WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
BUSINESS & AG LIFE
Some pet products touted as CBD don’t have any
By Mary Esch
The Associated Press
Companies have unleashed hun-
dreds of CBD pet health products
accompanied by glowing customer
testimonials claiming the cannabis
derivative produced calmer, quieter
and pain-free dogs and cats.
But some of these products are
all bark and no bite.
“You’d be astounded by the
analysis we’ve seen of products on
the shelf with virtually no CBD in
them,” said Cornell University vet-
erinary researcher Joseph Waksh-
lag, who studies therapeutic uses
for the compound. “Or products
with 2 milligrams per milliliter,
when an effective concentration
would be between 25 and 75 mil-
ligrams per milliliter. There are
plenty of folks looking to make a
dollar rather than produce any-
thing that’s really benefi cial.”
Such products can make it to the
shelves because the federal govern-
ment has yet to establish standards
for CBD that will help people know
whether it works for their pets and
how much to give.
Still, there’s lots of individual
success stories that help fuel a
$400 million market that grew
more than tenfold since last year
and is expected to reach $1.7 billion
by 2023, according to the cannabis
research fi rm Brightfi eld Group.
Amy Carter of St. Francis, Wis-
consin, decided to go against her
veterinarian’s advice and try CBD
oil recommended by a friend to
treat Bentley, her epileptic York-
shire terrier-Chihuahua mix. The
little dog’s cluster seizures had be-
come more frequent and frighten-
ing despite expensive medications.
“It’s amazing” Carter said.
“Bentley was having multiple
seizures a week. To have only six
in the past seven months is abso-
lutely incredible.”
But some pet owners have found
CBD didn’t work.
Dawn Thiele, an accountant in
Oak Creek, Wisconsin, said she
bought a $53 bottle of CBD oil from
a local shop in hopes of calming her
2-year-old Yorkshire terrier during
long car trips.
“I didn’t see a change in his be-
Photo by Carrie Antlfi nger/The Associated Press
In this Nov. 5, 2019 photo, in St. Francis, Wisconsin, Amy Carter looks at her Yorkshire terrier-Chihuahua
mix Bentley, who has epilepsy. Carter gives him CBD, which she says has reduced his seizures. The
federal government has yet to establish standards for CBD that will help pet owners know whether it
works and how much to give. But the lack of regulation has not stopped some from buying it, fueling a
$400 million CBD market for pets that grew more than tenfold since last year and is expected to reach
$1.7 billion by 2023, according to the cannabis research fi rm Brightfi eld Group.
havior,” said Thiele, who nonethe-
less remains a believer.
“The product is good, it just
didn’t work for my dog,” she said.
Short for cannabidiol, CBD is a
non-intoxicating molecule found in
hemp and marijuana. Both are can-
nabis plants, but only marijuana
has enough of the compound THC
to get users high. The vast majority
of CBD products come from hemp,
which has less than 0.3% THC.
CBD has garnered a devoted
following among people who swear
by it for everything from stress
reduction to better sleep. Passage
of the 2018 Farm Bill, which eased
federal legal restrictions on hemp
cultivation and transport, un-
leashed a stampede of companies
rushing products to the market in
an absence of regulations ensuring
safety, quality and effectiveness.
Products for people were swiftly
followed by CBD chewies, oils and
sprays for pets.
Ranchers fined $17K
for burn pile that
included carcasses
By Sierra Dawn McClain
Capital Press
LEBANON — The Oregon
Department of Environmental
Quality has issued a fi ne of
$17,869 against a Willamette
Valley ranch for a burn pile
that included 40 dead animals,
furniture and other garbage.
“I think that’s probably the
second time I can recall any-
thing like this in our district,”
said John Tacy, division chief
of operations for Lebanon
Fire District. “It’s outside the
scope of agricultural burn-
ing.”
The incident occurred May
13, when the Lebanon Fire
Department responded to a
complaint about a fi re that
smelled like “roasting tires.”
The incident was included in
a year-end report from DEQ.
Fire Marshal Jason Bolen
and Lt. Michael Maynard ar-
rived seven minutes later at
property owned by ranchers
Mark and Bethany Wahl of
Wahl Livestock LLC.
According to the district’s
records, Bolen asked Mark
Wahl if it was OK to look at
the burn pile. Wahl said yes,
inviting Bolen and Maynard
onto his property in a man-
ner that was, according to
the department, “cordial.”
The burn heap, records
indicate, was piled 6 feet tall
with 35 dead cattle, fi ve dead
sheep, decomposable garbage,
plastics, asphaltic materi-
als, furniture and petroleum
products. Open burning of
those materials is prohibited
in Oregon, according to DEQ.
According to the report,
the pile was also burning
unattended. Wahl disputes
this, telling the Capital Press
he was about 400 feet away.
Bolen told Wahl his activ-
ity was illegal, and the crew
got to work. Two hours and
2,500 gallons of water later,
the fi re was extinguished.
But for the Wahls, the
trouble was just beginning.
The fi re department is
required to report burning
of illegal substances to DEQ,
according to Tacy. DEQ of-
fi cers then contacted Wahl to
investigate.
“The DEQ called,” said
Wahl. “They wanted to look
at the burn pile, but I did
not give them permission to
come on the premises.”
Instead, Wahl sent DEQ
a receipt showing that he
had properly disposed of the
carcasses after the fi re was
put out. Wahl said they are
appealing the fi ne.
“The growth is more rapid than
I’ve seen for any product in 20
years in this business,” said Bill
Bookout, president of the National
Animal Supplement Council, an
industry group whose member
companies agree to testing and
data-gathering requirements.
“There’s a gold rush going on now.
Probably 95 percent of the industry
participants are responsible, but
what’s dangerous is the fl y-by-night
operative that wants to cash in.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Admin-
istration is developing regulations
for marketing CBD products, for
pets or people. This year, it has sent
warning letters to 22 companies
citing violations such as making
claims about therapeutic uses and
treatment of disease in humans or
animals or marketing CBD as a
dietary supplement or food ingredi-
ent.
“It’s really the Wild West out
there,” said S. David Moche,
founder of Applied Basic Science, a
company formed to support Colo-
rado State University’s veterinary
CBD research and now selling
CBD online. He advises consumers
to look for a certifi cate of analysis
from a third-party testing labora-
tory to ensure they’re getting what
they pay for.
“Testing and labeling is going
to be a critical part of the future of
this industry,” Moche said.
Wakshlag said products must be
tested not only for CBD level, but
also to ensure they’re free of toxic
contaminants such as heavy metals
and pesticides and have only trace
amounts of THC, which in higher
levels is toxic to dogs.
Bookout said his organization
has recorded very few health
incidents involving CBD and no
deaths.
Still, scientifi c documentation of
CBD’s safety and effi cacy is nearly
nonexistent.
That’s starting to change, howev-
er. A small clinical trial at Colorado
State University published in the
Journal of the American Veterinary
Medical Association in June found
CBD oil reduced seizure frequency
in 89 percent of the epileptic dogs
that received it.
A clinical study headed by
Wakshlag at Cornell, published in
Frontiers in Veterinary Science in
July 2018, found CBD oil helped
increase comfort and activity in
dogs with osteoarthritis.
Stephanie McGrath, a Colorado
State University researcher, is now
doing a larger clinical trial funded
by the American Kennel Club’s
Canine Health Foundation.
“The results of our fi rst epilepsy
study were promising, but there
was certainly not enough data to
say CBD is the new miracle anti-
convulsive drug in dogs,” McGrath
said.
Seizures are a natural focus
for research on veterinary CBD
products, since Epidiolex, the only
FDA-approved drug containing
cannabidiol, was approved last year
for treatment of two severe forms of
epilepsy in children. Veterinarians
are allowed to prescribe Epidiolex
for pets, but it’s prohibitively expen-
sive — upwards of $30,000 a year
for an average-size dog, McGrath
said.
The Kennel Club’s chief veteri-
nary offi cer, Jerry Klein, said CBD
is “over-hyped” but promising for
treatments like pain relief. He’s
hopeful that the growing market
will result in more money being
invested in research to prove uses.
Meantime, the American Veteri-
nary Medical Association is telling
veterinarians they can share what
they know about CBD with clients
but shouldn’t prescribe or recom-
mend it until the FDA gives its
blessing.
“There’s no question there’s vet-
erinary interest in these products
as therapies, but we really want to
see the manufacturers demonstrate
that they’re effective and safe and
get FDA approval so we can have
confi dence in the products,” said
Gail Golab, chief veterinary offi cer
for the association.
HORNETS
Continued from Page 1B
clump together around the
invader in tens or hundreds,
creating a giant ball and
suffocating their attacker.
North American honey-
bees, said Salp, appear not
to have this instinct.
“I think there’s a need
for panic,” said Lavine. “I’ve
heard anecdotes of beekeep-
ers in Asia standing around
with badminton rackets,
smacking the hornets to the
ground and stomping them.
I know that sounds totally
insane, but that’s what it
can come to.”
Hobby beekeepers, said
Hiatt, should consider
putting a so-called robbing
screen, which hornets can’t
enter but bees learn to
navigate through, in front of
beehives.
Robbing screens, however,
aren’t feasible for commer-
cial-size operations. Hiatt
suggests all beekeepers
restrict the entrance size of
hives, making it harder for
hornets to enter.
IF YOU’RE A FARMER
Farmers, Hiatt said,
should watch for the hornets,
which nest in the ground.
However, he warned
against fl ushing out any
Photo by Karla Salp/WSDA
Asian giant hornets have a wingspan of 3 inches and can be up to fi ve times the size
of a honeybee. The hornet above is shown about 67% larger than it is in real life.
ground nest indiscriminate-
ly. He said some native bees
nest in the ground — many
of which pollinate crops,
especially alfalfa.
possible.
Put safety fi rst. In Asia,
according to Salp, dozens
of people die annually from
stumbling into hornet nests.
If you get stung and have
an allergic reaction, call 911
and get medical help.
BE ALERT
Experts say everyone
should be alert — especially
in port cities, where there is
ongoing trade with Asia.
If you think you’ve found
an Asian giant hornet,
report it immediately to
WSDA’s pest program via
email at pestprogram@
agr.wa.gov. Send a photo if
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