Butch was rescued when he was 1 month old by my neighbour after being born to an abusive owner. While my neighbour cared for and rehabilitated him, I would go over to spend time with Butch, help walk him, really any excuse I had to see him, I would. We had an instant connection. Due to my neighbours declining health, they were no longer able to care for Butch, and I was lucky enough to adopt him as he turned 2 months old. I had an extremely special relationship with Butch, we understood each other better than anyone I know. He was my son and my best friend in one. Everyone that met him knew he was special, and he truly was.
Butch was a Sharpei, a beautiful breed, but one with a long history of in-breeding that is notorious for ailments and diseases. I had read about Sharpei fever and knew it was quite a common disease that’s caused from over or irresponsible breeding. This is something Butch developed at 7 years old and would lead to a hard fought road for the both of us, but also what has lead me here today.
The beginning of 2020, just before the pandemic, I had noticed Butch was not acting like his playful self. He wasn’t eating, he was acting abnormally lethargic, and eventually began to abruptly throw up-clearly something was wrong. When I took him to the vet for blood tests, they told me his kidneys were failing (a common side effect of Sharpei fever) and that all of his internal organs where inflamed. He stayed at the vet for the first week for additional tests, and they delivered the worst news imaginable: there was nothing they could do and my only options were to taking him to an animal hospital or put him to sleep. The latter not even being an option, we quickly rushed him to the animal hospital and they told me similar news-there wasn’t much to be done and to not get my hopes up. The Sharpei fever had progressed and his body continued to decline and I was left decimated. After 10 days of no improvement and machines being the only thing keeping him alive, they told me I had until the end of the week before they made the decision for me to put him to sleep.
I researched, asked other vets, friends with Sharpei’s, but we had explored all options…until CBD came to mind. Worth a shot, right? I asked the vet and they told me I can give it to him if I was able to acquire the CBD. They said they’ve seen it help other animals, but that they were not allowed to administer it to him themselves due to hospital policy and advised that it cannot be oil since his liver was so infected it would do more harm than good.
I had heard about water soluble CBD, but it was still a new technology and very hard to come by. I contacted a friend that was in the cannabis industry, and by chance he had recently returned from the U.S. and brought back a sample of a new water soluble CBD (a new kind of water soluble CBD that is much more potent and has a much higher bio-availability).
I started giving Butch the CBD since he wasn’t eating or drinking on his own, and I decided the best way was to add the CBD to the water and administer it via syringe. Within two days of giving him the CBD, he started to regain his appetite. All the vets where in shock. This is a dog that only had 10% of his kidneys, and yet he seemed to have turned a corner for the best! After a few more weeks of being hospitalized, Butch was given the clear to come home for in home care. Unfortunately at the same time, the pandemic hit and where I lived CBD was illegal so getting the same CBD became next to impossible. I had acquired enough to treat him for the year, and I hold that extra time we had closely. Both of us stuck in our metaphorical cages along with the rest of the world, only drew us closer (something I didn’t think was possible), while also keeping me sane throughout the first part of Covid. I managed to get more CBD through people I know in the industry once I ran out of the original sample from the States, but the CBD from the EU just wasn’t the same quality so was significantly less effective. Unfortunately after a year and a half from Butch’s original diagnoses, I had to say my final goodbye.
The extra year and a half I had with Butch was incredible and I wouldn’t trade it in for the world. He had a great last year and a half of his life thanks to the CBD. If I had a consistent supply of the CBD, he could have lived longer, but I truly do appreciate all the time I was lucky enough to have with him. I decided after Butch died, I had to make a product that would allow humans and dogs alike to benefit from the best CBD products on the planet (CBD also helped me a lot because I got sick from the anxiety of Butch’s illness and what he was going through). That’s how MBF CBD was created: to honor Butch, but to also make sure other dogs and humans alike could have the resources to treat illnesses properly. The CBD we sell is the exact same CBD that I originally gave to Butch. Made for humans but also great for dogs — just don’t forget to get your vets permission.”
