The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association is exploring the idea of pot for pets.
The association looked at the issues and challenges of the therapeutic use of cannabinoids in veterinary medicine at a forum July 5 that was part of during the CVMA Convention in Vancouver.
“The increased attention on medicinal cannabis is producing greater interest from pet owners, who in turn, are looking for guidance and answers to whether these products may help their pets,” said Dr. Troye McPherson, 2017-18 CVMA president, in a news release. “Currently, veterinarians have no legal pathway to dispense or prescribe cannabis for animals. However, the CVMA recognizes the veterinary community is in the midst of rapid change in this area with some anecdotal evidence of benefits, but a lack of peer-reviewed, controlled clinical studies on cannabis. We are in an interesting position on how to create an open dialogue with our clients.”
TheCVMA National Issues Forum: Therapeutic Use of Cannabinoids in Veterinary Medicine heard from three veterinarians who gave different perspectives on the topic. Dr. Sarah Silcox, president and director of the Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine (CAVCM) discussed a practitioner perspective, Dr. Louis-Philippe de Lorimier took a veterinary medical oncologist perspective, and Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant discussed the toxicology perspective.
The association is urging Health Canada to change regulations for vets.
“Veterinarians should always be the primary source of health-related information for animals,” said Silcox. “The CAVCM is working closely with the CVMA to encourage Health Canada to amend the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) to include veterinarians and our patients, and to permit the future classification of CBD as a Veterinary Health Product.”
The annual convention gathered over 900 veterinary professionals from across Canada and the United States.
