Buyer bewarepet products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are freely available and sold as supplements, but research shows labels arent always accurate and those products often get mixed with reputably-sourced brands.

Like clockwork, in early July, The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine tweeted its yearly warning to pet owners about unregulated CBD products, ahead of the seasonal spike of CBD sales due to firework-induced dog anxiety. Distrust of the FDA abounds, but the organization may have a solid point when it comes to the sketchier side of CBD products marketed for pets.

Brett Hartmann gives his dogs Cayley, a six-year-old-Labrador Retriever drops of a cannabis based ... [+] medicinal tincture to treat hip pain and anxiety, June 8, 2017 at his home in Los Angeles, California. It's early morning, just after breakfast, and six-year-old Cayley is wide awake, eagerly anticipating her daily dose of cannabis. The black labrador, tail wagging, laps up the liquid tincture owner Brett Hartmann squirts into her mouth, a remedy he uses morning and evening to help alleviate Cayley's anxiety. As the multi-billion dollar medical and recreational marijuana industry for humans blossoms in the United States, so is a new customer base -- animals. / AFP PHOTO / Robyn Beck (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Recent findings from Leafreport found that 56% of pet CBD products that were sampled were mislabeled with inaccurate claims. Leafreport collected a sampling of 55 pet CBD products, and found over half had inaccurate labeling, most often, incorrect levels of CBD. Out of 55 pet products that were independently tested at Las Vegas-based Canalysis Laboratories, 31 contained the wrong amounts of CBD, and many also contained no THC despite being labeled as full-spectrum CBD.

Beyond pet products, the teams continued research also found an alarming amount of mislabeled delta-8-THC products (often converted from CBD-rich biomass or isolate in a lab) and on July 13, the team published findings detailing wildly different pricing standards between CBD products, meaning some companies scoop up newbieshook, line, and sinker.

One pet product was particularly deceptivecontaining only about 1.5% of the CBD the label claimed it contained, meaning that your pet might not even be getting amounts of the healing compound significant enough to do anything.

Instead, go with a brand that provides certificates of analysis and that is sold in a reputable store, such as a state-regulated dispensary or a CBD store that vets its vendors to ensure their products are safe.

What if we regulated pet CBD products better, consistently providing analytical data, or at the very leastallow veterinarians to properly guide pet owners?

Leafreportoriginally founded in 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israelis an online resource on CBD with discussions from medical doctors, clinical consultants, chemists, nutritional and natural health experts from around the world.

Dr. Zora DeGrandpre practices naturopathic medicine and is a medical and scientific writer and editor, specializing in naturopathic, functional, botanical, and integrative medicine. DeGrandpre writes online courses for medical students around the world including courses for continuing medical education and on the use of medical marijuana and CBD.

DeGrandpre explained that the same product caution that anyone uses for themselves should ideally be applied to their petsadding that consumers need to look into the companys history and reputation.

While different animals may respond differently to CBD, contaminants such as microbial products, heavy metals, toxins, and pesticides are often more toxic to pets than to humans, DeGrandpre says in an email. In addition, dogs appear to be particularly sensitive to THCso you should only use zero-THC products with dogs, and to be safer, with any animals. Also, there isnt a lot of research around CBD and animalsmany vets (for many reasons including legal and professional ones) urge caution when using CBD with your pet.

The effects of CBD on a 200-pound person is not going to work the same way on a 10-pound toy dog, which is why titration is a bit more imperative when dealing with pets, even though they are fully equipped with an endocannabinoid system. Source CBD, for instance, provides a dosing calculator for humans and pets, and relies an anecdotal reports from people who claim a variety of beneficial effects on both mammals and reptiles.

Luna, a pug with acne and seizures, takes her daily dose of CBD oil.

Finally, you should always use the same principle with pets that we recommend for humans! DeGrandpre adds. Start low and go slow, always monitoring the effects on your pet carefully. You want to ensure your pets health, after all! We also recommend checking with your vet to ensure that CBD products will not interfere with any medication that your pet may be on already.

The global pet CBD market is projected to witness considerable growth over the coming years of the forecast period 2018-2028, according to data compiled by San Francisco-based TMR Research. In Europe, researchers came to nearly the same conclusion: Data released on July 12 from Dublin, Ireland-based Research and Markets reported similar findings. The global CBD pet products market to rise with a CAGR of 41.3% during the forecast period (2021-2026). Research and Markets analysts attributed the rise in part to the 2018 Farm Bill, which set things off in the United States.

Some states in the U.S. are starting to allow specific provisions for veterinarians and medical cannabis, such as Nevadas forward-thinking Assembly Bill 101, allowing recommendations, sponsored by Assemblymember Steve Yeager. Then theres Californias Assembly Bill No. 2215, approved in 2018, which basically only allows veterinarians to discuss medical cannabis treatment without fears of repercussions. Californias Assembly Bill 384 would take it a step further, allowing them to give recommendations. Oregon and Washington State Veterinary Medical Associationspostedtheir owncautionary fact sheetsfor medical cannabis advice online. New Yorks Assembly Bill A5172 would offer similar provisions.

Eloise Theisen is a board certified Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner who specializes in cannabis therapy. For over 20 years, Theisen has worked primarily with cancer, dementia, and chronic pain patientsfocusing her efforts on cannabinoid therapies for the past five years. Theisen is the president of the American Cannabis Nurses Association.CBD products for pets and humans are still not regulated and testing is not required, Theisen says. It is important to look for companies that do independent 3rd party testing to ensure that the product label. matches the certificate of analysis. Some products may have THC levels that are above the legal limit and that could be unhealthy for pets. Additionally, some companies may have more or less CBD than listed on a label and you may not be giving your pet exactly what you expected.

Furthermore, some companies can be misleading about ingredients such as hempseed oil, which contains antioxidants and fatty acids, butno CBD.

I recommend only buying from a company that provides an independent 3rd party certificate of analysis, Theisen adds. It is important to know exactly what you are giving your pet. A comprehensive certificate of analysis from a reputable 3rd party testing lab will ensure that the product is free of contaminants and that the potency is accurate. If the company cannot provide a certificate of analysis, look for another company that does. There are enough companies out there providing transparency with their products.

In general, its on the consumer to vet the safety and ingredients in pet CBD productsfor the health of their pets, if for no other reason.

More:
Pet CBD Products Need Better Regulation, Researchers Say - Forbes