56% of CBD pet products labelled incorrectly, says watchdog

More than half of CBD pet products are labelled incorrectly, according to a new report from an industry watchdog.

The findings from peer-reviewed website, Leafreport showed that 56 percent of brands contained an incorrect amount of CBD and that many also contained no THC despite being labeled as full-spectrum CBD.

Leafreport conducted a comprehensive review of pet CBD products from a variety of brands, aimed at verifying if the label claims being made about potency were correct. 

In total, only 24 of the 55 products tested (44 percent) contained the advertised amount of CBD. 

The rest were off by anywhere from 10.2 percent to 98.5 percent from the label. 

Notably, 56 percent of the tested products had CBD levels that differed from the label by more than the acceptable 10 percent variance. 

Most of the products (58 percent) had more CBD than advertised. Of the total tested products, 22 had no THC, despite companies claiming they contained full-spectrum CBD. 

Sales of pet supplements, including CBD products, have risen in the US as owners are paying closer attention to their pet’s health and wellness.

While there is currently no single CBD product authorised for use in cats and dogs in the UK, vets are legally allowed to prescribe a human CBD oil for a dog or cat.

Anxiety is one of many problems CBD products can reportedly help, keeping animals calm in the face of fireworks, for instance. And early evidence also suggests that CBD can relieve pain and stiff joints, thus dramatically improving life quality for older pets.

In a 2018 study by Frontiers of Veterinary Science, 80 percent of the dogs experienced “significant” pain relief and increased mobility when given CBD medication.

Lital Shafir, the head of product at Leafreport commented: “You’re far more likely to find a high-quality CBD product today than several years ago. However, there’s still room to improve. 

“One lingering problem is that many products don’t contain the correct amount of CBD. Testing to ensure the potency of your product is accurate is a fundamental aspect of brand integrity. 

“There have been many cases of companies selling products that contain little to no CBD — that’s why third party testing is so critical for brands in this industry. 

Our aim is that regular reports such as Leafreport’s will help CBD consumers become more savvy and allows us to act as sort of a watchdog for the industry as a whole.”

Among other key findings exposed by the report were that, overall, pet edibles and topicals are usually less accurate than oils and tinctures. In addition, despite scoring well for tinctures, many companies received a poor score for their edible pet products.

Read the full report here