Cannabis has a huge variety of compounds and Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of them. CBD oil extracted from cannabidiol has several health benefits and it is a tremendously versatile compound, which not only treats humans but also animals like cats and dogs. CBD’s one of the most recent areas of development, in which the majority of people don’t know that CBD can be used to treat smaller animals like reptiles as well.
The CBD for pets has loaded benefits without any high effect. If you are a pet parent with a pet chameleon, iguana, turtle, or any other reptiles, you can give CBD without any fear of their behavior. CBD is, in fact, good for cold-blooded pets. In this article, we will describe all the potential health benefits of CBD and managing a variety of conditions for reptiles.
How Does CBD Work for Reptiles?
CBD works effectively for humans due to its profound influence on the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). The human system is a far-reaching branch of receptors and neurotransmitters that encourages and regulates the development of a broad range of bodily systems. The influence and large reach of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is the reason why CBD has a vast array of effects on people. However, not just humans have an ECS; reptiles also have. In a broad sense, all mammals, fish, and birds also have a potent ECS.
ECS has 2 primary receptors such as CB1 and CB2 receptors, that are effectively expressed in reptiles. CBD works with these 2 receptors to provide its effects. THC is CBD’s intoxicating sister and another reason why many medicines use CBD as a more functional medicine with lots of health benefits because it’s non-intoxicating.
Many people found CBD is an intoxicating substance and they are also overwhelmed by its effects and even they found that the idea of CBD consumption is simply impractical if they will try to go to work or school. However, in this case, why lizards have to attain the school, you can still be relieved to offer your pets a non-intoxicating substance. In this way, the pets will not experience any unwanted or undesirable effects when they are medicated.
Knowing all the details, you, as a reptile parent, will get the confidence of using CBD for the better health of your pets.
Benefits Of CBD for Reptiles
Enhancing Mental Health and Reducing Stress
Animals, just like humans, also suffer from anxiety. Unfortunately, many people don’t know this fact. They simply name their pets as ‘skittish’ or ‘weird.’ However, even a skittish or weird person often struggles with a kind of anxiety or mental illness and should be treated just like animals.
If these issues are not dealt with appropriately, it might lead to long-term issues such as stress, nerve damage, and digestive issues, resulting in the long-term neglect of anxiety problems.
Even your reptile might be prone to anxiety if they had any experience of past trauma, particularly when at the hands of a previous owner. Even some reptiles are naturally anxious. No matter what the case is, CBD can effectively help in lowering anxiety levels.
Fighting Inflammation
CBD is a fantastic fighter of inflammation. Besides, inflammation is naturally a healthy immune response; sometimes, inflammation may cause out-of-context. When inflammation happens, the body’s immune cells, most importantly, begin to attack the inflamed area, leading to damage or disease, where none was before.
This is why anti-inflammatory compounds like CBD can greatly help reduce the onset of inflammation and related diseases. It also enhances your reptile’s longevity and quality of life. Studies suggest that CBD will help dogs to deal with the painful arthritic condition.
CBD Helps Prevent Seizures
CBD is a potential anticonvulsant, and it effectively reduces the chances of your reptile having convulsions or seizures. Various pets suffer from a common condition called Septicemia, which leads to the development of all these issues. Reptiles who are not bred in sanitary and healthy living conditions will develop the condition, and CBD can help in reversing the effects.
Giving A Reptile CBD
Giving a reptile CBD is much similar than it would be to provide any other animal CBD. Like you can mix the CBD oil in either their water or with their food. CBD has not much of its flavor, alongside an oily plant product – which is quite appetizing.
The good idea is to give pets a small portion of the dose. This will ensure that they have consumed the whole meal and thus got their entire dose.
Alongside there are a variety of forms of CBD available in the market. The only other practical way of CBD for your pet lizard would be a kind of topical medication such as a salve, lotion, or cream. It can be rubbed directly onto its scales and some will absorb via the skin to offer inflammation-fighting benefits and pain relief.
How Much CBD to Give To a Reptile?
Starting with a small dose of CBD is always the safest option to give your pet reptile. As there are many factors to review how an animal will process the compound, such as body weight, metabolism, age, etc. There is no set standard for determining exactly what will work.
The standard dose is around 0.25 mg of CBD on every pound of body weight. It is quite a small dose, but a majority of people prefer to begin with even smaller doses like starting with just 0.1 mg per pound.
Whatever CBD Dosage for Reptiles you prefer to start with, you must stick with it for at least a week or so. After you start giving CBD to your pet, keep a note of the details of the improvement that you see. And if you do not recognize any improvement, then you can move to a little higher dosage until you find that your reptile is getting a notable improvement.
Conclusion
Since CBD for pets is still underway in the medical field. There is a slight possibility that certain conditions are not being accounted for. It is essential to remember that you must first consult your reptile’s veterinarian before you start using CBD for your pet reptile. Even though researchers have shown several incredible benefits of CBD for animals, it is better to get professional advice from the vet directly.