Kristy Rosenberger swears by cannabidiol – more commonly known as CBD – not for herself, but for her dogs. Rosenberger was first introduced to CBD more than a decade ago when searching for something to help her dog, Punkie, who was anxious and epileptic. When thunderstorms rolled through, the Yorkie would whimper and shake.
Rosenberger was afraid her behavior might trigger a seizure. Punkie’s neurologist recommended giving her CBD in combination with the dog’s seizure medication to sooth her symptoms. Rosenberger thought it couldn’t hurt to try, but was genuinely surprised when she noticed behavioral changes.
“When I started giving her the CBD oil, she was not reactive to those things,” the Thornton resident said. “I was like, ‘This is awesome.’” Though Punkie has since passed, Rosenberger still uses CBD to treat another dog.
Her 4-year-old rescue, Cherish, was previously abused and is terrified of loud noises. If there are storms or holiday fireworks in the forecast, Rosenberger will put drops of CBD oil in her food up to a week in advance, which makes the blue heeler calmer, less reactive and less playful, her owner said. The market of CBD pet products has exploded in recent years as cannabis has become both legalized and normalized across the United States.
A 2021 report from Brightfield Group estimated the market to reach $629 million in sales , driven primarily by people seeking out alternative treatments for their dogs’ anxiety. While the perceiv.