I realized the same with my cat’s CBD oil. The human and pet product had different concentrations but I can do the math for dosing.
Our vet doesn’t either. In fact we just order what we need from Chewy, they reach out to vet directly to approve it electronically, and ship it to our home. That’s how we handle our dog’s flea and tick medication.
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Hey @MaggieUU — re: CBD oil, I’m no expert but it may be worth a double-check with your vet on that product in particular, if you haven’t already discussed.
I recently had a dog sit & the host had forgotten to stock up on their CBD oil for pet’s treats, so asked if I would mind picking up more if/when I was out. Short-story-long: I tromped all over the city to various pet stores who didn’t carry/have any in stock, so finally stopped at a human-dispensary instead to purchase. I was strongly warned by the manager not to purchase human-grade CBD oil because it often carries trace amounts of THC, which they said can be harmful or toxic to animals.
She instead directed me to several pet stores that she knew carried the correct version for animals (CBD Isolate). As you note, it was quite a bit more expensive than the human version, as it’s apparently a special process to extract all the THC from the product.
Quick reference from the Interwebz (although obviously a vet-query is even better):
CBD Products Safe for Pets
As a rule of thumb, you should never give your pets CBD products that contain 0.3% of THC or more. If you rather not risk giving your pet CBD for humans, there are plenty of pet only CBD products. However, you should trust the brand of Pet CBD oil.
If you’d rather give your dog CBD oil for humans, keep in mind the following:
CBD Isolate – This product is 99.99% CBD oil and contains no THC.
Broad-spectrum – Contains CBD, terpenes, but no THC. Use with caution on pets.
Full-spectrum – Contains CBD, terpenes, 0.3% THC. Use with caution on pets.
(Ignore me if you already know all that, but possibly still helpful to other members who may not be aware.)
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Thanks @MerryPuppins . My vet was aware and in agreement with using the CBD oil for my cat’s arthritis. A side-by-side comparison of the ingredients showed that they were identical apart from their concentration.
The product was ordered from an approved Canadian website and did not contain THC.
Sadly Scarlett died in November 2020. She was the best.
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Hello everyone,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts so far! It’s been really interesting reading through everyone’s replies, and getting a sense of how things are different in other countries.
Thanks also for a great tip from @MerryPuppins around being mindful with CBD use - I’ve never used it for Walter but I learned something new today about making sure to do what @MaggieUU did - and make sure it’s vet approved if it’s something I look at in future.
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There is nothing similar or close in the US. Many shelters strongly encourage people to get pet health insurance when they adopt. If you adopt an older pet this isn’t always possible and if you run numbers for keeping a savings fund for vet visits versus insurance, you might find that putting aside a monthly sum is just as good.
A lot of animals wind up being abandoned or euthanized because people simply don’t have the money to treat them. Pet ownership is becomeing more and more a thing for wealthier people.
I’ve noticed more US vets are open to giving patients options for treatment, but others are encouraged to upsell. I don’t blame the vets by and large as many treatments are costly. Most vet practices offer payment plans similar to what most human doctors offer here.
Not sure what the answer is. Certainly, a strategy here is to have insurance or a designated savings account, and to find a vet practice you can work with.
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What’s the breakdown of ownership with veterinary practices in the US? Are they mostly independents, nor are they part of a large chain answering to investors?
I don’t know the answer to this, but it’s probably available on the internet. I know that a lot of independent practices have been bought out by large companies. I happen to know that there are several large companies in the business of prividing software and office management assistance to small independent vet practices. They don’t own the practices but they get fees from them.
People also want high-level treatment for their pets. A lot of independent practices for instance aren’t open all night and can’t afford staffing to watch sick or recovering animals all night so they’ll refer to larger chain animal hospitals with very high costs.
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Which is why we avoid VCA and Banfield (and PetSmart). We use a locally-owned vet practice.
Unfortunately, private equity is into pet food, too. Royal Canin, for example. One of the reasons it’s so expensive.
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We use an independent vet for our two dogs and their prices are “reasonable” compared to the conglomerates. However, they still quoted around £300 - £400 to remove and clean the poochon’s teeth. So as we go to France annually, with the dogs Scrumpy had 5 teeth removed and his teeth cleaned last year. The cost was 175 euros and included antibiotics before and afterwards, anaesthesia etc. A very professional veterinary practice he had no bleeding afterwards and eating biscuits that evening. It is so much cheaper in France because insurance isn’t a “thing” there like the UK.
Molly will be booked in for a teeth clean and check when we visit in June.
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Wow…great info.
I’m often so envious of the advantages conferred by being a citizen in the EU.