Cannabis appears to be a “viable alternative” treatment option for dogs suffering from a common skin disease—especially if they experience adverse side effects from conventional steroid therapies. Researchers looked at using CBD oil on a dog with the autoimmune disease discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). The condition, which causes hair loss and redness that could progress to lesions, is typically treated with corticosteroids and other medications that can put a strain on a dog’s liver.
Within a few weeks, the dog exhibited significant improvement in dermatological signs, accompanied by a concurrent improvement in liver function. The owners also reported an improvement in the dog’s behavior shortly after discontinuing prednisolone and within the first day of receiving the cannabis oil.
While these are very encouraging results, further studies need to be done to look at the effect of using CBD over a longer period of time.
