Reacción a "Reactions: 38% of dog owners say they give cannabinoids to their dogs, according to Danish survey"

The study is an Internet survey—you take the responses and report them. It’s not hard to do and is typically a bit biased, [depending on the] methods of seeking respondents, but solid enough to provide the information [the authors] report. 

I expect [the result] is the same or higher here [in the United States]. There are surveys suggesting similar use in the US, where there is no need for a script to give low-THC varietal hemp extracts to pets.  It is not surprising, and this idea is opening up in many countries where low-THC hemp is becoming legal to distribute to the general population. 

McGrath, Kogan and other researchers have done US survey research which appears to be similar [to this study], as a lot of people have used [cannabinoids] for pain, anxiety, dermatological issues and seizures. There is now ample evidence in dogs that it can help with osteoarthritis pain, seizures, and atopic dermatitis; the data is less convincing for anxiety. I think the novelty is that people are doing it in both Europe and the US now; it appears to be safe but people have no idea what the dose should be, and many veterinarians are unaware as well. There really needs to be education for vets on how to best advise clients who want to use this nutraceutical treatment for dogs with specific issues.   

The [study’s] biggest limitation is that the dose was not disclosed for any survey questions. The dose that is commonly recommended is around 2 mg/kg body weight for many issues I mentioned above, and maybe higher for anxiety and behaviour[al issues].  We have no idea whether the perceived improvements by owners are due to the placebo effect or true treatment effect. Dosing information would have been useful, to see if clients are dosing anywhere near recommendations by veterinary professionals from the peer-reviewed literature where it has been shown to be useful. 

I think [this study] might open the conversation for clients to veterinarians, to better understand how to use cannabinoids in the daily life of dogs where clients want to use it.