While the marijuana plant is typically green, different chemicals in them can make it look purple, yellow, or even red.
Once you start consuming marijuana, you start to learn that it’s a complex plant, with a lot going on in it. Experienced cannabis users know what they like and know how to get different results with the plant depending on factors like strain, terpenes and simply knowing what goes on in their bodies.
While marijuana is primarily green, there are many different shades ranging from lime colored buds to bright purple ones. Where do these come from and why is there so much variability? Plants have thousands of compounds that affect their shape and color. Temperature, time of harvest and other factors are big influences on the plant’s color.
Most plants are green due to chlorophyll, the main compound responsible for absorbing sunlight and completing the photosynthesis process. The cannabis plant falls under this spectrum. Strains that have dark shades, such as purple, red, blues and pinks are generally high in anthocyanins, a compound that appears once the plant matures. These types of plants are more likely to have stronger smells and are also very eye catching, which is why they’re so popular, particularly the purple ones.
Colors like orange and yellow are produced by carotenoids, which are present in vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. These chemicals tend to appear in plants that grew in alkaline soils.
While the colors in marijuana make for more attractive plants on a visual level, perhaps influencing the way in which they smell or feel, the drug’s effects aren’t generally altered.
When consumed, these different colors may give your body some of the perks (like vitamins) that these chemicals are known for, maybe even increasing cannabis’s entourage effect.
While marijuana is typically advised against before surgery, many doctors and surgeons are speaking out about its effects for after-care.
Breast implants are still a booming business. As one of the most popular surgeries, over 300,000+ women go under the knife annually. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Americans spent more than $16.5 billion on cosmetic surgery in 2018. In Canada and the US over 300,000 woman have the procedure each year. So what about breast implants and marijuana?
With many instances of news covering breast implant illness, where individuals who have received breast implants describe symptoms like chest pain, fatigue, hair loss, and chronic pain, more patients are asking about the risks associated with getting implants or having them removed. And, with medical marijuana and CBD available in more states each year, considerations should be made when combining marijuana and the addition of implants or their removal.
Marijuana and Implant Surgery
Whether patients are undergoing surgery for a reduction or receiving implants, many doctors spoke to us about the importance of a candid conversation about marijuana use. Dr. Nathan Castillo, who practices out of Atlanta, GA, shared that patients should, “refrain from smoking marijuana for at least 4-6 weeks before surgery.” Studies have found a link between marijuana use before surgery and a risk of vasodilation during surgery, the latter of which occurs when blood pressure falls due to blood vessels relaxing.
Additionally, a 2018 study published in the journal Heliyon, found that consuming marijuana before surgery could complicate outcomes during and after the procedure. The study found that marijuana’s effects were most prevalent one hour after the start of the surgery and lasted anywhere from 2-4 hours. With an increase in both airway obstruction and anesthetic doses administered, the study found patients who consumed marijuana before surgery carried more risks than patients who abstained. However, while marijuana is typically advised against before surgery, many doctors and surgeons are speaking out about its effects for after-care.
Photo by sasint via Pixabay
Cannabis’s role in follow-up care
Dr. Jonathan Kaplan specializes in plastic surgery and believes cannabis has an important role in the healing the body after a major medical procedure. He recently wrote marijuana not only offers an alternative to highly-addictive opioids and narcotics but decreasing pain after surgery while increasing a patient’s appetite which allows for more successful healing. He offered a comparison to marijuana’s effects before or after surgery to give insight to how marijuana operates inside the body—far differently than nicotine.
“Nicotine before or after surgery can constrict blood vessels and adversely affect wound healing. Marijuana, on the other hand, does not contain nicotine. Additionally, the risk of lung cancer seen with tobacco products doesn’t translate to marijuana either.”
Dr. Kaplan isn’t alone in his findings. In fact, Dr. Vincent Maida at the University of Toronto authored a study that used cannabis-based medicines in a recent palliative care study. With a 90% success rate, healing wounds 27 out of 30 patients, he found that marijuana opened the door for the body to heal more quickly and successfully. Kaplan explained, “Topical medical cannabis has the potential to improve pain management in patients suffering from wounds of all classes,” offering possibility for cannabis to treat wounds from breast surgery or reduction in the upcoming years.
Whether patients are researching implants or their removal, studies and opinions seem to dictate that marijuana may heighten the body’s healing process after surgery.
The legalization and regulation of marijuana use paved the way for the weed manufacturing industry to become one of the fastest-growing businesses in the last few years.
Scruffy hippies getting high in a disorganized underground economy — this was how the weed manufacturing industry was painted in the (not too distant) past. But today, the new marijuana manufacturing business is growing, and it’s nothing like you’ve ever imagined. So, want to stump your friends who consume, here is a little marijuana manufacturing trivia!
What Is Weed Manufacturing?
Weed manufacturing refers to the process of yielding, reproducing, deriving or preparing, manufactured weed products. This process of weed manufacturing can be done either indirectly or directly, using extraction techniques, chemical synthesis, or a combination of both. The industry continues to grow rapidly as more consumers are beginning to understand the benefits of taking weed products in health and fitness, medicine, and even beauty.
Photo by Photo by Elsa Olofsson via Unsplash
Subsequently, as the demand for various marijuana products increases, more investors are showing interest in starting a cannabis-related business. The entire weed industry is flourishing, and as this sector continues to develop at a fast pace, there is lots of money to be made. If you’re thinking of going into a large-scale operation, there are many marijuana processing equipment available that can help you kick-start your business.
But be prepared. Starting a weed business is not easy, as there are laws and regulations that you have to consider first depending on the state or country you’ll be operating from. So, you might want to plan this carefully. It’s also best to consult with lawyers and check with regulating bodies first to make sure your business will be compliant with the laws in place.
For recreational use, marijuana is currently legal in 15 states. But for medical use, it’s legal in 35 states, and these numbers are expected to grow in the coming years. Traditionally, hash, flower, and handmade edibles were the only cannabis goods available to consumers in the underground market. In today’s legal market, weed products are available in more forms like oils, concentrates, cannabis-infused drinks and foods, and products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) like dry powder inhalers, and transdermal patches. It’s no wonder why there’s a sudden increase in the number of weed manufacturing companies regardless of strict state regulations.
But aside from the facts cited above, there are more interesting things about the weed manufacturing industry:
Its Sales Growth Is Rapidly Increasing
Since the changes in government laws, with more states legalizing its use, the market for legal marijuana was projected to skyrocket. And true enough, according to Forbes, legal marijuana sales in the U.S. alone went up by 46% in 2020. This increase led to an all-time high of USD$17.5 billion, which means Americans are consuming more weed than ever.
Furthermore, several new cannabis firms are pursuing research and development, testing, and production. In Canada, many regions are anticipating the privatization of cannabis retail outlets. Many provinces that formerly picked a single supplier are now asking numerous vendors to submit their bids to meet the increase in demand.
In a recent market analysis report, the value of the worldwide legal marijuana market was appraised at USD$ 9.1 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to have a 26.7% increase in compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2021 to 2028. It can be said that the growing demand for legal marijuana is driven by the increasing number of states and countries legalizing the use of cannabis.
It Produces Innovative Products Too
With its legalization, marijuana users are eating their cannabis more than ever, rather than smoking it. Between January and August 2018, the market share of edibles in Oregon and Colorado increased to 24%, with sales for other edible products growing even faster. Cannabis-infused chocolates, for example, grew by 135% in Colorado during the same period.
Photo by Christina Winter via Unsplash
Aside from edibles, many other variations of cannabis products—such as topical oils applied to the skin and sublingual dosages that dissolve beneath the tongue—have gained traction since legalization, but they don’t account for the majority of sales in the market. Low-dose products for medical patients or smokers who prefer a softer high have also grown in popularity, with sales in Colorado increasing by 83% in 2017.
It Makes CBD More Accessible
Cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is a type of cannabinoid responsible for the majority of cannabis’ medicinal benefits. CBD may be separated and purified from THC, marijuana’s major psychoactive component, to create oils and tinctures for patients who want to benefit from the drug’s anti-inflammatory and relaxant effects without getting ‘the high.’ In areas where CBD is legal, these medicines are readily accessible and utilized as home treatments for anxiety, nausea, chronic pain, epilepsy, and even acne.
It Creates Employment Opportunities
The cannabis business is expanding so quickly that the number of employment opportunities in this industry has tripled since 2016. According to Marijuana Business Daily, the weed industry employs between 125,000 and 160,000 full-time workers. By 2022, it is anticipated to add another 340,000 full-time employments, representing an annual growth rate of 21%.
Weed manufacturers were able to hire a large number of people now that the demand for marijuana has increased tremendously. In 2020, cannabis firms have employed more than 200,000 full-time workers in various areas of the medicinal and recreational cannabis industries, including budtenders, machine operators, legal clerks, and more.
It Generates Tax Revenue
Marijuana sales in Colorado and Washington have been higher than in recent years, resulting in increased tax revenues. Colorado earned more than $302 million in medicinal and recreational marijuana taxes and fees in 2019 as a result of more than $1.7 billion in sales. According to a research by Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics, sales in the United States reached $12.2 billion in 2019 and are expected to rise to $31.1 billion by 2024.
Photo by Nikolay Ponomarenko/Getty Images
Backed up by local evidence, a recent analysis from Colorado State University Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research found that a contribution of more than $80.8 million in the local economy can be attributed to the legal cannabis sector because of tax revenues. Furthermore, according to a study by New Frontier Data, an accredited cannabis analytics firm, state-legalized marijuana may produce an additional $105.6 billion in federal tax revenue by 2025.
Key Takeaway
The legalization and regulation of marijuana use paved the way for the weed manufacturing industry to become one of the fastest-growing businesses in the last few years. And as more countries begin to accept its true benefits beyond recreational use, the industry will only continue to grow and expand to reach more consumers with countless innovations.
Malaysia continues to have the harshest cannabis laws in the world, including death for convicted marijuana dealers.
Irony is lost on bureaucrats and sometimes fairness can be skewed. This is our followup on our article about Amiruddin Nadarajan Abdullah, 64, better known as Dr. Ganja or Dr.G. It doesn’t have the best ending, but it isn’t the worst. Can you imagine jail for using medical marijuana to save your life?
After suffering for years, Dr. G used medical marijuana to manage the pain and have a level of recovery. Malaysia, having some of the globe’s toughest laws, felt it was better for him to suffer without marijuana and, upon his feeling better, sentenced him to death.
Malaysian Princess Tengku Chanela Jamidah, campaigned and used connections to help save him. Descending from the Pahang royal family, this mother of 2 helmed major fashion and beauty brands, Thavia and Dida, before moving to the US to reinvent herself as a wellness guru and cannabis campaigner. She made international news championing Dr. G.
After being diagnosed with a painful spinal cord tumor that caused him to lose a kidney, Dr. Ganja, who struggled with chronic pain and chemo-related fatigue, decided to seek out alternative treatments that eventually led him to medical cannabis in the form of hemp seed oil. It worked wonders for him until he was arrested and charged for distributing chocolates and brownies made with hemp seed oil. Dr. Ganja is actually not an MD. He earned that nickname because of his habit of inviting people suffering from cancer and other ailments into his home and sharing his hemp oil medicine with them. Known as a gentle man with a love of poetry, he wanted to help fellow patients.
Dr. G, who served in the Malaysian army for 22 years, was arrested in 2017 and charged with 36 offenses under Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act. His charges included a penalty of death, after medical marijuana saved his life.
International pressure was placed on the country. Following a United Nations decision recognize the medicinal properties of cannabis, progressive drug policy advocates hoped countries around the world would catch up with evolving attitudes towards the substance, as a multi-billion dollar global medical marijuana industry continues to expand. The Princess made a major social media push. People waited until finally a decision was made.
Photo by Thirdman via Pexels
The good news is Dr. Ganja, escaped the gallows after the Malaysian High Court amended the 16 charges against him and instead sentenced him to 9 years in prison.
The judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently starting from the date of his arrest in May 2017, and for him to be released from prison, as he had already served a third of his sentence.
In the modern age where the American Medical Association and the United Nations both see medical marijuana as a health benefit, it is hard to see laws in countries like Malaysia.
What comes to mind when you think about the essential items consumers regularly rely on? Probably rolling papers or blunt wraps, or elaborate bongs and pipes. But like most things, items you already have are just as good. Here are some key household items for marijuana consumers.
While it’s not necessarily false to say consumers depend on those items, there are more everyday household goods that ease the lives of stoners than you probably think. There are several common household items that even most stoners never thought could come in handy.
Have you ever felt like you’ve been wandering around the desert aimlessly after smoking a joint because of how dry it made your throat feel? Any true stoner knows that cotton mouth (Is Cotton Mouth From Marijuana Use Actually Dangerous?) is a common byproduct of a smoke session gone right. That’s why regular pot smokers benefit from having an ice cold supply of water waiting for them in the refrigerator. Being dehydrated can create quite the buzzkill for you and a group of friends during a smoking session, and having access to ice cold, filtered water is the best way to avoid that.
Food storage containers or sandwich baggies
If this one caught you off guard, it’s likely that you aren’t alone. Even though you probably associated sandwich bags and plastic containers with school lunches or leftover spaghetti, they serve as great storage devices for your weed too! Depending on how much you’re willing to shell out, certain food storage containers can even trap the smell, too.
Another inconvenience plastic storage containers can solve is having a safe, secure place to place your goodies if you’re taking them to a friend’s house to enjoy. The struggle of having somewhere to store your stuff usually doesn’t manifest itself until it’s too late to do something about it, so it helps to always keep either sandwich bags or a small plastic storage container on hand.
Eye drops
Getting an unexpected visitor or having to make an emergency store run can feel awkward when you know your eyes are as red as a rose. The best way to avoid the embarrassment of being called out by non-stoners while still enjoying your buzz is to keep a batch of eye drops around at all times. Especially in today’s world of surprise Zoom hangouts and FaceTime calls, the importance of having a safeguard against having obnoxiously red eyes can’t be overstated. Want to know more? Here’s Why Smoking Weed Makes Your Eyes Red
Photo by Elizabeth Fernandez/Getty Images
Torch
We all know how easily lighters get lost, so why not make sure you always have a torch on hand as a backup? They’re cheap, reliable and often enough you can refill them with lighter fluid once they run out of juice. Taking that approach, you’ll never have to worry about needing a light again. Even better is the fact that you also probably won’t have to worry about friends pocketing them after the session.
Odor eliminating candles
This one is crucial for stoners who live in a shared space with others, or simply if you need the lingering smell of a smoke session to disappear. Odor eliminating candles can help restore the scent of your room to the point where you wouldn’t have ever guessed there was any smoking going on earlier.
So if you’re in an apartment, duplex, or if you have roommates who disapprove of the results of your weed smoking, then odor eliminating candles are a necessity. They can be crucial in helping to maintain an environment where your hobbies don’t interfere with anyone else’s living space.
Since the holidays are rapidly approaching, keep this list in mind if there’s a stoner in your life. You could have a chance to make this holiday season one to remember by gifting them a household good you know they’ll be able to put to good use!
In some studies, THC appears to ease inflammation inside and outside the body, therefore decreasing the threat of acne.
While it is true that the cannabinoids in cannabis can have some effect on the skin and can treat itching and even skin diseases like psoriasis, marijuana’s impact on the skin adds a level of complexity to the debate. We know that marijuana increases testosterone, so can marijuana or CBD hep acne?
Just as higher estrogen can stave-off a breakout, testosterone seems to fuel additional production in the glands. A 2017 study, published in Andrology, found increased testosterone among more recent marijuana users. However, long-cited for its anti-inflammatory effects, THC appears in some studies to ease inflammation inside and outside the body, therefore decreasing the threat of acne. Just like some medicines work for one individual and not another, marijuana may act the same way.
What about CBD?
Dr. Leslie Bauman believes that CBD has effects that can help reduce redness caused by acne but also decrease oil as well. She wrote in the Miami Herald, “One study found that a 3% cannabis seed extract cream effectively reduced both redness and sebum production in acne patients.”
Photo by Kjerstin_Michaela via Pixabay
In fact, researchers have been studying CBD for a while. Bauman referenced a 2018 paper that acknowledged CBD’s skin-altering qualities, including helping to ease inflammation.
From face masks to bath bombs and beyond, businesses are recognizing the CBD craze isn’t ending any time soon and are capitalizing on the Gen Z trend of wearing less makeup and focusing on skin health instead.
What should an average skincare fanatic know? It’s all about the ingredients. For those looking into hemp/CBD, it’s essential to ensure the bottle contains what it says it does. With CBD and hemp production being a relatively new craze, companies may take advantage of the buyer. For instance, while most products tout the benefit of full-spectrum CBD, many skincare remedies have “hempseed oil,” which can hydrate and soothe skin, but lacks the cannabinoids of CBD.
This method for waking up early has scientific support and can help you face mornings with a less sleepy attitude.
Morning people are a rare breed, but it’s a goal we all wish to achieve at some point in our lives. Mornings tend to be associated with productivity and creativity, giving early risers the chance to get in touch with those aspects of themselves ahead of everyone else. This hack can provide more morning energy to help you solve the problem.
A technique known as the RISE-UP method, won’t get you all the way there, but it can make an impact and get you one step closer to being a morning person.
This method has science support, and it can help when experiencing that morning grogginess that makes you want to hit the snooze button and get back in bed. The RISE UP method was devised in 2018 by sleep researcher Kate Kaplan and other colleagues. After thorough research and testing, researchers devised six principles that can help minimize sleepiness.
Photo via rawpixel.com
Each letter stands for:
R: Resist the urge to hit the snooze button
I: Increase your activity for the first hour
S: Shower (or wash face and hands with cold water)
E: Expose yourself to sunlight
U: Upbeat music
P: Phone a friend
Kaplan explained each step matters and why they could help people be more active and take better advantage of their mornings. “Try to have consistency in the time you get out of bed,” she said. “That helps to keep our biological clock in the same time zone. When we vary our sleep times from weekdays and weekends, that kind of chronic jet lag can be pretty confusing for the body.”
Common actions, like hitting the snooze button every half hour, interrupt our REM sleep, making us feel unrested and like we need more sleep. If you go to bed late, Kaplan says it’s better to wake up at the same time and take a nap later, that way your body can stay with that consistency and stick to that routine.
As for the other steps in the process, Kaplan explains that increasing your activity during the first hour of wakefulness is pivotal, whether you’re preparing coffee or taking your dog out on a walk. The latter might be the most helpful of them all, exposing you to sunlight and allowing your internal rhythms to align. Sunlight is especially helpful if you’re staying indoors for the majority of your time.
Lastly, calling a friend can always be helpful option, since social contact has been correlated with alertness. You can read a more detailed explanation about each step here. And hopefully this hack can provide more morning energy to start your day!
Although there is an available and thriving market for cannabis art, most e-commerce websites and platforms prohibit artists from selling art that depicts cannabis.
Is there any section or industry without cannabis influence? It’s starting to look like there isn’t any, as, throughout history, cannabis users have displayed their creative capabilities in various ways. And now cannabis art is flourishing on Etsy
Photo by Matthew Henry via Burst
Cannabis users and enthusiasts are some of the most innovative people you’ll ever meet, and their inspiring works of art have been admired for decades. Most of the works created by cannabis enthusiasts have also sparked debate for centuries, dating William Shakespeare’s times.
Cannabis and the creative arts
Research has shown a fantastic connection between cannabis and creativity, an intriguing relationship that is attributed to the plant’s remarkable properties. Cannabis interacts with the human brain through the endocannabinoid system and receptors in the brain.
Extensive works of research show that creative prowess and imagination heighten when users consume cannabis, thus enabling divergent and distinct thought patterns. Hence the reason great men and women like Maya Angelou and Louis Armstrong celebrated the impact of cannabis on their creative careers.
A more significant percentage of the creative industry is also full of trailblazers who have affirmed that cannabis is a significant influence on their success. For such artists, marijuana inspires the way they hone their crafts and showcase their ideas.
Despite such a show of artistic brilliance, some artists struggle with finding a place to showcase their works. Why is this the case? Why can’t artist showcase their cannabis-inspired art?
The problem with finding a market showcase
Although there is an available and thriving market for cannabis art, most e-commerce websites and platforms prohibit artists from selling art that depicts cannabis. Some of these merchant shops also flag items such as CBD paraphernalia and insist that such things cannot be sold.
With such restrictions, creative artists fail to get an adequate space to share their creations with the world. Artists feel shut out of the market space, and then COVID-19 happened.
The Coronavirus Pandemic made everything worse for cannabis artists and businesses to maintain operations, which created a disturbing gap in the market.
The Solution: A cannabis-themed marketplace
As the challenge became increasingly worse, two outspoken cannabis advocates co-founded an online marketplace called The Artsy Leaf. Space was set-up as a multi-vendor marketplace to make it possible for artists to display their works.
The co-founders Abbey Weintraub Sklar and Rebecca Goldberg discovered that there were many international craftsmen, women, and artists with products that weren’t shared on any platform. The artists’ products are unique cannabis-friendly items that were mostly scattered on censored tech platforms that limited their exposure to the world.
Goldberg and Skylar understood the importance of an online vendor marketplace created for creators and buyers in the cannabis industry. COVID-19 and its resultant impact was also the inspiration behind an online space.
Initially, it was supposed to be an in-person CBD marketplace, but the pandemic made physical meetings impossible for buying and selling purposes. Hence the reason the co-founders made it an online space with a highly functional website.
The Artsy Leaf
The Artsy Leaf marketplace replaces other online platforms that were too restrictive for those in the cannabis industry. Some of those unfriendly sites didn’t provide room for tagging, describing, and listing CBD products, making it difficult for artists to advertise their products.
But with the Artsy Leaf marketplace, vendors and small business owners have maximum freedom to advertise their cannabis items. The platform also incorporates advertising with SEO consulting and doesn’t hide its processing fees.
The co-founders maintain that their desire to help all cannabis vendors succeed drives the marketplace. The website launched with an initial 14 vendors, and with its viable operational approach, more vendors are expected to join this revolutionary idea.
What to do with leftover cannabutter weed
A virtual cannabis marketplace is what the world needs right now to bridge the gap between artists and buyers. Cannabis-inspired pieces will always remain relevant globally because of how unique and disruptive they can be. The Artsy Leaf is the right incubation place for ideas, purchases, and value exchange.
The future of the online marketplace
The future of the online cannabis marketplace for artists looks promising, and why is this so important? Well, cannabis is gaining a lot of momentum in America, with more states legalizing marijuana more people will gain access to weed, and when they do, they may be inspired to create unique art pieces or be looking to purchase unique cannabis inspired works.
Either way, the cannabis world needs an outlet for artists to share their works, and this is where platforms like the Artsy Leaf become crucial. Other online platforms may start to look into adjusting their policies regarding this issue because this sector is about to explode.
It is time to change the current status quo on the other E-commerce sites not allowing cannabis artists to showcase their genius.
Bottom line
The world is awakening to the ever-increasing potentials of cannabis. Through marketplaces like the Artsy Leaf, cannabis artists and art lovers can meet, interact and sustain the cannabis industry.
Without platforms like these, cannabis-inspired art will gradually decline, and that isn’t good for the cannabis industry at all. We must all continue to encourage the establishments of platforms (online and offline) where artists can thrive. Budding cannabis artists need more places to express themselves, and the Artsy Leaf is a suitable platform.
If you are a cannabis-themed artist, an aspiring one, or a small business owner and you struggle with promoting your work, you can visit The Artsy Leaf.
There are times when you can be thankful you can’t smell yourself. After a run, after a weekend of Netflix in bed, after you mistakenly walked through the fragrance department of your local department store — none of these are good times to be able to sniff yourself out. The global deodorant market size was valued at $24+ billion and is projected to grow $37+ billion by 2030. But have you ever wondered why you can’t smell your own body?
According to the journal Science (by way of Nature), “The human nose can distinguish at least 1 trillion different odours, a resolution orders of magnitude beyond the previous estimate of just 10,000 scents.” But your own body isn’t one of them.
Reader’s Digest reports that we filter out these types of overly-familiar smells to make room for new, more important smells that could potentially save us from danger, like natural gas leaks or fire.
If you really do want to know what you smell like at any given moment, it’s been suggested that you smell your shirt or other clothing item that’s been touching your skin all day. Rubbing your scalp and then smelling your hands is another trick. Or, to make it even easier, albeit more awkward, ask whomever is standing next to you whether or not you need to hop in the shower.
Just like their human counterparts, dogs can get down in the dumps for a variety of reasons. But detecting depression in a pet isn’t always easy. Does a longer than usual nap or increased appetite mean your animal friend needs professional help? What about other changes in behavior? There are subtle signs your dog is depressed.
INSIDER talked with dog behaviorist Nick Jones, MA, about what causes depression in dogs and how you can spot it. Changes in routine spark many depressed episodes, whether that be time spent in a kennel, a new home, or the death of a caregiver. According to Jones, other changes in a dog’s routine can also lead to a state of feeling unsettled. “These might include a change in the owners’ working routine or new and quite different rules being put in place,” he says.
Change in appetite
If your dog is eating less or more, this could be a sign of increased stress levels.
“Dogs can be like people – some will eat less when under stress and some will eat more. Some dogs are so food driven that you may not see a change in its appetite,” Jones explained.
Much like humans will fidget with objects when they’re stressed out, dogs may lick themselves a ton. Jones says excessive licking can be a sign of anxiety or stress, as dogs will often use licking as a soothing technique. If you’re certain your dog is licking its paws for some other reason than it has something stuck in its paw, you might want to consult a vet.
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Lethargy
If your dog is no longer psyched about going for walks, play dates or chasing after a toy, it may be depressed. Says Jones, “A dog that is reluctant to leave the home could indicate that all is not well either on a physical or emotional level. One would normally expect a dog to be less enthusiastic when in a depressed state.”
“If the dog is in a stressed state and displaying signs of anxiety such as whining or howling in the owner’s absence say, then the dog will often not sleep during that period,” said Jones.
On the flip side, if a dog is getting too much sleep, it could also mean that your pooch is sad. Just like humans, sometimes when a dog isn’t feeling life, they just want to pull the covers over their head and sleep their days away. “I have seen some dogs that are mourning for the loss of a loved one be quite subdued and sleep more than would be expected,” Jones said.
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Change in behavior
If you notice your dog is acting strange, perhaps behaving oddly or picking up bad habits all of the sudden, it may be a sign of depression.
“It is possible that a dog may develop new and unwanted behavior routines such as pacing, circling, or obsessive behaviors such as shadow or light chasing,” Jones told INSIDER. A sad dog may also disregard previously learned (preferred) behavioral patters.
Jones says whatever the unusual behavior your dog is expressing, the best thing you can do is comfort them, make sure their needs are met, and create a schedule. “Maintaining a leadership-based style with the dog regardless of recent changes can help a great deal in my experience, as a routine provides emotional security.”
