Can I Give My Dog NSAIDs like Aspirin?

Pain from inflammation often affects dogs at some point in their lifetimes. Using over-the-counter drugs, like Aspirin and other NSAIDs, as well as prescription anti-inflammatory medications, is not uncommon with pet parents. But that leads to the question, can you give your dog NSAIDs? Some OTC pain medications are chosen because they treat pain and inflammation quickly, but unfortunately, they don’t get down to the root of the problem. They mask the symptoms, but do not help the root cause of the pain and inflammation. Additionally, NSAIDs like aspirin are notoriously known for their poor side effects.

How Do NSAIDs Work?

When the body begins to produce inflammation, prostaglandins begin to form. Prostaglandins are a group of lipids, made at sites of tissue damage or infection, that are involved in dealing with injury and illness. They control processes such as inflammation, blood flow, and the formation of blood clots.

Aspirin is an NSAID, which stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. NSAIDs work by blocking enzymes known as COX-1 and COX-2; the enzymes responsible for creating prostaglandin. This in turn blocks the pain and inflammation. Unfortunately, NSAIDs are not selective in which of the enzymes (COX-1 or COX-2) it inhibits. This results in more side effects when using NSAIDs for dogs.

NSAID Side Effects for Dogs

All NSAIDs, including Aspirin, have the ability to cause adverse reactions, some of which can even be fatal. Since NSAIDs affect the COX-1 enzymes responsible for the stomach and intestinal tract, one of the most common side effects is vomiting. The most serious side effect is gastrointestinal (GI) ulceration.

NSAIDs cause the inability of the GI tract to bring out what are basically the protective soldiers of the body. Since the enzymes aren’t able to do their jobs, the barrier protecting the stomach is not able to prevent injury to cells and blood vessels. This is where the ulcers come in. No protection, no barrier.

Other side effects can include:

• Bleeding in the GI tract
• Gastrointestinal ulcerations
• Abdominal pain
• Upset Stomach and Heartburn
• Liver problems
• Kidney problems
• High blood pressure
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Heart failure, or even death

Hemp as a Natural Alternative for Pain

A full spectrum hemp extract offers a wide variety of health-boosting benefits for pets, with specific applications to help alleviate pain due to inflammation, injury, chemotherapy, age, arthritis, and hip dysplasia.

Cannabis has been used as an effective analgesic dating back thousands of years. One of the ways it does this is actually by changing the way the recipients’ central nervous system communicates the sensation of pain to their brains. For example, when an injury occurs, like a dog hurting his paw on a sharp rock, the damaged tissue tells inflammatory and immune cells to begin repairing the damage. The cells release chemicals and proteins to activate receptors on nerves. These nerves move to the spinal cord up to the brain causing our dog to feel the pain in his paw. Hemp products can be utilized long-term to reduce pain effectively by weakening pain signals.

Not only does hemp help relieve pain on a neurological level, but it also alleviates the physical conditions that cause pain. How you may ask? A full spectrum hemp extract helps reduce joint pain by providing inflammation relief for dogs.

Inflammation has long been a well-known symptom of most infectious diseases. However, research now suggests that chronic inflammation is not just a symptom, it actually causes and advances many common diseases. Allergies, anxiety, chronic pain, autoimmune disease, and diabetes are all examples of conditions associated with inflammation in the body. When we soothe that inflammation, we are addressing the cause of the problem and therefore the pain.

Related: Natural Pain Relief for Dogs and Cats

Research on Hemp for Pain and Inflammation

A study published in 2006 in Current Neuropharmacology states that hemp has therapeutic benefits for both people and pets suffering from acute and chronic pain episodes. They concluded that compounds found in cannabis reduce inflammation. In fact, the most abundant phytocannabinoid in cannabis have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, the less abundant cannabinoids have also demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties, which is why we recommend a Full Spectrum Hemp Extract.

Hemp also outperformed Aspirin as an anti-inflammatory, in a study involving mice, published in Pharmacology & Pharmacy. In the study, they also tested a cannabinoid isolate against a Full Spectrum Hemp Extract, with the full spectrum hemp extract performing about 5x better than the isolate.

A Baylor College of Medicine study, using In vitro and in mouse models, found that hemp significantly attenuated the production of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α while elevating levels of anti-inflammatory IL-10. In the veterinary study, hemp extract significantly decreased pain and increased mobility in a dose-dependent fashion among animals with an affirmative diagnosis of OA.

The benefits of Full Spectrum hemp are more than just anti-inflammatory. Research published in Nutraceuticals in Veterinary Medicine states that hemp interacts with the endocannabinoid system in dogs to aid against cancer, improve sleep, resolve anxiety and stress, and alleviate inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and pancreatitis, improve pulmonary and cardiac conditions, and act as a neuro-protectant.

Hemp Dosage for Pain in Dogs

Depending on the severity of your dog’s pain, we may recommend our Ease tincture or our Heal tincture for dogs and cats, as our best full spectrum hemp extract tinctures for pain management.

Our EASE tincture is a 550mg Full Spectrum Hemp Extract, formulated with added frankincense and turmeric, to target inflammation and joint pain. For most dogs and cats, we find that between 9-18mg (1-2mL of EASE) is enough to manage aches and pains. Our Ease tincture is formulated so that 1mL of tincture has one standard dose, 9 mg of FSHE. So if you’re looking for arthritis and joint pain relief for your pets, or other acute or temporary pain relief for your pet, Ease is a great option.

Our HEAL tincture is an 1100mg Full Spectrum Hemp Extract, is our most potent hemp oil for dogs and cats. For pain management, we typically recommend our Heal tincture for senior pets, higher levels of pain, or pets who have demonstrated a low sensitivity to hemp. This is our best hemp oil for pain management for dogs or cats with cancer, tumors, autoimmune diseases, Cushing’s disease, and severe chronic pain. For Heal, we recommend starting with a dosage of 37 mg, which is equal to 1mL of our HEAL tincture.

We also recommend our Remedy salve for dogs, or our Soothe salve for cats, when a pet needs topical, localized natural pain relief.

Final Thoughts

It comes as no surprise that many pet parents with dogs who are experiencing pain and inflammation turn to hemp for pain relief. Including my own schnauzer, Odie, who began experiencing joint pain and inflammation in 2016. Odie was having a hard time walking, and also suffered from debilitating noise anxiety. Within one week of giving him a daily dose of our Ease tincture, he was able to walk without difficulty. He was walking so well, in fact, he felt comfortable going up and down the stairs again. His inflammatory response significantly decreased, resulting in better overall health.

 

 

About Angela Ardolino

Angela Ardolino is a holistic pet expert who has been caring for animals for over 20 years and operates a rescue farm, Fire Flake Farm, in Florida. She is also the owner of  Beautify the Beast,  a natural pet salon and shop. After getting her certificate in Medical Cannabis Biology and Therapeutic use from the University of Vermont School of Medicine, she founded Hemp Dog Health to provide high quality, all-natural medical cannabis products designed specifically for pets.

Angela has seven dogs, Odie a 12-year-old mini-schnauzer, Nina an 8-year-old Doberman. Jolene a 7-year-old mutt, Maza a 7-year-old mutt, Rhemi an 8-year-old poodle, Potato a 15-year-old shih-tzu, and Miss Daisie a 15-year-old black lab, plus 4-10 more at any time she is fostering or boarding. Additionally, she uses Full Spectrum Hemp Extract on all her pets at her rescue farm every day, and has since 2016. She is a member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, the Veterinary Cannabis Association. In fact, Angela has educated hundreds of medical doctors and veterinarians on the therapeutic uses of medical cannabis on animals. Visit www.angelaardolino.com for more information.