Over a third of Danish pet owners give their dogs CBD

In a new study, 38% of dog owners surveyed in Denmark reported giving their pups cannabinoids, with 77% reporting at least some ‘positive effect’.

In recent years, cannabis has become more widely used for recreational and medical use in humans, and many cannabis-based products are also now marketed towards pets. Despite the fact that cannabis products are not legal for veterinary use in the majority of countries, including Denmark, many pet owners are using it without a prescription or clinical oversight.

To understand how common unlicensed cannabinoid use for pets is in Denmark, researchers at the University of Copenhagen distributed an anonymous survey on social media.

Dog owners self-reported whether they used cannabinoids for their pets, what types they used and for what purpose, and whether the pet owners felt the drugs were effective. Their findings were published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. 

Of the 2,002 owners who completed the survey, 752 (38%) reported using at least one cannabinoid product for their pet. Among the dog owners who gave their dogs cannabinoids, 93% used CBD drops or oils, and nine percent used CBD ointments or creams. Only four percent of owners reported using products containing THC.

READ MORE: The pets who are barking mad for CBD 

Pet owners most often reported using the drugs for their dogs’ pain, behavioural issues and allergies, though they also reported using cannabinoids for their animal’s wellbeing, cancer, seizures, appetite or other conditions. Overall, 77% of these respondents believed they saw at least some positive effect of the drugs in their dogs.  

The research establishes that despite their unlicensed state, some Danish dog owners do use cannabinoids in dogs, and that most who do believe it has a positive effect on their dogs mental or physical health.

However, the authors note that these findings are not supported by current studies investigating behavioural modification in dogs after CBD treatment, and that placebo effects potentially exist in the owners’ evaluations. While the results are self-reported, they emphasise the need for more evidence-based studies of cannabinoid use in pets.

The authors add: “One of the findings that surprised us was the diverse range of medical and behavioural conditions in their dogs for which Danish dog owners utilised cannabinoid products and how well the owners perceived the effect of the treatment. This suggests that systematic clinical studies are warranted within cannabinoid use in pet dogs.”