My four-year-old German Shepherd, Merlin, was suffering from an ever-worsening case dermatitis and pruritis. He would scratch and lick all day and keep us awake all night. The vet said it was caused by outdoor allergens, so we treated Merlin with a cocktail of high-dose allergy medicine and probiotics. Too often his paws and elbows were so raw and infected that we had to put him on powerful antibiotics and steroids. He seemed to be constantly sick and miserable. I suggested to my wife that we start treating him with CBD since I had heard of similar cases where it helped. She was completely opposed to it.
At one point Merlin developed a severe genital infection from the constant licking and irritation. The treatment for this infection involved putting him under sedation, cleaning him out, and scoping his urinary tract. After not finding any obvious cause for Merlin’s latest flare-up, the vet advised us to put him on an expensive dermatitis drug. The potential side effects of the drug (neurological problems, cancer, infections) were significant. We reluctantly started to talk about the harsh reality of putting Merlin down if the drug didn’t help or if the constant sickness and side effects were too much for him.
I convinced my wife to try the CBD oil before we started treating Merlin with the new drug regimen. She didn’t believe it would help. However, she agreed, provided we make it a fair test. She halted all of Merlin’s medications so that there would be no doubt of the results when we gave CBD a try.
We purchased our first supply from The Gardens CBD and started Merlin on a dose of 100mg twice a day for the first week. Then we lowered the dose to 50mg twice a day. Within two weeks the itching diminished rapidly. His dermatitis started to clear up and his paws were far less cracked and sore. A month after starting treatment the sores were almost gone and he was no longer scratching and licking all night. Two months into the treatment and he was no longer scratching abnormally at all. His skin was clear, sores were all healed, and he could sleep through the night without waking us with his incessant licking. My wife and our vet were astounded at the efficacy of the CBD and how quickly Merlin recovered.
It’s been nine months since we started Merlin on his CBD treatment and he’s in perfect shape. We play with him every day out on the grass and in the woods and he has no reaction to the same allergens that had caused him so much pain in the past. If Merlin’s allergies do kick in, we double his dose for a day or two and it calms the flare-up. The Gardens CBD is a far safer and less expensive option than the powerful medications that our vet had suggested. We couldn’t be happier with the CBD treatment and will continue to give it to him for the rest of his life.