Canna Companion Reviews?

Have you tried Canna Companion on your cat? I have not and am looking for reviews. Canna Companion is a blend of hemp. Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species. The idea is for the animal to take advantage of the medical benefits of the cannabis plant while taking away the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis (the bit that makes you high). It “heals without the high”. It comes in capsule form. It appears to be suitable for home treatment which will appeal to many.

“There are zero negative side effects and no medical conflicts. There is almost zero THC and your pet will not get high or in trouble with the law…”

Well, I have just researched that. So what are the medical benefits of blended hemp?

I believe that Canna Companion was created by two veterinarians: Sarah Brandon and Greg Copas in Washington State. They spent fifteen years developing the “drug”.

Canna Companion is new animal drug as defined by the FDA. It is unapproved by the FDA as far as I know. That was the situation on Feb 24th 2015. At that time the FDA wrote to Brandon and Copas, the two founding veterinarians, telling them they were marketing the product illegally. The FDA said that as it is deemed to be an animal drug it has to be approved before it can be marketed.

Of course since this letter 23 US states have given medical marijuana (cannabis) the green light. The drug is coming into the mainstream as medical treatment. The legalisation of cannabis may be good or bad. I don’t think people are sure. There may be some unforeseen consequences.

In the FDA letter they refer to examples of the marketing of the product in which it is claimed by the creators to reduce cancer symptoms, aid in decreasing the severity of dementia, reduce bronchial spasms in asthmatics and more, such as:

• reduces blood sugar levels
• reduces inflammation
• slows bacterial growth
• treats psoriasis
• “Good news about our Texas friend, Cyndi … She’s a 14 yr lab who has spinal arthritis & a type of cancer called adenocarcinoma. Miss Cyndi is responding well to her Canna C. . . .” (the words of Brandon and Copas)
• “Morgaine, one of our lymphoma patients is responding very positively to the ‘extra strength’ capsules.” (the words of Brandon and Copas)

The Canna Companion website states that the use of the entire cannabis plant results in an increase in health benefits and a decrease in adverse effects.

The say that the product does the following:

• Supports the digestive process. It helps to maintain a healthy GI tract.
• Supports the immune system
• Helps with mobility by suppressing joint discomfort
• Maintains a healthy nervous system
• Provides end of life comfort and care
• Encourages a calmer demeanour – presumably when under temporary stressful situations.

Sandy, a PoC regular emailed me to say that a veterinarian she has found, who appears to be excellent, gives her cats and dogs Canna Companion and has done for about two years with “great results”.

So despite being new medical drug and as yet untested by the authorities, it is claimed to be very effective in treating certain medical conditions and safe.

Personally, I have no idea how good the drug is. I searched for reviews and there were none to my knowledge on page one of Google search results. There is a need for some real, first hand feedback for your average pet owner. Can you help?

A testimonial on the Canna Companion website states:

“It seems as though [Canna Companion] is the best kept secret in the animal world for pain management and anxiety issues. I originally ordered it for my cat Robbie for anxiety/inflamed bladder issues and it works! Robbie has had issues for the past year or so, and now they are all but gone.”

There is the fear that cat and dog owners may become careless in administering cannabis (not Canna Companion) to their companion animals. Has there been an increase in overdoses to dogs and cats? I have no idea.

The medical director of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (a respected source) said:

“These products show potential, but there’s not a lot of research at this point. No one is even sure what the correct therapeutic dosage is. For example, in the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section on one of the websites, a customer asks, ‘How much should I give my pet?’ And they answer—I’m paraphrasing here: ‘Whatever you think would help.’ Well, that’s extremely vague.”

My thoughts for what they are worth: Canna Companion has merit but (a) care needs to be taken in administering it by which you’d need vet approval and advice and (b) more research and real feedback needs to be available to pet owners (c) it would nice if it was FDA approved. I’d suspect that a lot of vets at this time would be unsure about its use. That would certainly apply in the UK and Europe in general.