Dogs and cats have an Endocannabinoid System (ECS) just as do humans and other animals. Actually, all mammals including horses, monkeys and elephants, as well as birds, reptiles, and fish have an ECS. You may be more familiar with the other systems of the body including the circulatory, respiratory, urinary, reproductive, integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, lymphatic, and digestive system. The recently discovered 12thsystem, the ECS, has been called “the most important physiologic system involved in establishing and maintaining overall health”.
The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is comprised of a series of receptors, physiologic activators (cannabinoids) and enzymes. The ECS is named after the plant compounds – THC and CBD that are found in cannabis. THC and CBD are called cannabinoids, the same way that plant compounds in carrots are called carotenoids. The system of receptors and enzymes were discovered as scientists were researching how these phytocannabinoids (THC and CBD) interacted with the body. Upon this discovery, researchers found that the body makes similar compounds (endocannabinoids) that interact with the ECS – Anandamide and 2-AG.
The receptors of the ECS are found throughout the body. Although they are mostly located in the nervous and immune system, they help to maintain health in every organ of the body. When an imbalance is detected in the body, the ECS goes into action, producing endocannabinoids to help the brain relay instructions to the body. Functions of the body that have been link to the ECS include:
- Appetite
- Digestive activity
- Immune function
- Inflammatory response
- Mood disorders
- Sleep patterns
- Reproduction/fertility
- Motor control
- Pain signaling
Unfortunately, stress and disease affect the body’s ability to produce endocannabinoids to help maintain overall health. Luckily, we can supplement the body’s own production of endocannabinoids with phytocannabinoids found in hemp. If it were not for the way that the ECS was discovered we may have never known how to supplement our own production of endocannabinoids. By supplementing your pet’s endocannabinoids with the hemp derived CBD found in Earth Buddy Pet hemp oil, you could bring relief to a pet that might have an imbalance in one of the mentioned bodily functions and many others.
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