There seems to be a sharp increase in the number of people using alternative approaches to chronic pain.
Among the unconventional options, a prominent role certainly belongs to cannabis, which has also been favored by more permissive legislation that has allowed the use of cannabinoid derivatives for therapeutic purposes for some time.
The main indication of marijuana for medical use is precisely chronic pain relief, followed, in order, by osteoarthritis and headaches. At the same time, more owners are also choosing to use cannabis derivatives as an analgesic treatment for their pet, especially in the dog with chronic pain.
Indeed, pets are increasingly being seen as effective members of the family, but because this is a newly developed area, research on this aspect is still lagging behind and veterinarians are still reluctant to propose medical cannabis.
Thus, a study conducted at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Sociology in Canada, which investigated the rationale behind the use of cannabis derivatives as an analgesic treatment in humans and dogs, deserves attention and analyzed whether the results met expectations.
Motivation and expectations in humans and dogs
Published in the Journal of Cannabis Research, the Canadian study collected individual perceptions on the topic through a double anonymous online questionnaire regarding motivations and expectations about the use of cannabis derivatives against chronic pain.
The analysis involved 313 US adults who reported using cannabis to treat their chronic pain and 204 owners who use these products in their dog. The data were then compared.
Basically, it turned out that the motivations of patients and dog owners are very similar and that the most common reasons for using cannabinoids are that cannabis derivatives are considered natural products, are preferable to traditional drugs and are an effective-if not the best-option against pain, especially when traditional treatments prove ineffective.
The proportion of patients and dog owners declaring their expectations satisfied was also similar (86 and 82 percent, respectively). In qualitative terms, expectations are met particularly in aspects such as pain reduction, increased relaxation, improved sleep, adaptive abilities, functionality, and general well-being.
Qualitative data also suggest that cannabis derivatives contribute to a return to normalcy and a recovered sense of self in both humans and dogs.
Further study needed
Although substantial appreciation for the use of cannabinoids in chronic pain emerges from the work, the authors make no secret of the fact that it is still an issue with multiple facets, many of which remain to be clarified.
They point out, for example, that in the treatment of chronic pain of non-oncological origin in humans, data on the use of cannabis derivatives are still quite controversial, while in the analgesic treatment of dogs, although they have shown promising results, studies are still in their infancy.
This is also why, although the Canadian survey sketched the motivations and satisfaction with the use of these products, it is important to conduct further, even more accurate, evaluations to better understand the clinical goals and subjective effects of these analgesic treatments.
Only in this way can both physicians and veterinarians take more proactive positions on the issue. The intent, of course, is to develop increasingly effective management of chronic pain in both humans and dogs.
Source
Wallace, J.E., Kogan, L.R., Carr, E.C.J. et al. Publisher Correction to: Motivations and expectations for using cannabis products to treat pain in humans and dogs: a mixed methods study. J Cannabis Res2, 40 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-020-00048-8
