CSU researchers are evaluating the effect of CBD in the treatment of idiopathic epilepsy, osteoarthritis, and certain types of cancers, and are currently enrolling dogs in a CBD-for-epilepsy clinical trial.
A new cancer imaging technique is expected to significantly improve the ability to diagnose the disease’s spread to lymph nodes in dogs with head and neck tumors.
The veterinary team behind the ongoing clinical trial at Colorado State University found that 89% of dogs that received cannabidiol experienced a reduction in seizure frequency.
Called comparative or translational oncology, this field is different from traditional animal research in laboratory rodents in a few ways, says Dr. Kristen Weishaar, a veterinarian and clinical trials director at the Flint Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
As part of a partnership with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Letterman and Indy car legend Bobby Rahal visited the Flint Animal Cancer Center at CSU’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital Tuesday, July 24, to learn more about cancer in animals.
VIDEO: In the pilot study looking at 16 pooch patients, nearly 90 percent of epileptic dogs had fewer seizures when taking the chicken-flavored oil, as compared to about 20 percent on placebo.
Dr. Stephanie McGrath, a neurologist and assistant professor at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, has completed two clinical studies since 2016 on the effects of cannabidiol in dogs with osteoarthritis or epilepsy.
The way to move the needle forward in medical research is to engage in a clinical trial, Dr. Sue VandeWoude said.
Dr. Elena Contreras and Dr. Clarissa Souza organized a reunion for shelter dogs that were treated for demodex and later adopted.
Dogs within 150 miles of the University of California-Davis, Colorado State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison may participate, said Douglas Thamm, a veterinary oncologist at CSU who will lead the study.