Cannabis for Canines: A Veterinary Doctor’s Top Dos and Don’ts for Dogs and their Humans

Returning from a rather long hiatus, we’re happy to be back in the studio and hope that you and yours are staying safe and healthy.

Our very first interview on this show was with a New York State legislator who introduced the first cannabis legislation in 2015. Stephen Katz also happened to be a veterinarian, who was one of the first in the country to develop CBD supplements to treat dogs suffering with painful arthritis. So much has changed since then, and cannabis therapy for animals is now far more common than not for treating a wide variety of animal ailments, including cancer.

But not all cannabis therapies are good for all canines and, like their human companions, each has unique conditions that respond to cannabinoids differently according to their size, weight and breed. That happens to be something my guest today, Dr. Trina Hazzah knows a lot about. She is the author of Cannabis in Veterinary Medicine: A Critical Review, which was recently published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association – the only peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing exclusively on integrative veterinary medicine. She talked abut the study and offered some useful “Dos and Don’ts” pertaining to CBD and cannabis for dogs, and their human companions.

Trina Hazzah, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) was born and raised in Washington DC. She attended Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine where she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. She completed her small animal internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey and a 3-year residency in medical oncology at the Veterinary Oncology and Hematology Center, in Connecticut. She has also completed the requirements to be a Certified Veterinary Chinese Herbalist from the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Hazzah developed an interest in cannabis medicine during her quest for finding effective integrative approaches for veterinary cancer patients. She has spent the last half a decade reading through available literature, attending multiple cannabis conferences and symposiums, while also learning from cannabis physicians.  She has since given numerous lectures to veterinarians educating them on the topic of cannabis medicine. Dr. Hazzah is a founder and the co-president of the Veterinary Cannabis Society and a member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine, Veterinary Cancer Society, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and California Veterinary Medical Association.

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