U of S professor looking into CBD effects on dogs

An ingredient in marijuana may just help out your furry friends in the near future.

A professor at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) is studying the effects of cannabidiol — or CBD — in dogs as a veterinary medicine.

“We’re starting to see a lot more research into this area for people. In veterinary medicine, we typically follow along human medicine, just a little bit later. So, folks are very interested in seeing if these C.B.D. products are useful for a variety of different conditions in animals,” Dr. Al Chicoine told John Gormley earlier this week.

Chicoine started his research on a group of 13 dogs at the veterinary college at the U of S and hopes to expand the research to cats in the new year.

However, before that can begin, Chicoine said some preliminary safety research is needed.

He noted one of the challenges comes from THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

“A lot of the products that are being used now, they don’t contain much THC, but there’s typically still a little bit that’s in there,” Chicoine said, noting this can make it difficult to see which chemical negative side effects come from.

Chicoine said he hopes to see the drugs effects on pain, arthritis and vomiting in pets.