How I Heal Dogs Naturally
To see Angela Ardolino on her rescue farm, surrounded by dogs, chickens, geese, and her pet pig, is to see her in her element. Her grin spreads wide across her face as her Doberman, Nina, playful dives into the lake on the farm. Her schnauzer, Odie, looks at the pack of dogs boarding at the farm with the look of a ringmaster as her mix-breed mutt Jolene leads the pack, a big pink heart standing out on her white fur from a recent photo shoot.
Looking at this furry, joyful family, you would never suspect that Ardolino, Nina, Odie, and Jolene were once full of aches, pains, and anxiety.
Five years ago, Ardolino was knew something was not right. She owned a successful magazine, cared for animals on her rescue farm, and participated in community events, but she was hiding something. Every morning when she woke up, she was in pain.
After several doctor’s appointments, Ardolino was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and knew that she needed to find alternatives to the toxic medications being offered to her. She had heard of the benefits of CBD oil and thought it might be a better, safer option, so she started using it to treat her arthritis.
Thankfully, CBD oil worked. It changed her life and made it possible for her to make it through the day without pain. The stigma surrounding medical cannabis and CBD oil was still strong at that time, so Angela decided to change that.
“I looked around and saw a lack of education about medical cannabis and CBD and decided to change that,” says Ardolino. “I got a degree in medical cannabis from the University of Vermont, and the more I learned, the more I discovered how therapeutic CBD can be for dogs. Nina, Jolene, and Odie have suffered from thunderstorm anxiety for years, and like me, Odie has joint pain. I knew that my pets — and all of our pets deserve the same kind of relief that I had found in CBD.”
Humans and animals have an endocannabinoid system which interacts with the cannabinoids in the hemp plant, Ardolino explained. Simply put: these cannabinoids work as a mediator between the body’s cells, often helping to repair problems in the neurological and other systems. Dogs have more cannabinoid receptors than people, meaning that they can actually benefit from the hemp plant the most, says Ardolino. With this and her passion for helping animals in mind, CBD Dog Health was created.
In 2016, after Floridians voted yes on amendment two, which legalized medical cannabis, Ardolino hosted Canna Conference, an educational event to bring together doctors, veterinarians, and patients to learn about the positive effects of medical cannabis and how cannabis reacts in the endocannabinoid system. She also became an advocate for safe, natural, ethically grown hemp and medical cannabis in
the U.S. However, despite the increased demand in medical cannabis education and passing of legislation to legalize medical cannabis in Florida, the government moved to block medical cannabis at every turn, creating roadblocks for CBD Dog Health.
“Up until recently, the only hemp we could legally obtained was industrialized hemp oil from overseas,” says Ardolino. “I wanted to make sure that I knew exactly what was in each of my ingredients for my product, but with industrialized hemp oil from overseas, there was no way of knowing what you are really getting.”
While the government battled about growing hemp, Ardolino spent two years searching for ethical, safe hemp farmers in Colorado, where growing hemp was legal. She also spent that time finding trusted partners and building her team, including Ashok Patel, PhD, an essential oils expert, who been manufacturing plant-based products for several years, and Hernando Umana, a Broadway performer and CBD expert.
In June 2018, with the passage of the Farm Bill, which legalized hemp farming in all 50 states, Ardolino was finally able to obtain safe, non-GMO hemp grown in the U.S. in Colorado and released CBD Dog Health products.
CBD Dog Health’s line of products includes oils which are taken as tinctures, salves, and treats. The company’s oil tinctures, CALM, EASE and HEAL, provide relief for everything from joint pain to anxiety and even cancer and dogs love the taste. The company is also one of the first to provide healing salves, which are used directly on the skin to treat rashes, hotspots, and allergies. These salves include REMEDY, NOURISH, and SOOTHE, all of which contain all-natural healing ingredients.
CBD Dog Health products do not require a prescription and do not have any negative side effects. Unlike popular medications, like Benadryl and trazodone, your dog can not overdose on CBD oil, and rather than simply masking symptoms, CBD treats the whole dog. CBD oil is also beneficial for pet parents’ wallets, as a one-month supply of CBD Dog Health oil is significantly cheaper than frequent visits to the vet and prescription medications. Pet parents can also expect to see quick results from CBD oil.
“I have been using CALM oil on my dog, Blanche, and have seen such a huge difference in her,” says Hernando Umana, vice president of CBD Dog Health. “I am a Broadway performer and Blanche has terrible separation anxiety, so it was a bad combination. As soon as I saw how powerful this holistic, natural treatment was, I knew I wanted to get on board and be part of CBD Dog Health.”
Ardolino has also seen major changes in her dogs. All three of her dogs no longer suffer from severe, debilitating anxiety during thunderstorms — instead they can relax and rest when storms roll in. Odie, who suffers from joint pain, can jump and walk without pain, and a fatty tumor on Nina’s eye has healed almost completely through use of CBD Dog Health oil.
“If we can save one dog from having to suffer a painful illness, then we have done our job,” says Ardolino.
To learn more about CBD Dog Health, visit CBDDogHealth.com.