A study by The Dog Aging Project found that cannabidiol (CBD) use was associated with reduced aggression over time in a dataset of 47,355 dogs.

The analysis, published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, compared behavioral reports for dogs whose owners gave them CBD with those for dogs that never received the supplement; the researchers concluded that dogs given CBD showed a reduction in aggression over time relative to dogs not receiving it. CBD products for pets are widely available without a prescription in the USA, underscoring the study’s potential relevance to many owners and veterinarians.

The report described a distinct pattern in the dogs receiving CBD. “Interestingly, dogs given CBD initially exhibited higher-than-average aggression levels as compared to the dogs with no CBD use. Over time, these dogs were reported to have below-average aggression eventually as compared to dogs not on CBD. The reduction in the intensity of aggressive behaviors could be the direct effect of long-term CBD use,” the report said.

Authors of the analysis also urged further controlled work. “Further randomized clinical trials should examine CBD’s impact on the underlying issues of aggression (e.g., inflammation, chronic pain, or other health conditions), as well as its potential role in long-term behavior management,” the report said.

The Dog Aging Project is identified in the study as the research initiative conducting the analysis on canine health and CBD use. More context on the project’s approach to collecting large-scale data from dog owners is available from the University of Washington School of Medicine’s overview of the Dog Aging Project. As covered by Dogagingproject, readers can explore more context around the event.

Publication in Frontiers in Veterinary Science places the findings in the peer-reviewed veterinary literature; the journal’s coverage of the study offers the official venue for the paper’s methods and conclusions.

The study’s conclusions focus specifically on aggression as a behavioral outcome. The authors reported a measurable decline in the intensity of aggressive behaviors among dogs given CBD over time when compared with dogs that never received the supplement.

Because CBD products for pets are widely available without a prescription in the USA, the investigators recommended randomized clinical trials to test whether the observed reduction is a direct effect of CBD or related to other health conditions the supplement might address. The report explicitly listed inflammation and chronic pain as examples of underlying issues warranting study.

For owners and clinicians seeking context about the research methods and the larger project behind the study, the Dog Aging Project’s overview provides background on how the initiative gathers long-term health and supplement-use data from participating dog owners.

The study adds to a growing conversation in veterinary medicine about cannabinoids and canine behavior, and its authors called for controlled trials to determine whether CBD could play a role in long-term management of aggression tied to health conditions.

Source

Original reporting: view the original article.