What I am about to say may seem shocking if you know us, our family, and our dogs.
We weren’t always worried about the environment, chemicals or pollutants that affected us. We weren’t always the pictures of health.
We were like many people, living day by day, struggling to make a living, and simply just dong the best that we could…or what we thought was the best. It wasn’t until one of our dogs died from cancer that something hit me harder than a ton, or five tons, of bricks. This didn’t have to happen so early… losing my dog. This wasn’t the way things should have gone. And I could not deny the fact that I was partly to blame. No, not because of intentional harm to my precious boy, Skanky.
But because of simply living my life, and not going the extra step to make sure how I was living it, I was affecting others, and my dog. I could have done better. And I vowed that I would. Yet, when you are trying to just get thru the day full of work and errands and family, you feel like you don’t have the time to consider alternatives...until you realize that time is your friend. Because the truth is, you will be spending your time like I was, with treatments or regrets, or you can spend precious time proactively to make sure that your dog is healthy. Spending the time healing from the inside out. Spending the time having fun with your dog, knowing that what some may consider an alternative to helping your dog live a longer life is actually the best and most natural way we can take care of them.
It wasn’t overnight that Skanky dog’s legacy changed our lifestyle. In fact, Brickle’s stomach problems were the first time I had thought about ditching the dog food bag and making his food. And it wasn’t until Digby’s mobility issues came into play that I began to be more aware of how I could help him age more gracefully. Being in a business that is “all dog all the time”, I hear about a lot of new products. So when I heard about CBD, I honestly didn’t pay much attention to it. I thought maybe it was just a new fad. I didn’t know if it was even legal. And I was busy! I didn’t even know what it was…really. We had to go to 48 states and 48 rescues, and I didn’t have time for this. But as with many aspects of my life, dogs throw me into reality. A reality that life is more than deadlines and commitments. Our reality was that even finishing our trip may have to be reconsidered. No, we didn’t tell our fans all about our trials, because that wouldn’t have been so much fun. We had Brickle, becoming increasingly stressed over certain aspects of traveling. He was also becoming more aware of storms and rain and lightening. Digby was starting to slow down, not able to get up and down as much, or as well.
That is when someone at an animal rescue we visited mentioned CBD, (short for Cannabidiol) again. But I even had to look up what it was. Because although I had heard about it before, I really just thought it was the same as marijuana. But what I actually found out was that CBD (cannabidiol) is an extremely beneficial cannabinoid (natural compound) that is found in the hemp plant. When CBD enters a mammal’s body it turns on a system called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS has receptors that can be found throughout a mammal’s body. From your brain to your immune system, you and your pet’s body are covered in these receptors. Now, this sounded a little complicated at first to me. But it also sounded really promising. Especially when I kept doing more research. But…I will tell you right now. I was frankly even embarrassed to ask a vet about CBD. What would they think of me? So yes. Here I was. A person trying to help other animals (over a million Facebook fans to be exact), when my own needed help.
And so we took a few days off, and found out where to buy CBD, and Boy Person walked into a store. And you guessed it. We had it all wrong. We still didn’t know the difference between CBD or THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), which many associate with “getting high”. We didn’t know doses, we didn’t know…well…anything, really. But we were desperate. And so as the associate gave us what we thought was correct, I did more research and found out that it was not correct. The dose was wrong. It was not formulated for pets. I put the bottle away. And I was scared away. And so we used other natural treatments. But I kept feeling like something was lacking. And that is when we got an email from Shelby at Pet Releaf.
We were about to attend the Global Pet Expo, the biggest pet expo in the world, and she asked us to stop by their booth. We were super booked. We were tired and recuperating after our big trip. And yet, Shelby said she was a fan, and then, well, she said another magic word. Organic. Their products were organic!
So we decided to stop by for a minute, and a minute turned into ten. And I knew it right then. This was it. I had to get over my fear of this. I could do this! I had to do this. For my dogs.
But the first thing I wondered was if it was legal in the USA. That is where I started. I found out that it was and also in many other countries. So, could it not only help us, but help other dogs out there? And wasn’t it our responsibility with over a million Facebook fans to find all of this out?
Because if I was having trouble navigating my way thru legalities, information, where I could buy it, or even what it helped with, others had to be confused too. Because let’s face it. The pet market right now is literally flooded with CBD products. And you know how I feel about the industry if you have read our editorials before. I don’t trust it. I am just being honest. I don’t trust anyone to watch my dogs 100% when I go on vacation for goodness sake! So yeah, this was going to be rough. I had a lot of work ahead of me. But our fans, and our dogs deserved it. And so I wanted to learn more about Pet Releaf as a company. Who started this, and why?
I was impressed right away by the way in which they spoke about their dog and the reason behind why they started this company. I also was excited to see where they sourced their ingredients from and how they could not, and would not compromise on using organic.
So I will take a few of the questions I had, and we can start our journey together and learn!
What IS CBD? Is it the same as marijuana?
Pet Releaf likes to explain the difference this way. Hemp and marijuana are both part of the cannabis family. Both lemons and oranges belong to the citrus family but are entirely different fruits! According to Pet Releaf’s website, “Our hemp is grown in the United States and has an undetectable level of THC at 0.1%, making it below the national legal limit of 0.3%, therefore our product can be purchased in all 50 states. Our CBD hemp oil is NOT made from the federally illegal marijuana plant. Further, our oil is completely natural and does NOT require any prescription or recommendation from your vet. The website continues, “Since our CBD hemp oil is 100% natural, it is completely safe for your pets. Pet Releaf CBD hemp oil also has no psychoactive properties so it will not get your pets “high”. Dogs and cats lack the ability to effectively metabolize THC – the psychoactive element in the marijuana plant. It can be very dangerous to give your pet anything containing any psychoactive levels of THC, such as medical marijuana products now being sold in much of the United States.”
What can CBD help do? How can it help our dogs?
Of course, I consulted Pet Releaf’s website again. “We crafted our full spectrum organic CBD hemp oil with the hopes of providing pet owners a product that would not only alleviate their loved ones from pain, anxiety and inflammation but to also give them a neurological and anti-aging preventative that will keep their loved ones alert, active, and healthy for as long as possible. Through administering our CBD hemp oil to your pets at any age, you’re allowing their body to reach optimum levels of health.” Scientists think CBD is effective at treating spasmodic, inflammatory, pain, anxiety and many other health issues.
Does it even matter who I buy CBD from?
My short answer? YES. YES. YES. This is probably the MOST important factor in your decision to start using CBD for your pet. It matters where they source their ingredients from, how the ingredients are processed, extracted and yes, sold. Organic certifications should also be at the top of the list. Our clear choice? I think that you already know…Pet Releaf. And in the coming months, we will explain more about their operations. Because the CBD world is so new and unregulated, there are a lot of incorrect claims, as well as dangerous processes being used by some companies.
With all of this information, your head may be spinning as mine was. Yet, I have so much more to learn. And I hope that you will come on this journey with me, Brickle and Digby.
We are going to find out in the coming months how CBD can help YOUR pet. Shelby will be fielding questions on our Facebook group page which you can request to join, and we will have a monthly editorial, As well, we will be demonstrating on a Facebook live video how to administer this to your pet and also talking to one of the founders, to be announced soon.
So, if you are excited about CBD and Pet Releaf, let us know. Tell us the concerns that you have about your dog. Let’s not only learn together, but have some fun. Because taking care of our dogs should be fun. We want them with us as long as possible, with the best quality of life that they can have. My life is my dogs. My dogs are life. Let’s see what we can do to make their lives the best…ever.
-Rachael Johnson, Owner, 2 Traveling Dogs
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Pet Releaf is on a mission to change what healthy means for pets, by producing the highest quality CBD products for dogs and cats they’re doing just that! CBD is the only known natural compound that can turn on a system in mammals bodies called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). When the ECS is activated, our brain and body are able to communicate. This 2-way communication allows CBD to act as a potent anti-inflammatory and turbo boost to the immune system which makes it an awesome all-natural preventative for our healthy pets and a holistic option for our loving companions experiencing more severe illness or injury. Pet Releaf controls the entire manufacturing process, from seed to sale and from plant to pet. They are the only company in the pet industry with certified USDA organic hemp which is grown at their joint-venture farm in eastern Colorado and extract their full spectrum CBD hemp oil using only pressurized air and extremely low temperatures, putting your pet’s safety first. Pet Releaf products have no known negative side effects and will never get your pet ‘high.’
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Pet Releaf. Although we received compensation for this post, all views and opinions are our own.
