End of Life Pet Care with CBD

Please enjoy this post by Kerri Connor, author of several books, including the new CBD for Your Health, Mind & Spirit published April 11, 2022 on Llewellyn Worldwide. Copied with permission.

Furrina came to me as a feral who escaped the neighbor’s barn and decided she wanted to be a house kitty. She was highly inbred, and had several issues, including kidneys that are too small, and a chronic respiratory problem. She was also pregnant, and only 5 months old. She delivered her first kitten fine, but the second required assistance and an emergency hysterectomy afterwards. She had a tough start to life and was a mother while still a kitten herself.

In February of 2020, I contracted Covid-19 and unfortunately, passed it on to her. Always the fighter, she defied the doctors’ predictions, and continued to live well past the few weeks they gave her.

We know when we bring a new pet into our lives, chances are some day we will have to cope with their failing health and subsequent death. I have been living through this, again, over the past few months.

Now, at 12 years old, her chronic respiratory issues (made worse by her Covid infection) are taking their toll. I had a choice to make, and for her, that choice was not to push anymore treatments and to let her life end naturally. Due to issues with several of her organs, pain medication could do even more damage.

CBD does not damage her organs, and it helps to provide pain relief. She is dosed a few times throughout the day and has associated the dropper with a positive experience as she never fights it. As I mentioned before, she is a fighter, and though small, will turn into a ferocious little beastie when it’s time for medications. She surprised plenty of vets with how much scrappiness she holds in her wee six pounds. When she sees her dropper, though, she is friendly and compliant with no problem.

She loves her CBD, too. Not only does it relieve her pain, but it also calms her and relieves her nervous discomfort. I can tell by the way she sleeps when she is truly content and comfortable. When the purring kicks in and her little belly exposed to the world, she is in her happy place. Because of this, I can also tell when she needs an extra dose. When she starts shifting her position frequently, it’s my cue that she needs a boost.

While I know the CBD can not heal what all is wrong with her, I do know it makes her feel better, and allows for a better quality of life. I also know that if I had listened to the vets, she would have been euthanized a long time ago. Her life isn’t the most active anymore. She sleeps most of the day with an occasional burst of energy to tear around with her kitty brother and sister. Afterwards, she curls up for a dose and a long cuddly nap.

CBD has given us more time together by making it possible for me to extend her life, comfortably, and without any added damage to her already compromised body. Those of us with fur babies know what a blessing this is.