Front Vet Sci. 2018; 5: 165.Published online 2018 Jul 23. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00165
PMCID: PMC6065210PMID: 30083539Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Clinical Efficacy of Cannabidiol Treatment in Osteoarthritic Dogs
1Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States2Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States3Department of Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States4Proteomic and Metabolomic Facility, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States5Metzger Animal Hospital, State College, PA, United StatesEdited by: Troy N. Trumble, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, United StatesReviewed by: Gareth Edward Zeiler, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Joao Henrique Neves Soares, Virginia Tech, United States*Correspondence: Joseph J. Wakshlag ude.llenroc@73wjThis article was submitted to Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Veterinary ScienceObjectives: The objectives of this study were to determine basic oral pharmacokinetics, and assess safety and analgesic efficacy of a cannabidiol (CBD) based oil in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA).
Methods: Single-dose pharmacokinetics was performed using two different doses of CBD enriched (2 and 8 mg/kg) oil. Thereafter, a randomized placebo-controlled, veterinarian, and owner blinded, cross-over study was conducted. Dogs received each of two treatments: CBD oil (2 mg/kg) or placebo oil every 12 h. Each treatment lasted for 4 weeks with a 2-week washout period. Baseline veterinary assessment and owner questionnaires were completed before initiating each treatment and at weeks 2 and 4. Hematology, serum chemistry and physical examinations were performed at each visit. A mixed model analysis, analyzing the change from enrollment baseline for all other time points was utilized for all variables of interest, with a p ≤ 0.05 defined as significant.
Results: Pharmacokinetics revealed an elimination half-life of 4.2 h at both doses and no observable side effects. Clinically, canine brief pain inventory and Hudson activity scores showed a significant decrease in pain and increase in activity (p < 0.01) with CBD oil. Veterinary assessment showed decreased pain during CBD treatment (p < 0.02). No side effects were reported by owners, however, serum chemistry showed an increase in alkaline phosphatase during CBD treatment (p < 0.01).
Clinical significance: This pharmacokinetic and clinical study suggests that 2 mg/kg of CBD twice daily can help increase comfort and activity in dogs with OA.
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