As more people turn to CBD for a safe alternative to their medical issues, many pet parents are wondering whether CBD could help their pets as well. We get questions from pet parents every day, asking how CBD can help their pet, and we love sharing how CBD has the potential to help pets with many ailments! In fact, several studies in animals have shown that CBD does have a potentially important and diverse role in the veterinary office.
For example, studies have shown that CBD can decrease seizure frequency in epileptic dogs, decrease pain in dogs suffering from arthritis, and reduce the severity of symptoms related to various skin conditions. What’s more, strong anecdotal evidence from dog and cat owners suggests CBD may help pets in numerous other ways, including decreasing inflammation, decreasing pain derived from other conditions outside of osteoarthritis, reducing the feeling of nausea, and reducing anxiety. Recently, we’ve had cat parents asking us, can CBD help feline idiopathic cystitis?
What is Feline Idiopathic Cystitis?
Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) is the most common cause of feline lower urinary tract syndrome (FLUTS) in cats between the ages of 1 and 10. Although the disease process is not totally understood, what’s interesting is that the primary underlying stimulus for the disease is the internal feeling of stress or anxiety. This stress can be initiated by almost anything in a cat’s environment, but whatever the cause, this stress then leads to localized inflammation of the urinary tract, resulting in disruption of the normal protective barriers that exist there. The consequence of this is that urine and its waste contents have the opportunity to irritate the less protected bladder wall, resulting in pain, discomfort, and changes to urination behaviors.
How is Feline Idiopathic Cystitis Diagnosed?
It’s important to first note that FIC is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that all other potential causes for FLUTS must first be ruled out via diagnostic tests. Nonetheless, the most common signs pet parents may see at home with a cat developing a urinary tract condition include:
