Cannabidiol and the possibilities of its use in veterinary medicine of dogs and horses: A brief review

Vet Med (Praha). 2022 Jun 17;67(9):455-462. doi: 10.17221/127/2021-VETMED. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Abstract

In connection with the use of cannabinoids for therapeutic purposes in human medicine, there is increased attention for their use in veterinary medicine, particularly by the owners of companion animals and horses. Therefore, veterinarians are expected to face this interest and have the corresponding knowledge on these substances. Presently, it is not possible to use medical marijuana (in terms of the dried cannabis flowers) for veterinary purposes in many countries, but there is increasing evidence that isolated cannabinoids also have beneficial effects (namely cannabidiol - CBD). Thus, this review summarises the possible therapeutic implications of CBD within the scope of evidence-based medicine, particularly in dogs and horses in association with the treatment of pain, epilepsy and anxiety in order to provide veterinarians with a concise overview of scientific findings in this field.

Keywords: cannabidiol; cannabinoids; dogs; horses; pain treatment.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

Supported by the state budget by the MEYS, large infrastructure project CZECRIN (No. LM2018128), within activity project of the large infrastructures for R&DI and by European Regional Development Fund – Project ENOCH (No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000868).