Danish dog owners' use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs.

The interest in the use of medical cannabis has increased in recent years in both human and veterinary fields. In Denmark, there are no veterinary-licensed medical cannabis or cannabinoid supplements, and it is illegal to prescribe or sell cannabinoids intended for the treatment of veterinary patien...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pernille Holst, Annemarie Thuri Kristensen, Maja Louise Arendt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296698&type=printable
_version_ 1797324271899377664
author Pernille Holst
Annemarie Thuri Kristensen
Maja Louise Arendt
author_facet Pernille Holst
Annemarie Thuri Kristensen
Maja Louise Arendt
author_sort Pernille Holst
collection DOAJ
description The interest in the use of medical cannabis has increased in recent years in both human and veterinary fields. In Denmark, there are no veterinary-licensed medical cannabis or cannabinoid supplements, and it is illegal to prescribe or sell cannabinoids intended for the treatment of veterinary patients. This study aimed to explore the unlicensed cannabinoid use in Danish dogs, by questioning dog owners about usage, indication for use, way of purchase, and their perceived effect of the cannabinoid treatment. An anonymous online survey was distributed via social media. The total number of respondents were 2,002, of which 38% indicated using or having administered cannabinoids to their dog. The majority of the respondents confirming the use of cannabinoids (93%) had used cannabidiol drops/oil and only few (4%) reported using Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-based products. Most owners (67%) purchased the products online. The three most common indications for use were pain alleviation, behavioural issues, and allergy. When asked about the respondent-perceived effect the majority reported a good or very good effect. The indication with the highest percentage of owner-perceived positive effect (77%) was pain alleviation. This study shows that, despite no licensed veterinary cannabinoid products being available in Denmark, dog owners do supplement their dogs with cannabinoids and the majority of these perceive that the treatment had a positive effect. This supports the need for more evidence-based knowledge in veterinary cannabinoid therapy.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T05:53:42Z
format Article
id doaj.art-76d119e4987745d3812afeb7a2fb0d63
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1932-6203
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T05:53:42Z
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj.art-76d119e4987745d3812afeb7a2fb0d632024-02-05T05:30:53ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01191e029669810.1371/journal.pone.0296698Danish dog owners' use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs.Pernille HolstAnnemarie Thuri KristensenMaja Louise ArendtThe interest in the use of medical cannabis has increased in recent years in both human and veterinary fields. In Denmark, there are no veterinary-licensed medical cannabis or cannabinoid supplements, and it is illegal to prescribe or sell cannabinoids intended for the treatment of veterinary patients. This study aimed to explore the unlicensed cannabinoid use in Danish dogs, by questioning dog owners about usage, indication for use, way of purchase, and their perceived effect of the cannabinoid treatment. An anonymous online survey was distributed via social media. The total number of respondents were 2,002, of which 38% indicated using or having administered cannabinoids to their dog. The majority of the respondents confirming the use of cannabinoids (93%) had used cannabidiol drops/oil and only few (4%) reported using Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-based products. Most owners (67%) purchased the products online. The three most common indications for use were pain alleviation, behavioural issues, and allergy. When asked about the respondent-perceived effect the majority reported a good or very good effect. The indication with the highest percentage of owner-perceived positive effect (77%) was pain alleviation. This study shows that, despite no licensed veterinary cannabinoid products being available in Denmark, dog owners do supplement their dogs with cannabinoids and the majority of these perceive that the treatment had a positive effect. This supports the need for more evidence-based knowledge in veterinary cannabinoid therapy.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296698&type=printable
spellingShingle Pernille Holst
Annemarie Thuri Kristensen
Maja Louise Arendt
Danish dog owners' use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs.
PLoS ONE
title Danish dog owners' use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs.
title_full Danish dog owners' use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs.
title_fullStr Danish dog owners' use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs.
title_full_unstemmed Danish dog owners' use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs.
title_short Danish dog owners' use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs.
title_sort danish dog owners use and the perceived effect of unlicensed cannabis products in dogs
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296698&type=printable
work_keys_str_mv AT pernilleholst danishdogownersuseandtheperceivedeffectofunlicensedcannabisproductsindogs
AT annemariethurikristensen danishdogownersuseandtheperceivedeffectofunlicensedcannabisproductsindogs
AT majalouisearendt danishdogownersuseandtheperceivedeffectofunlicensedcannabisproductsindogs