Can Dogs or Cats On Medication Take Hemp Oil?

First things first, hemp oil is completely safe for your dogs, even good for them! However, when mixed with certain medications it may cause a drug interaction.

Most of the time Hemp oil can be given to your dogs along with other prescriptions drugs, but that’s not always the case.

This article will explore further when hemp oil is ok to be mixed with medication and what happens when certain drugs mix with hemp oil.

 

How Does Hemp Oil Interact With Other Prescribed Medications?

If your dog is on prescribed medication, when they take hemp oil it can, in fact, interact with the drug. This then affects a specific group of liver enzymes known as cytochrome P450.

Without sounding too technical this particular group of enzymes is known to metabolize more than half of the prescribed medications on the market today, such as ibuprofen, diazepam and amitriptyline.

Let's break this down as simply as possible, so enzyme P450 works by adding oxygen to the medication, this makes it water-soluble and makes it easier for the kidneys to break it down.

When you add hemp oil to the mix, it may potentially inhibit the enzymes, therefore altering the liver’s capabilities of metabolic functioning.

In a nutshell, if the hemp oil and the prescribed medication are ingested at the same time, the enzymes will only really be able to break down one of the two.

This will generally leave the prescribed medication in the body longer, leading to a more significant effect of the drug.

Bear in mind that dosage plays a big part in this interaction. A little bit of hemp oil in combination with prescribed medication will likely not have a significant effect on your dog.

So you’re probably wondering now, which medication can interact?

 

What Medication Can Interact With Hemp Products For Pets

As we’ve already mentioned this drug interaction only happens when mixed with certain medications, not all! The enzymes can metabolize more than half of the pharmaceutically prescribed medications on the market but the other half is uncertain.

To make sure, check out the list below of known medicines that have a possibility of interacting with hemp products when given in high dosages:

• NSAIDS
• Antihistamines
• Steroids
• Benzodiazepines
• Fentanyl
• Narcotics
• Anaesthetics
• Antibiotics

 

What Health Benefits Does Hemp Oil Have For Dogs?

Although there is always a potential for drug interactions when you combine hemp products with medication, keep in mind that hemp oil has amazing benefits and can even diminish the use of harsh chemical drugs and be used instead!

It’s a natural, safe solution and helps with a lot of problems dogs have, including:

• Allergies
• Anxiety/Nervous Behaviour
• Separation Anxiety
• Arthritis/Joint Pain
• Controls Seizures

When used with a combination of natural ingredients it can also help with dry, itchy skin, dry paws and noses, hot spots, eczema, psoriasis.

 

Using Hemp Oil With Medication For Dogs

If you’re unsure whether the medication your dog/cat is on then get in touch with your vet. It can be really hard to judge what’s the best decision to make for your fur babies!

Unfortunately, sometimes medication can take up to 3 months to get into your pet's system so you can be waiting a while for results. Hemp oil works a lot faster than that, and you should see results in weeks, if not days, depending on what you’re using it for.

 

Monty’s Story Combining Hemp With Prescribed Seizure Medication

Monty is an English Springer Spaniel, aged 5. Superfit and healthy with no health issues, he suddenly had a fit one day which leads onto having a series of fits over the next few months and developing epilepsy.

After his first 4 fits, he was put on Phenobarbital which is an anti-seizure medication, after weeks of more seizures, that were strong and too frequent, the dosage kept getting upped and Potassium Bromide was added.

At his peak, Monty was on 8 tablets a day and the seizures weren’t even under full control, he consistently had a fit every 11 days. This didn’t sit right with his owner, Monty had become extremely anxious, developed separation anxiety and his behaviour completely changed. He was a different dog.

This broke his owner's hearts so they looked for another option. After finding us and trying our hemp Oil, Monty has never had a fit since, and all his anxieties are gone.

His owner informed the vet of this success and they are now month by month slowly reducing the medication. (it has to be done so slowly because it’s so strong).

To control seizures it is recommended to give a larger dose of hemp oil, however in this situation the medication is still involved. Although it's safe to use hemp oil with the medication he’s on, he doesn’t need the full dose of hemp at this stage.

To read more about dogs with epilepsy or dogs that have seizures, click here.

His owners end goal is to rely solely on hemp oil and for Monty to be on no medication. Here’s a note from Monty’s owner, Olivia:

“Having Monty on so much medication didn’t feel right, especially as it wasn’t solving the problem. I’ve never had to have a dog on this much medication so looked for an alternative option as soon as I could.

I can’t even express how thankful I am to have found this company and for their amazing hemp oil. It has honestly saved my dog, I only wish I knew of it before I even went to the vets and never started him on medication. We had to wait 3 months for the one drug to take effect and are now having it to reduce it a pill at a time each month.

I’m so glad he’s happy and back to his old self, he used to have a fit every 11 days on medication alone which was so heartbreaking to see, it really knocked him about and he lost all confidence.

Since he’s been having hemp oil he’s not had one fit, all his anxieties are gone, he’s back to his old cheeky loving self. It’s now been 100 days since his last fit, which is just amazing!! Can’t recommend hemp oil enough, honestly, it's saved my dog and in turn, saved me”

 

If you have a success story to share with us then please get in touch!

Conclusion

Hemp oil is a safe and natural supplement that be used alongside some medications and interact with others. Hopefully, this blog has made it clear which drugs to avoid using large doses of hemp oil with. Remember if you’re not sure always ask your vet or a specialist.