CBD’s popularity has exploded over recent years as restrictions have loosened. As such, there are numerous CBD brands to choose from when you are shopping for supplements for your pet.
But you may also be aware that regulation of CBD products leaves a lot to be desired. As of this point in time, the FDA “has approved only one CBD product, a prescription drug product to treat two rare, severe forms of epilepsy.”
In other words, the FDA has yet to approve a single CBD supplement which you can purchase over-the-counter.
You also might be aware that while the FDA does regulate supplements in general, it does not do a very good job of it. Numerous products for sale on the market have been found to not contain what their ingredients claim that they do.
So, you obviously do not want to just walk into a store and pick up the first CBD for dogs supplement that you find for sale and purchase it without doing any research. You need to establish trust before you select a product to give to your pet.
With that in mind, how can you go about conducting the research which is necessary to determine whether a given brand is trustworthy for your pet’s CBD supplement needs?
Following are some recommendations to help you evaluate brands that you are considering.
1. Go with a brand you are familiar with.
If at all possible, you might want to simply consider going with a CBD supplement brand with which you are already acquainted.
Say you have purchased CBD for yourself from a given company and have had excellent results. If that same company manufactures CBD for dogs, you might consider trying those products for your pet.
In lieu of that, you could also consider purchasing CBD for your dog from a well-established company that has been in the industry for a long time and has built a rock-solid reputation over the years of its operation.
But that does not mean that some smaller or newer brands are not worth giving a try. You just need to do your research before diving in.
2. Consider a referral from a website or individual you trust.
Another option is to turn to a third party who can help you establish trust.
This could be somebody you know in person like a friend or family member who has ample experience with CBD, or it could be a source online that you have come to trust.
Either way, you do not need to do all of the legwork on your own.
Have any questions about whether you should be buying your CBD online or in person? Take a look at this article.
3. Consider how a product is made.
A trustworthy CBD supplement manufacturer should provide you with detailed information about how a product is sourced and manufactured.
A company which grows and harvests hemp through sustainable practices and which uses manufacturing techniques such as compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction may be one you can trust.
But if a company does not care about eco-friendly practices or does not use manufacturing techniques which preserve the nutritious compounds in CBD oil without adding unwanted additives is one you may want to stay away from.
Also, what if a company does not say anything on their site about how they manufacture their CBD for dogs?
You can email and ask for more information. If you do not receive any, it is hard to know what you can expect dealing with that company. As a consumer, you have every right to only purchase products when you know how they have been made.
So, if a company does not give you that information, you do not need to give them your business.
There are plenty of CBD brands which are transparent (and proud) regarding their manufacturing processes.
In fact, you can discover some of them in our recommended CBD brands for dogs.
4. Check batch testing results (and look up the lab).
In an ideal world, you could look on a product label at the ingredients list and know that what you see is what you get.
But we do not live in such a world, unfortunately, and not all companies can be taken at their word.
Some companies put “CBD” oils on the market which actually have little or no CBD in them.
Others may neglect to mention manufacturing byproducts in their ingredients lists.
You need to verify that the CBD you will give your dog:
- Contains the amount of CBD which the label states.
- Does not contain unwanted additives.
- Does not contain more than trace amounts of THC.
The manufacturer’s word on its own tells you nothing, because any person can say that their product contains this or doesn’t contain that.
You are looking for verification from a third party.
Over the past few years, a number of independent laboratories have sprung up to perform third-party batch testing of a wide range of supplements.
There are labs which specialize in CBD products in particular.
When you are browsing a CBD manufacturer’s website, look for information about batch testing.
This information may be located in the FAQ, or it could be something you will see mentioned on each individual product page.
It is not sufficient for a manufacturer to say “We perform batch testing,” and leave it at that. You need to be able to confirm this for yourself by viewing the batch test results. And again, they should be from a third party.
A lot of CBD manufacturers now post their results directly on the product pages, or on a centralized location on the site.
If you cannot find the batch test results, email the company and ask them to link you to the results or send them to you directly.
Along with checking out the results, you also should check the name of the laboratory that is performing the testing.
Look up the lab and find out what you can about it. Is the lab itself a reputable business?
Make sure that they have proper licensing, and also check to see in any regulatory action has been taken against them.
If it has, try and find out what happened and if the issue has been resolved.
5. Talk to customer service.
A further step that you can take when trying to decide whether or not to trust a particular CBD manufacturer is to email, call, or chat online with customer service.
When you do that, you get a chance to talk with an actual representative of that company, and that company’s values should be evident through that person’s behavior.
If that person is transparent, answers each of your questions patiently, and goes out of their way to be helpful, all of those signs are good.
But if you are not happy with the customer service experience, then you can assume you are in the wrong place.
6. Trust your gut.
Finally, there is something to be said for intuition—particularly if yours tends to be reliable when it comes to judging the trustworthiness of others.
Maybe there isn’t any one particular thing which stands out to you as potentially problematic, but something about a company’s site just rubs you the wrong way.
Even if you cannot put your finger on it, it does not mean you are necessarily wrong. Maybe there is a good reason not to shop there. Instead of waiting to find out what it is, you should think about moving on.
The reverse can happen as well. Sometimes, you just get a really solid, positive feeling from a company based on your experiences browsing their products and chatting with their agents.
While intuition may never be 100% accurate, that is still another favorable sign that you may have discovered a CBD manufacturer worth doing business with.
Conclusion: With Research, You Can Identify CBD Brands You Can Trust
The CBD market right now feels a bit like the Wild West. There is not a lot of oversight, and it is hard to know who to trust.
But there are some excellent, reputable CBD brands out there manufacturing high-quality, pure products for dogs.
By researching reputations, asking for referrals, checking batch testing results, and using your intuition, you can identify companies worth purchasing from.
We have already done a lot of that hard work for you in our own quest to find the best CBD for dogs.
And before you decide to dip out, we want to make sure you also check out these articles!