As Moe approached his 13th birthday, the 125-pound mixed breed dog had “lost the sparkle in his eye,” said Susan Kettering of Duquesne. He wasn’t eating well and was having trouble moving around. Moe’s arthritis pain had clearly worsened last fall, and Ms. Kettering thought he would have to be euthanized before Thanksgiving.
Moe’s veterinarian had prescribed multiple prescriptions for pain and inflammation, and another veterinarian regularly administered acupuncture. Those treatments provided relief for several years, and then they didn’t.
“I decided to try one more thing — CBD oil,” Ms. Kettering said.
In two days, the sparkle was back in his eyes and his appetite returned, she said.
“He loved going outside to roll around in the snow. He started trying to eat shoes again, which he had not done for a long time,” Ms. Kettering said.
Moe is one of about 150 animals who have taken and apparently benefited from cannabidol purchased at the Murray Avenue Apothecary in Greenfield.
CBD is a natural byproduct of marijuana and hemp plants, according to pharmacist Susan Merenstein (www.labnaturalspcr.com), who has been selling CBD to treat pets and people for three years.
The CBD sold at the Greenfield pharmacy is made from “industrially grown hemp, organically farmed,” she said. Hemp is also grown to make paper, rope and building materials. She said hemp-based CBD has no THC, which is the substance in marijuana that makes users “high.”
At the Murray Avenue Apothecary, CBD is processed and distributed in oil, capsules, balms, gum and vapes. The oil can be sprinkled on a pet’s food or in a water bowl. Dosage is determined by the size of the pet. At Murray Avenue Apothecary, the cost is generally $30-$60 per month.
Unlike medical marijuana, which requires a prescription, hemp-based CBD can be sold over the counter in Pennsylvania and is not considered a controlled substance. It’s a supplement, not a drug, Ms. Merenstein said.
Administered to pets, CBD is supposed to sooth anxiety, including thunder phobia and separation anxiety. Some people say it has even helped with cancer. CBD is also an anti-inflamatory, which is why it helps dogs with arthritis, Ms. Merenstein said.
Petey, a 5-year-old beagle, had a prolonged grand mal seizure last May shortly after Paula Flatley of West Mifflin adopted him from a shelter. An emergency veterinarian suggested dosing Petey with phenobarbital, which can have many side effects. Instead, Ms. Flatley did some internet research and decided to try CBD.
“He was having one or two big seizures a month,” she said. But since starting CBD oil in October, Petey has only had one small seizure.
Karen Lindauer, a pharmacist who works at Murray Avenue Apothecary, said one client had eight cats who were “not getting along” and were urinating and defecating outside of their litter boxes, which can be a symptom of stress. CBD soothed the cats, and they are now using their litter boxes, Ms. Lindauer said.
Some Facebook friends of mine have also reported good results.
Connie Rankin of Bellevue has been giving CBD to her great Dane, Deacon, for glaucoma. “I can’t prove it, but I think CBD has reduced the pressure in his eyes,” she said.
Two dogs at Senior Hearts Rescue & Renewal are currently taking it, said founder and president Denise Pavitt. CBD “has made a tremendous difference” for Goren, 16, a Maltese with dementia, she said, and a very elderly blind Pekingese no longer has seizures. Her aggressive behavior is also much improved on CBD.
Murray Avenue Apothecary is a “compounding pharmacy boutique” for both pets and people. Compounding is the art of individual dosage, said Ms. Merenstein, and it includes flavoring medications so that pets are more likely to swallow them.
Cats are notoriously difficult to dose with medicine, and Ms. Merenstein said she is able to compound many feline meds into a topical ointment that can be applied externally to their ears.
Of course, Ms. Merenstein thinks her CBD is superior to what can be purchased on the internet. She says her supplements are tested and analyzed by an independent lab that measures precisely the amount of CBD and makes sure they contain no heavy metals, pesticides and solvents.
Online information on CBD and pets can be found at SkeptVet.com and Facebook pages, including CBD Oil for Pets, which has 24,000 members.
Linda Wilson Fuoco: lfuoco@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3064 or on Facebook.
First Published: January 18, 2019, 1:00 p.m.