Pawsome Medicine: How CBD Can Help Manage Hip Pain in Dogs

Is your dog slowing down? Have you noticed that slight hesitation when they try to stand up, or the way they flinch when asked to sit?

This may be a case of hip pain in dogs. Luckily, hip pain is a treatable condition and your pet doesn't need to live in pain. It can be relieved with just a simple treat, as long that treat has CBD in it!

Keep reading below to learn how CBD can help manage hip pain in dogs!

Pet Parenthood Is Hard

For most people, a dog or a cat becomes so much more than a pet — they become part of the family. You fall in love with the sound of little feet skittering down the hallway and the excited smile you receive when you return home from a long day at work.

So when they reach the point where they no longer great you at the door, merely lifting their heads and wagging their tails, it can be hard. Seeing them in pain and discomfort one of the most difficult things to handle.

It happens to all pets eventually, but it doesn't have to be a permanent issue. For many pet parents, the answer to their pet's pain is CBD.

CBD For Hip Pain in Dogs

How can Hemp-Derived CBD help your dog with their hip pain?

CBD is a well-known anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. When paired with things like Essential Fatty Acids and taken regularly, CBD can dramatically reduce inflammation in a dog's hips and other joints, as well as keep them more comfortable.

Old Dogs: New Issues

As most pets age, their joints start to wear down. Many years of jumping, falling, running, and playing leads to damage to their joints and inflammation of the tissue.

Pain can manifest in any joint tissue, though one of the most commonly reported locations of joint pain is hip pain in dogs.

Just like with humans, as your pooch reaches middle age it is normal for your pet to not be as active as they once were. They slow down, play less, sleep more. While they may be a puppy at heart, their body ages anyway.

That does not mean that you can't help your furry friend have fun again. Joint pain in pets is often successfully managed, and successful management means more time playing fetch and the game 'Mister Grabby Hand,' and less time laying on the sofa.

Accidents Happen

Your pet will inevitably injure themselves at some point in their lives. It can happen by falling down the stairs, jumping off the bed, or just stepping on the wrong patch of grass.

Injuries that they get as puppies or kittens can lead to more issues as they get older. For instance, if a dog has a hard landing jumping out of a car, it may limp for a day or two, and then seem fine to the eyes of its owners.

What is not being seen is that during that fall is the damage the muscles and ligaments experienced and the microscopic tears due to the force of that impact. As those tears heal, the muscle thickens and forms scar tissue. This puts extra pressure on a dog's hips, leading to an increase in wear over time.

As that wear on joints increases, so does the pain and discomfort your dog is experiencing. For some dogs, this means slower walks and fewer tail wags. For others, it could be so crippling that they no longer want to go out, and calls for walks are met with whimpers.

Big Dog, Bigger Risk? Not So Fast.

It is easy to assume that the larger the dog, the larger the risk of joint damage and hip pain. A shaggy Great Pyrenees or Gentle Mastiff may appear to be more likely to find themselves with hurt paws or bad legs.

In reality, smaller breeds are the most likely to receive small scale injuries that lead to joint pain later on. Chihuahuas and pugs are among the most injury-prone breeds, with cases of joint-related trama being common for the toy breed set. After all, what would be a small step for a big dog is a massive leap for small dog kind.

However, it's the big breeds that are more likely to have genetic factors leading to hip pain. Indeed joint pain can and does affect dogs of all sizes and breeds and should be taken seriously by pet parents, no matter how big or small a puppy may be.

Wait, isn't Arthritis for Grandmas?

Injuries and old age can both lead to one of the most common medical conditions in the veterinary industry: Arthritis.

Arthritis is swelling, tenderness, inflammation, stiffness, and pain in the joints. It is often caused by repeated stress on a joint over time. It can also set in if an injury has occurred that increases stress on a joint or muscle group.

As uncomfortable and painful as it can be for people, it often affects pets in significantly more damaging ways. Your pet can't exactly tell you he's feeling stiff or uncomfortable, after all. This is why it is incredibly important to look out for the warning signs that something may be wrong with your furrever friend.

What Do You Mean It Doesn't Fit?

As stressful and irritating as it is to realize that you no longer fit into your favorite pair of jeans, imagine how it would feel if your leg no longer fit properly into your hip joint.

That is what is happening when your pet has hip dysplasia. Hip Dysplasia is a degenerative bone disease that affects several different breeds of dog. Genetics, in large part, is responsible for the existence of hip dysplasia in the canine population, with obesity, and a lack of proper nutrition also contributing to the issue.

Pawsitive Your Pet Is Fine?

Look for these tell-tail signs of pain and discomfort that you may have missed.

• Excessive panting during exercise
• Licking or chewing on limbs or tail
• Lack of Appetite
• Slow or Stilted Gate
• Aggression when touched
• Limping when walking or running
• Tail Tucking
• Whimpering or growling when standing or sitting
• Difficulty Standing
• Disinterest in play or cuddles

If your pet is experiencing any of these issues, you should consider that they may be having some joint pain.

With joint pain, the need for pain management arrises. The first option for pain management should be the least invasive one, for many pet parents. that option is CBD.

What is CBD?

CBD is the commonly used short form for Cannabidiol. Cannabidiol is a helpful chemical compound known for its medicinal properties.

CBD is made by processing Hemp plants down to their most basic components and then rendering the oil from that process. After that, the oil is refined and tested multiple times, ensuring a pure and safe CBD oil that is ready to be used in treats and tinctures across all species.

CBD has many pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties. This means that that as a medicine, CBD for pets is excellent as an over-the-counter treatment for joint pain in pets.

How does this work?

CBD reacts with the neurotransmitters in the brain, telling it to stop producing chemicals that cause inflammation. Inflammation is the number one cause of hip and joint pain in dogs.

When the inflammation in the joint is reduced, the tissue around that joint is given the time and opportunity to heal. CBD achieves this while also supporting the body's immune system, and being gentle to your pet's kidneys and liver.

Is All This Safe?

For many pet parents, there is significant concern over the safety of CBD and products that contain it. Hemp-derived CBD is one of the safest pet pain management options on the market. It doesn't contain the more commonly known psychoactive compound THC and is perfectly safe for your pet.

Keep in mind that the CBD that goes into most pet care products is the same quality of CBD that goes into human CBD products.

Unlike some pharmaceutical options, there are few side effects to CBD and it works quickly, giving your pet rapid relief for any joint pain they may be experiencing.

Oral application of CBD is the safest and most effective way to get CBD into your pet's system. While oils and capsules are available, CBD treats are the best way to get even the pickiest of pups to take their medicine and are also some of the most affordable and available options on the market.

What About "Traditional" Options?

The traditional method for treating joint pain is through the use of prescription pharmaceuticals like Carprofen or Prednisolone. While effective, these medications are not necessarily formulated for the long term treatment of joint pain in dogs.

Side effects like liver and kidney damage, Oesteperosis, and high blood sugar have been reported as side effects of the long term use of prescription medications.

Veterinary supervision and regular bloodwork are required for the continued use of most pharmaceutical pain management solutions, which in turn adds more to the overall cost of the solution, as well as the stress the animal goes through with each visit to the vet.

CBD carries none of those restrictions. While some dogs may not react as quickly to CBD as others, there is little to no risk of your pet being harmed from the long term use of CBD products. Add in the fact that you don't need a prescription or bloodwork to keep your pet on CBD, and you have a bit of an easy decision as to what should be your first step.

Not to mention, CBD treats and chews are a lot easier to get your pup to eat than a pill or liquid.

Making The Purrfect Choice

It can be hard to decide what the best options are for your pet's health care, and it can seem like there are more options on the market then there are socks in your dog's bed.

You can narrow down the options by looking for products that contain elements that assist with general pet health and wellness, such as those containing omega 3, 6, 9 essential fatty acids.

These fatty acids aid in the absorption of the CBD into your dog's system, as well as support your dog's immune system as it works to heal the damage done to its joints. Not to mention, these fatty acids also help support your pup's skin and fur, making them healthier and happier.

Also, keep in mind that the highest quality CBD products are formulated in a way that is approved by a veterinary professional and made using high-quality ingredients.

Medicinal Myths: an Overview

There is a lot of misinformation about CBD on the internet. It's both easy and understandable to be confused or frightened by some of the more aggressive and compelling myths that exist surrounding CBD.

• Does it Really Work?
  • The science backs up the fact that it does. Add in the chorus of anecdotes from happy pet parents all across the globe, and this one is easy to dispel.
• Will it get my dog high?
  • No, CBD will not get your dog high. CBD does not contain the psychoactive drug THC. CBD is safe and effective for pet use, and will not cause any munchies or mood swings in your Maltipoo.
• If it works, I should need a prescription, Right?
  • Wrong. Like Ibeupfrofin or glucosamine for humans, you don't need a script for CBD or products that contain it. If your pet is already on medications, or you have any concerns about your pet reacting to CBD, your local veterinarian can help guide you through that conversation.
• CBD Is illegal! I'm calling the cops!
  • CBD is legal for manufacturing, sale, purchase, possession, and consumption in all 50 States, Canada, most of Europe, several South American and Asian countries, as well as South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
• I Thought CBD was for anxiety? Now you're saying it's for pain?
  • Yes. While CBD has also been used in anxiety relief for pets, it is also rather effective in reducing inflammation and managing pain for pets everywhere.

So Do I Choose CBD?

Every pet is different, and so is every product. The best pet parents make informed decisions for their pets — they do what you just did. They read up on how to keep their pets healthy!

And for the best treats for your pet, check out Bailey's CBD line of pet products. They are high-quality products made with the highest quality of care and materials and will help with hip pain in dogs. After all, your pet deserves the best!