Even for a puppy, Kat Donatello’s black lab, Austin, was hyperactive. After experimenting with natural supplements on her older dog, Brady, Donatello slipped the puppy a special biscuit.
“It just kind of took the edge off of him,” she said.
The treat contained cannabidiol, better known as CBD, a chemical compound extracted from the marijuana plant.
Photo: AP
The CBD supplements were expensive, and options for pet treats were limited, Donatello said.
“So I started spending my winters baking dog biscuits,” she said, adding that she tinkered with the recipe before launching her CBD-laced biscuit company, Austin + Kat, earlier this year.
Along with Therabis and Treatibles, Austin + Kat is one of several cannabidiol-for-dogs businesses that have popped up in the past two years, a time period during which CBD pet product sales doubled in the US, according to data kept by cannabis industry analytics firm MJ Freeway.
It is the newest trend in the US’ booming half-billion dollar animal supplements market, which is expected to grow by more than US$150 million in the next four years.
CBD is one of over 80 active cannabinoid chemicals in marijuana, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD does not create a euphoric sensation. In other words, these biscuits will not get your dog high, but there is some debate as to what effect the compound has on our furry friends and whether they should be consuming it at all.
Academic research about CBD’s affect on animals is nearly nonexistent, and the US Food and Drug Administration has not approved marijuana use in animals. Despite this, some veterinarians recommend their use, and producers say pet stores are increasingly beginning to carry CBD treats. Treatibles is even in talks to be sold at a big box pet store, though an executive would not reveal which one, as the deal is still pending.
Veterinarians’ views on the supplement vary. When asked about the effectiveness of CBD in dogs, veterinarian Robert Goggs said there is “virtually no evidence in the veterinary literature on this.”
By contrast, veterinarians Robert Silver and Gary Richter recently hosted a course on the cannabis-dedicated learning Web site Green Flower entitled the “Cannabis for Pets Masterclass.”
Contacted by phone, Richter conceded that scholarly literature is lacking.
“A lot of what we’re using is extrapolated data from humans, as well as just real world experience on what works,” he explained.
If it works for humans, he said, it could work for dogs.
In lieu of research, the CBD-for-dogs industry cites supportive veterinarians and customer testimonials as evidence of the products’ effectiveness.
On Treatibles’ Web site, an interview with the owner of mixed-breed pup Shelby shows how the dog, plagued with anxiety and fear, was able to settle down after eating a laced treat.
Human studies have linked CBD to anti-seizure, anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety effects. In findings presented to the US Senate on International Narcotics Control in June last year, National Institute on Drug Abuse director Nora Volkow said CBD could potentially aid those suffering from Alzheimer’s, stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s.
Despite the largely positive feedback in Volkow’s presentation, she warned that additional research on CBD is necessary.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agrees and hopes to review further scientific studies on CBD.
CBD is often purchased online, which is technically a violation of US federal law, according to DEA spokesman Russell Baer.
“Extracts or derivatives from the cannabis plant are Schedule I controlled substances — just like the plant itself,” Baer said in an e-mailed statement. “There is widespread illegal distribution of purported CBD products — regardless if they are derived from the marijuana plant or hemp plant,” he added.
Understandably, the DEA’s attention is not on CBD at a time when the US faces an opioid crisis, and sterilized cannabis seeds can be legally used in animal feed mixture.
When asked about the legality of the business, Therabis called it a “complex situation.”
Austin + Kat’s Donatello expressed frustration with the DEA’s position in light of the US Controlled Substances Act and her ability to purchase CBD products at Walmart.com.
Treatibles did not reply to a request for comment.
There is also the matter of ethics.
Humans can verbally express discomfort when trying a new treatment. Dogs cannot.
“If the proper administration of marijuana can truly relieve dogs’ pain, then they should be given the same consideration that humans in pain are given, with regular doses to help reduce their misery,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals senior vice president Daphna Nachminovitch said. “But it’s an entirely different matter to amuse oneself by getting the cat drunk or the dog high.”
While the researchers debate what, exactly, CBD can do for Fido, investors are excited by its increasing popularity, which has been buoyed by the US legalization of cannabis (for humans) and increased dialogue about the medicinal properties of marijuana.
Treatibles founder Julianna Carella has seen sales explode “like wildfire” over the past two years.
Therabis has experienced equally explosive growth in its first year of business; since February, the company has seen revenue quadruple, and sales have grown 30 percent month-on-month, according to Joe Hodas, chief marketing officer of the treat brand’s parent company.
Troy Dayton, cofounder of the Arcview Group, an Oakland, California-based investment firm, was a skeptic before he saw the sales numbers.
“If humans are noticing in droves all the different ways where cannabis products can have utility for them, then surely there will be a massive application [for animals],” he said.
Over the past two years, Arcview has been involved in fundraising efforts for two CBD pet-product companies.
Dayton anticipates that additional capital will follow, particularly from investors leery of getting into the recreational cannabis market, which is legally murky.
“There’s a lot of opportunity” in the CBD market, Dayton said.
“I’m not surprised at all that the space is growing,” Carella said. “There’s so many pet owners that would do just about anything to relieve their animals’ suffering.”
Anna Bhobho, a 31-year-old housewife from rural Zimbabwe, was once a silent observer in her home, excluded from financial and family decisionmaking in the deeply patriarchal society. Today, she is a driver of change in her village, thanks to an electric tricycle she owns. In many parts of rural sub-Saharan Africa, women have long been excluded from mainstream economic activities such as operating public transportation. However, three-wheelers powered by green energy are reversing that trend, offering financial opportunities and a newfound sense of importance. “My husband now looks up to me to take care of a large chunk of expenses,
SECTOR LEADER: TSMC can increase capacity by as much as 20 percent or more in the advanced node part of the foundry market by 2030, an analyst said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to lead its peers in the advanced 2-nanometer process technology, despite competition from Samsung Electronics Co and Intel Corp, TrendForce Corp analyst Joanne Chiao (喬安) said. TSMC’s sophisticated products and its large production scale are expected to allow the company to continue dominating the global 2-nanometer process market this year, Chiao said. The world’s largest contract chipmaker is scheduled to begin mass production of chips made on the 2-nanometer process in its Hsinchu fab in the second half of this year. It would also hold a ceremony on Monday next week to
TECH CLUSTER: The US company’s new office is in the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City, a new AI industry base and cybersecurity hub in southern Taiwan US chip designer Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday launched an office in Tainan’s Gueiren District (歸仁), marking a significant milestone in the development of southern Taiwan’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry, the Tainan City Government said in a statement. AMD Taiwan general manager Vincent Chern (陳民皓) presided over the opening ceremony for the company’s new office at the Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City (沙崙智慧綠能科學城), a new AI industry base and cybersecurity hub in southern Taiwan. Facilities in the new office include an information processing center, and a research and development (R&D) center, the Tainan Economic Development Bureau said. The Ministry
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday signed a letter of intent with Alaska Gasline Development Corp (AGDC), expressing an interest to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) and invest in the latter’s Alaska LNG project, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement. Under the agreement, CPC is to participate in the project’s upstream gas investment to secure stable energy resources for Taiwan, the ministry said. The Alaska LNG project is jointly promoted by AGDC and major developer Glenfarne Group LLC, as Alaska plans to export up to 20 million tonnes of LNG annually from 2031. It involves constructing an 1,290km
RSS