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Retailers share which companies keep them coming back for more in this crowded pet product category.

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LAST YEAR, WE asked members of the PETS+ Brain Squad which brands they love to sell and why. The response was overwhelming! So of course we wanted to ask about hemp CBD brands, in particular, for this issue. Again, members cheered on their favorites and went into great detail about how the products have helped customer pets as well as their own. We hope these testimonials from fellow indies help you better navigate the CBD product category.

EARTH ANIMAL
earthanimal.com

Earth Animal Birdie with nancy Guinn

Nancy Guinn with rescue pup Birdie the Cane Corso.

Nancy Guinn of Dog Krazy in Virginia champions this company’s Zen-Pen any chance she gets, and as a result, both sizes sell well at her stores.

“It gives us another option for customers who are worried about the fat content of the oils for their dogs. I have a dog with pancreatitis who has been hospitalized multiple times to treat it. We have been able to control her pancreatitis since switching her to raw, but I still worry about anything new added to her diet. The Zen-Pen makes it possible to administer CBD, but not give it orally.”

Favorite customer experience with Earth Animal: I used it for a Cane Corso we pulled from the shelter. She was there for over a month and was so broken. She snarled at anyone who came near her, and was so afraid. She stayed with us while we waited for her foster to be able to bring her home. She was covered in dried feces, so I wanted to give her a bath. I was told not to get too close to her as she was fear aggressive. I gave her a few drops of Zen-Pen on her ear and waited about 15 minutes, and then used baby wipes to try and remove the dried feces. After a few minutes of nothing coming off, I decided to try and bathe her. She let me! After her bath, she was a different dog. We snapped this photo after her bath. She was soon after adopted by a wonderful family and is now living her best life. We sent her there with a Zen-Pen.”

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HOLISTIC HOUND
holistichound.com

Amy Schiek of Lucky Dogs in Skaneateles, NY, appreciates the company’s longevity. “Holistic Hound has been in the hemp and CBD market for many years.”

She also loves the variety of products, including oils (CBD and CBG), crunchy bites, chews and balm, as well as the made-in-the-USA and organic statuses, plus robust training for staff and customers alike.

Her best-selling product from the brand is the Full-Spectrum Hemp & Mushroom Bites, which she praises for “the lamb alternative for dogs who can’t eat chicken, and that dogs get the added health benefits of a blend of five mushrooms.”

Favorite experience with Holistic Hound: “A customer called to say that her son took their 12-year-old Labrador for a run. He thought he was doing something nice for the dog, didn’t realize that the dog’s aging joints wouldn’t be able to tolerate it. The poor dog was limping, and the woman wanted to try a CBD product to help ease the joint pain. We contacted her a few days later, and she said that within the first day, she could see a difference and was going to keep the dog on daily maintenance.”

Colorado Hemp Honey tincture

Rocko and his dad love Colorado Hemp Honey tincture.

COLORADO HEMP HONEY
coloradohemphoney.com

“Colorado Hemp Honey is such an easy upsell for us because it’s so widely accessible. Dogs, cats, people! The honey is a great way to disguise the taste for those really picky dogs who just won’t take the treats (like mine) or run from the droppers, or you worry about the dropper in their mouth,” Annabell Bivens of The Dog Store in Alexandria, VA, says.

She also loves their hemp CBD tinctures and uses the honey sticks to start conversations with customers.

“People ask, ‘Is this for dogs or people?’ and we say, ‘Yes. It’s common for people to get some for themselves and their pets!’”

Favorite customer experience with colorado Hemp Honey: Rocko, he’s an older bully mix who has had both knees replaced and is a little overwhelmed by everything. He usually gets so overstimulated that he barks non-stop and humps his dad whenever they go out, so he has stopped going out as much. We suggested the bacon-flavored tincture for him originally because we thought it would help with the aging process and his joints, but as he got about halfway through his first bottle, the dad realized that while on walks, Rocko was so much more relaxed. They’re on bottle six, and Rocko is doing great! Anytime someone comes in looking for CBD and Rocko’s dad is in the store, he starts telling them about Colorado Hemp Honey. We joke that we don’t pay a commission. He swears up and down that he just wants as many people as possible to know about how much it’s helped him and Rocko.”

SUPER SNOUTS HEMP COMPANY
supersnoutshempcompany.com

“I’m a science geek, and there’s a lot of science behind their products,” Diana Farrar of Fifi and Fidos in San Antonio, TX, says about Super Snouts. “Plus it works as it says it does, and is what it says it is.”
Her best-selling product from the company? Chill+Out Calming Hemp Chews.

Favorite experience with Super Snouts: There was a “seriously fearful/fear-aggressive dog who the owners thought they may have to put down. Working with the trainer and using the Chill+Out, the dog improved enough to still be a member of the family. Lots of work, but the trainer attributes the Chill+Out for helping speed up the dog’s progress.”

AUSTIN AND KAT
austinandkat.com

Quinnell Flanagan of Nature’s Pet Market in Sherwood and Wilsonville, OR, appreciates the potency and price of Austin and Kat products. “They offer high-milligram CBD at a lower price.”

She also loves that “the company is out of Seattle, local to us. Plus, they are extremely transparent about sourcing, ingredients and testing, and the owners are wonderful!”

Her best-seller from the brand is the 1200mg CBD Oil. “It’s a great option for larger dogs, and we find that most of our customers who need CBD have large-breed dogs.”

Favorite experience with Austin and Kat: “We have a frequent customer who purchases the 1200mg CBD Oil monthly. She has a senior dog who has had joint issues its whole life. Just a couple of weeks on the oil, and the dog was acting like a puppy again! It made me ecstatic that I could recommend a product that helped her dog so much.”

HONEST PAWS CBD
honestpaws.com

“Beautiful, thoughtful packaging, plus the products work.” This is why Tori Rosay of Dexter’s Deli in San Diego, CA, recommends this brand highly.

The retailer-exclusive CBD Peanut Butter Pouches are her best-selling product from them.

Favorite experience with Honest Paws CBD: It involves a “customer’s little Yorkie with separation anxiety. Mom gives her CBD Wellness tincture. It has helped so much to calm and relax her dog that now she is able to leave her without her panting and getting anxious. She sometimes also uses a little of the CBD Peanut Butter on a treat too — magic!”

Suzie’s CBD Hearts

Suzie’s CBD Hearts are organic and contain 4 mg each.

SUZIE’S CBD TREATS
suziespettreats.com

Jennifer Heyl of Lily’s Bath & Biscuits in Denver, CO, loves supporting small and local businesses. About Suzie’s CBD Treats, she says, “Small company that handles everything from planting to delivery. Full spectrum with no detectable amounts of THC. They grow their very own and unique strain. The plants are grown outside in Fort Collins, CO.”

Her best-selling product from the brand is Suzie’s CBD Hearts in pumpkin because “They taste delicious, and the dogs seem to like them, too!”

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Favorite experience with Suzie’s CBD Treats: “A senior black Lab stopped eating and moving around. The owner tried Suzie’s to give their pet some relief during his end of life. She came back two weeks later, and he was walking and eating again. He may not have lived much longer, but that smile he showed while waddling into the shop was pure joy.”

TREATIBLES
treatibles.com

About this much-loved brand, Shelly Nicastro of Essex Bird & Pet Supply in Essex, MA, says, “Treatibles keeps all of their labeling and wording compliant with as many states as possible. They have worked hard to make it so that we, as retailers, can continue to sell their product without legal issues. Every Tuesday, they have a webinar for retailers on understanding and using/selling CBD products.”

Her best-selling product from the company is 250mg Organic Full Spectrum Hemp Oil, which she recommends regularly. “They often are drawn to the treats, but I point out that the oil has a more immediate delivery system by going sublingual rather than a treat that has to be digested in the stomach. Also, the oil is easier to increase in small increments to reach the most effective dosage for the pet.”

Favorite experience with a Treatibles product: “We have one customer who has a dog who was having multiple seizures a week. Prescription anti-seizure medications were not working well. She started using the oil, and the seizures reduced to only a couple per month with reduced severity.”

Earth Buddy Mushroom Cap

Meghan Lloyd says Earth Buddy has helped customer pets and her own pup.

EARTH BUDDY
earthbuddypet.com

Why does Meghan Lloyd of Creature Comforts in Durango, CO, love this brand? “For the variety in products and delivery methods — from balms to tinctures to powders to capsules to treats, there is something for everyone. The active CBD content is among the highest potency on the market and is available in a variety of products to offer a price point for everyone. The company loves providing support and education to the staff and the community, whether through samples, training or seminars on CBD.”

Favorite experience with an Earth Buddy product: “Earth Buddy has helped my geriatric dog alleviate some of his arthritis discomfort, make car rides slightly more bearable, and helped ease his inflammation responses throughout his cancer treatments to see remission today.”

CHARLOTTE’S WEB
charlottesweb.com

Penny Murano of Unleashed in New London, NH, loves the story behind this brand.

“The Stanley Brothers were approached by Charlotte Figi’s mother, who had found success with CBD in stopping her daughter’s seizures. They met Charlotte and decided to help. They renamed their strain Charlotte’s Web after they met her and saw how it helped.”

Murano’s best-selling product from the company is the 17 mg 3-ounce bottle without flavoring.

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“And then the human gummies are selling really well, too,” she says. In fact, they are her favorite product: “They are amazing after a day of big deliveries.”

Favorite experience with Charlotte’s Web: “A customer had a dog with severe anxiety issues (seperation, people coming in the house, people walking by the house), who had tried everything and nothing helped. So, we put her on Charlotte’s Web, and she came back a week later and said how the dog was clearly not as anxious and when she was, it only lasted seconds. She was thrilled and is using it as part of her dog’s every day routine.”

CBD DOG HEALTH
cbddoghealth.com

Among the many reasons why Krysta Fox of Bruce & Willy’s Natural Pet Source in Geneva, IL, loves this brand are its “Flower-only extraction that yields a very potent formula with real results. And CBD Dog Health is a company that is sincere and supports their retailers 150 percent.”

She began carrying it “because of the amazing experience with my own dog Bruce in controlling his neurologically related muscle spasms.”

Her best-selling product from the company is HEAL tincture because “It’s the most effective CBD I’ve ever seen.” And she also praises the “wonderful informational materials for customers to make dosing easy to understand.”

Favorite experience with CBD Dog Health: “A customer dealing with their dog in late-stage kidney disease gave HEAL to him during his final days. She said it made him comfortable, while still being himself. His owner could enjoy her last days with him knowing he wasn’t altered from harsh painkillers that normally would be given to a dog in his state. Even though it is a sad story, it really warmed our hearts that we were able to provide her with a product to give her dog comfort in his final days.”

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FEATURED VIDEO

NASC Media Spotlight

At first it was just an idea: Animal supplements needed the same quality control that human-grade supplements receive. But that was enough to start a movement and an organization —the National Animal Supplement Council — that would be dedicated to establishing a comprehensive path forward for the animal supplements industry. In this Media Spotlight interview, NASC’s president, Bill Bookout, talks to PETS+ interviewer Chloe DiVita about the industry today: Where it’s headed, what’s the latest focus and why it’s vital to gain the involvement of independent pet product retailers.

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