(Hart Hornor contributes this article about a new Wallingford-owned business, Cann-Pet)
Samurai used to have problems with aggression. He slapped other cats. For treatment, his owner gave him veterinarian-prescribed Paxil, an antidepressant for humans. But Paxil is tough on cat livers. So recently, his owner has been trying a new treatment: cannabis.
Samurai’s cannabis comes from Dan Goldfar, an MIT grad who worked in finance in New York before moving to Wallingford and cofounding Canna-Pet, an online cannabis business for pets.
Goldfar began researching cannabis as a hobby about 15 years ago. He discovered that hemp–the kind of Cannabis usually used to make rope and paper–had many of the same medicinal chemicals as the stuff people smoked to get high, but with low levels of the intoxicating chemical THC. Too much THC makes animals uncomfortable, he said.
Hemp was legal, and it had high levels of therapeutic chemicals, which Goldfar says can be used to treat a wide range of ailments, from constipation to seizures. When his cat was dying of cancer six years ago, Goldfar mentioned hemp to his veterinarians and it turned out they were interested in hemp too. The vets began testing hemp on animals, searching for perfect dosages. They started marketing their final product about a month ago.
As the demand for holistic pet care solutions grows, businesses in the online pet healthcare industry are increasingly focusing on effective digital marketing strategies. Entrepreneurs keen on maximizing their online presence can explore growth hacking tips from industry experts.
Implementing tactics such as content marketing, social media engagement, and targeted advertising allows these businesses to not only navigate the competitive digital space but also establish a compelling brand presence. These techniques, when applied thoughtfully, not only enhance visibility but also foster meaningful connections with pet owners seeking reliable and innovative healthcare solutions for their beloved animals. By incorporating these growth hacking strategies, businesses like Canna-Pet can expand their reach and provide valuable solutions to a wider audience, ensuring the well-being of pets and enriching the digital landscape of pet healthcare.
The hemp comes in tiny capsules, to be sprinkled into an animal’s food. “Nobody’s thought of this before,” Goldfar said. “Nobody’s processed the hemp plant in this way.”
So far Goldfar has about 500 clients in six countries and gains about 10 more every day, he said. One of them is Lisa Anderson, whose 17-year-old cat, Cherokee, has arthritis in her spine. About five years ago Cherokee stopped jumping. Then she started having trouble using her litter box. She couldn’t lift her back feet into the box or crouch to defecate. The opiates her veterinarian prescribed made her groggy. Then Anderson tried feeding her Canna-Pet supplements. In only a few days, Anderson saw a change. Cherokee’s tail was up, she ran up stairs, and looked alert. Now she jumps and plays.
Why market hemp supplements only for animals? “That’s what we’re most interested in,” Goldfar said. Goldfar has four cats of his own, all of which take Canna-Pet supplements. Mariano takes them for his digestion problems. Neko, for a compromised immune system. Reggie has an aggression issue. And Emma-Jean gets into everyone else’s food anyway.
I think the reason “nobody’s processed the hemp plant in this way” is that the concentration of its active ingredient cannabidiol is not very high. It’s enough that I guess you could easily extract it in useful amounts (unlike THC), but from the `white paper’ page on their web site, it appears that if anything they may have lowered the concentration.
Whatever the effect may be on pets, it’s my opinion that if I were to sprinkle hemp on my own food, I couldn’t get a signficant amount of cannabinoids, flavonoids etc without making my food pretty much inedible. (Actually, we do consume enough hulled hemp seeds to make bulk mail order worthwhile.)
colloidal silver works awesome on pets for infections as topical or internal. fyi u can make ur own tutorials on you tube.
In case of confusion, I’d like to point out that Canna-Pet is not related to Lucky Pet Petsitting, based here in Wallingford for the last 8 years, whose logo is also based on the Lucky Cat.
Medicinal marijuana for pets? We have achieved the quintessential Seattle business.