Osteoarthritis: Safety and Clinical Efficacy of Cannabidiol Treatment in Osteoarthritic Dogs

Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Clinical Efficacy of Cannabidiol Treatment in Osteoarthritic Dogs

L. Gamble, J. M. Boesch, C. W. Frye, W. S. Schwark, S. Mann, L. Wolfe, H. Brown, E. S. Berthelsen, J. J. Wakshlag

2018

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• During CBD treatment, dogs’ pain decreased, with pain scores dropping from 21 to 14 (0-50 scale)
• Use of CBD oil result in a 12% increase in dogs’ activity 
• No side effects were reported by owners
• These clinic results suggest that the use of 2 mg/kg CBD twice a day can increase the comfort and activity of dogs suffering from osteoarthritis 

OBJECTIVES & HYPOTHESIS → The main objective was to study the efficiency and short-term safety of CBD-based oil in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA). Researchers aimed to seek an alternative therapy avoiding NSAIDs, free from their negative side effects.

METHODS → Randomized, placebo-controlled, owner and veterinarian double-blind, cross-over trial with the enrollment of 22 client-owned dogs with clinically and radiographically confirmed evidence of osteoarthritis. 16 of these dogs completed the trial and were included in the analyses; their breed, weight, age, sex, worse affected limb, radiographic findings and use of NSAIDs were considered. Dogs received each of two treatments in random order: CBD, 2 mg/kg every 12h or placebo every 12h. Each treatment was administered for 4 weeks with a 2 week washout period in between treatments. Evaluation of pain and activity level was performed using the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) score and the Hudson Activity Scale. 

RESULTS → CBPI and Hudson changes from baseline scores showed that during the CBD treatment there was an increase in activity and a decrease in pain at week 2 and week 4 in comparison with week 0. CBD oil treatment resulted in lower pain scores than baseline and week 4 placebo treatment. 

This table puts into evidence the impact of CBD oil use in reducing the CBPI pain and activity interference scores. This effect is not only noted in comparison with values at week 0 but also in comparison to the control group treated with placebo. The scores of the Hudson Activity Scale were also improved with CBD, while the administration of placebo resulted in a decrease of activity.