Description
Easy to administer equine hemp pellets for daily use, 500g (typically enough for 1 month for 1 horse).
Can CBD Help Horses, and if So, How Much CBD Should Horses Take?
Horse owners are turning to CBD as an alternative treatment for common equine medical conditions such as , gastric ulcers, laminitis (hoof inflammation), and colic (abdominal pain). Research on CBD’s effects on horses is limited. However, various human and animal studies have illustrated CBD’s anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, anti-anxiety, and antidepressant properties.
How Much CBD Should Be Given to Horses
When looking for CBD dosage information for horses, pet owners should be aware that a standardised CBD dosage chart for horses has yet to be approved , There is, however, common consensus that the dosage depends on the horse’s body weight, as well as the condition that CBD is being used for. For safety and maximum effectiveness, horse owners should seek the advice of a veterinarian before initial administration.
The general rule is to start with small initial doses and to increase in safe increments when the desired effect is not met. Rest assured that CBD has exhibited minimal side effects on mammalian animals and human subjects in several CBD research.
Calculating the CBD Dosage for Medicinal Purposes in Horses
CBD can be administered to horses that suffer from osteoarthritis, laminitis (hoof inflammation), lameness (abnormal stance brought by joint injuries), anxiety, depression, colic (abdominal pain), and gastric ulcers.
Although CBD is not a cure for these diseases, it can be used to alleviate some of the associated symptoms, such as pain and inflammation. We recommend using regular doses (0.25 milligrams for each pound of a horse’s body weight) for stress and anxiety relief, nausea, digestive issues, moderate arthritis, and joint inflammation, as well as minor pain.
Meanwhile, strong doses (0.5 milligrams for each pound of a horse’s body weight) should be administered for chronic pain, severe cases of arthritis and inflammation, seizures, and intense anxiety. Strong doses are also stated to increase CBD’s desired effectiveness.
For mitigating pain and inflammation administer CBD every 8 hours. For reducing anxiety, horse owners should give CBD to the animal 30 minutes before an anxiety-inducing event, may it be a competition or travelling.
Determining the CBD Dosage for General Purposes in Horses
CBD can also be used for improving horses’ overall health. Administration of CBD pellets can impact a horse’s overall health by continuously promoting homeostasis (processes that the body’s various systems undergo to remain stable). Examples of these processes include maintaining the balance of body temperature and fluids. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has a vital role in the body as it takes part in maintaining homeostasis. It is through the ECS that CBD’s therapeutic effects are activated.
Taking CBD pellets can help horses’ ECS in maintaining bodily functions and processes that regulate the brain, endocrine system, and immune system, among others. CBD can also revitalize a horse’s coat and hair. It can also positively affect horses’ skin quality. For general health purposes, horse owners can simply administer regular doses. We recommend a dosing frequency of twice a day if the purposes are for the horse’s general well-being.
Calculating the Right CBD Dosage for Medicinal and General Purposes in Horses
When using CBD pellets, it should indicate how much CBD is contained within the pellets, so check the lab result for the batch. To calculate for the right CBD dosage, multiply the animal’s body weight by the recommended dose.
Following this dosage chart:
A horse weighing 400kg (900 pounds) should be administered a regular dose of 225 mg of CBD twice daily (900 x regular dose of 0.25 mg of CBD = 225 mg of CBD).
Meanwhile, the same horse weighing 400kg or 900 pounds should be administered a strong dose of 450 mg of CBD twice a day (900 pounds x strong dose of 0.5 mg of CBD = 450 mg of CBD
Review the dosage. Once you know the dose that works for your animal, you can review the dosage by raising of lowering the dosage by small 5mg steps in 3 day increments to dial in a more exact dosage.
Anti-Inflammatory and Pain Relieving Benefits of CBD for Horses
Horses are often subject to diseases that cause inflammation and chronic pain. One example of this is osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease (DJD). In both humans and horses, a characteristic of osteoarthritis was the destruction of cartilage (tissue surrounding the joints).
In the case of horses, osteoarthritis occurs when advancing decay, and eventual loss of the articular cartilage (tissue surrounding the ends of bones and forms joints) is present. It is also accompanied by bone and tissue modification.
Osteoarthritis in horses can lead to devastating results, from the total loss of joint movement to the eventual development of chronic pain. Osteoarthritis commonly caused lameness in horses, yet another common equine problem that affected equine operations and all types of horses.Horses that exhibited lameness were unable to move or even stand properly. Hence it is considered as the most common reason for the loss of use in horses.
A common cause of both osteoarthritis and lameness in horses is trauma. Studies found that osteoarthritis occurred in both young racehorses to old horses. Racehorses subjected to continuous training and usage sustained severe cartilage damage and even bone fractures. As such, joint diseases experienced by animals with large builds (like horses) were recurrently accompanied by inflammation, albeit in varying degrees. Also, a study concluded that in the case of osteoarthritis, inflammation hindered the body’s ability to repair already degrading cartilage by promoting further destruction. Continuous damage to the affected joints activated inflammatory responses, which lead to the enlargement of tissue and unstable homeostasis (processes that regulate the body).
Researchers found CBD to possess anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving benefits.
Anti-Anxiety Benefits of CBD
Horses are also subject to anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that horses in confined domestic settings were prone to depression, while horses in training were prone to anxiety. Domestic horses also experienced chronic stress that resulted in behavioural problems and disorders. These behavioural issues include unusual postures, unresponsiveness (being withdrawn), indifference to their environment, weaving, stall walking, and head shaking. Weaving is defined as the sideways swinging of the head and neck, while stall walking involves repeated walking in circles when inside the stall. An uncontrollable jerking of the head characterizes head shaking. It is also a behavioural problem believed to be caused by stress and anxiety.
Aside from its ability to inhibit inflammation and pain, cannabinoids like CBD could also combat psychiatric and mood disorders, including anxiety and depression.
Acid-Neutralizing Benefits of CBD
The same can apply to issues plaguing horses’ digestive systems, such as gastric ulcers (stomach ulcers). Gastric ulceration has a high prevalence rate among horses and even foals (young horses). In particular, foals demonstrated high stomach acidity levels immediately after birth, while horses in training were most vulnerable to developing ulcers. The same study found active racehorses to have an almost 100% prevalence rate. In comparison, endurance horses (used for long-distance races) had 93% during competition season. More than half of horses diagnosed with gastric ulcers also had colic (abdominal pain).
Both humans and animals, like horses, have the ECS, which are composed of two primary receptors: the CB1 and CB2. CB1 are cannabinoid receptors that reduce gastrointestinal motility (movement of food from the mouth to stomach) and gastric acid secretion. When CB1 is activated, it suppresses the secretion of gastric acid. An equine stomach perpetually secretes acid, causing gastric ulcers if the horse does not eat properly. Cannabinoid receptor agonists, in particular, can delay gastric emptying (the time it takes for food to empty from the stomach). Certain cannabinoids, like CBD, are receptor agonists, meaning they bind to the CB1 receptors that can lessen the amount of gastric acid in the body.
There is also interest in examining the therapeutic effects of cannabinoid receptor antagonists on the gastrointestinal tract. Studies discovered CBD to be a potent CB2 antagonist of cannabinoid agonists, which are responsible for its anti-inflammatory properties. Despite the capability of certain cannabinoids, like THC, to inhibit stomach acid, further research is still needed to determine if other types of cannabinoids, like CBD, can have the same effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
How CBD Works for Horses
All mammalian life, from humans to horses, have an endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a signalling system responsible for regulating various bodily functions, such as sleep, mood, appetite, and memory. It also plays an integral role in maintaining homeostasis, processes that regulate the body’s stability. The ECS is composed of cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids (cannabinoids found within the body), and enzymes that synthesize and break down the endocannabinoids. The two primary receptors found in the ECS are the CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are found within the brain and the nervous system, while CB2 receptors within the immune system. Endocannabinoids that bind to these receptors act as signals for the ECS to take action. The action depends on which receptor is targeted. For example, when an endocannabinoid binds to a CB1 receptor, it can activate a pain-relieving effect. Meanwhile, binding to a CB2 receptor can signal that the body is currently undergoing inflammation. Cannabinoids also exist outside the body. Cannabidiol or CBD is a phytocannabinoid, which means that it is a cannabinoid naturally occurring in plants. CBD is one of the hundreds of cannabinoids found within the Cannabis sativa plant.
Cannabis sativa has two plant varieties: marijuana and hemp plants. CBD is naturally derived from the hemp plant, which contains less than 0.2% of THC. Unlike its famous counterpart, CBD is not psychoactive, which means that it does not induce a euphoric state in users. When CBD binds with any of the CB1 or CB2 receptors in the body, its therapeutic effects are activated.
How to Give CBD to Horses
It is also generally considered safe for horses to consume CBD pellets with either a full or empty stomach. We recommend mixing with feed for ease of administration but The CBD hemp pellets can simply be fed directly to the horses.
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