation, it offers natural pain relief without the adverse effects that NSAIDs can cause. Full-spectrum hemp has been shown to increase mobility while ensuring quality of life and improved general well-being. Another study stated that hemp has therapeutic benefits for both people and pets suffering from chronic pain and acute chronic pain episodes.
Related: Hemp for Dogs with Arthritis and Joint Pain
Full Spectrum Hemp Extract for Restful Sleep
Without appropriate sleep, our dog’s health can go downhill quickly. This lack of sleep may be due to insomnia, pain, inflammation, injury or recovery from serious illness. Continuous pain can also make your pet feel frustrated, restless, and moody. And, without sufficient rest, your pet can become vulnerable to nervous disorders or cardiovascular disease.
Full Spectrum Hemp Extract is shown to help dogs have a restful sleep. The cannabinoids in FSHE interact with ECS receptors that help to eliminate the sense of pain in the body. This increases mood and causes sleep. It also results in an immune system boost, lowers blood pressure, and decreases the risk of additional conditions.
Full Spectrum Hemp Extract as a Neuroprotective
Full Spectrum Hemp Extract has shown the ability to maintain normal cell function and promote healthy aging via mitochondrial support. In addition, hemp’s anti-inflammatory effects, in particular, can be most beneficial to the brain and to aging. Neurological conditions ranging from seizures, anxiety, depression, and other neurological disorders have been found to be managed or prevented with the help of hemp. In fact, the U.S. government has a patent on the cannabis plant as an effective neuroprotectant.
As a preventive measure against dementia, Full Spectrum Hemp Extract can be used and has been shown to aid brain function. Not only can hemp potentially help prevent dementia or CCD from starting in the first place in dogs, but it’s a natural care choice if your dog has any sort of cognitive decline. Full Spectrum Hemp Extract can help relieve dementia-related anxiety and stress and may help your dog remain relaxed and secure in their senior years. Full spectrum hemp extract is also rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that contribute to the well-being of the brain.
Full Spectrum Hemp Extract for Stimulating Appetite
Proper food and nutrients are vital for a healthy aging dog, and a good diet is particularly important when the dog is suffering from a serious illness. They need food to give their body the energy to fight back, but many health problems shut down their appetites. Full Spectrum Hemp Extract acts to combat this effect by stimulating appetite, by helping with any pain, nausea, or general fatigue that may be preventing the dog from eating.
Full Spectrum Hemp Extract for Cancer
When researchers are developing an anticancer drug, be it for humans or companion animals, there are certain properties they look for:
- Killing cancer cells while ideally leaving healthy cells untouched (apoptosis)
- Stopping the tumors from growing and invading other parts of the body (antiproliferative)
- Improving the efficacy of existing cancer treatments
It just so happens that Full Spectrum Hemp Extract shows promise in all three areas.
A study published by Veterinary and Comparative Oncology was conducted to determine how effective cannabis is in canine cancer cell lines. The study compared an isolated hemp compound alone to a combination of common chemotherapy pharmaceuticals. Ultimately, Full Spectrum Hemp Extract was found to increase apoptosis (cell death to prevent cancer growth) while restoring balance in the body.
Dr. Robert Silver, a pet cannabis expert, explained how cannabis works in a pet’s body. He said “receptors are like locks, and cannabinoids are like keys. They fit together perfectly. Once the cannabinoid connects to the receptor and ‘turns that lock,’ a series of actions in the cell membrane occur; these actions are responsible for some of the cannabinoid’s effects.” In Dr. Silver’s research study, he also stated “phytocannabinoids can benefit cancer patients by increasing appetite and reducing nausea. These anti-neoplastic qualities of the endocannabinoid system make it an essential component of most cancer therapies. By modulating gene expression, cannabinoids can reduce the growth of certain neoplasms.” A neoplasm is an abnormal growth of tissue which means in this study, Dr. Silver is stating the endocannabinoid system, when combined with cannabis, can reduce the growth of abnormal tissue (like cancer).
The Bottom Line
Although all dogs can benefit significantly from hemp, senior dogs often have the most visible improvements as they are often the ones with the most prevalent health problems. As a dog ages, their body begins to have a hard time catching up to their minds. They want to run, but their bodies sometimes will not allow them to do so. Prescription medications begin to consume their lives. And their pet parents often become frustrated in the process. Full Spectrum Hemp Extract can help reduce stressors on the body and on pet parents, allowing them to live the best life possible. FSHE can easily be introduced into your pet’s wellness routine as a preventive measure, and it is a more natural way to handle the changes that come with age as time continues to pass by.
Using Full Spectrum Hemp Extract to relieve pain and discomfort and encourage overall well-being for your dog is something more and more people are catching up with. There are still a lot of scientists who don’t realize, but initial human experiments have promising potential. More trials based on hemp for dogs are currently underway, and dog owners and holistic veterinarians are awaiting results to learn how far hemp will take the future of veterinary medicine.