How to Read a Pet CBD Lab Report
A lab report for a pet CBD product, often called a certificate of analysis or COA, is a record of what one laboratory measured in one sample on specific dates. Knowing how to read a CBD lab report comes down to five questions. Who did the testing, and which sample does it cover? What was measured, how small an amount can the method see, and what does the document leave out?
Follow along with the June 2025 Original CBD Oil for Dogs report (PDF). This is a dated example for learning to read the fields. For a bottle you own, use the report matched to its lot.
Key takeaways
- Match the report to the product and lot on your bottle before interpreting any result.
- Read the analytes, units and reporting limits together. ND means not detected at the stated limit, not zero.
- A lab report describes one tested sample. It does not establish a benefit, an amount for your pet or regulatory approval.
What a Lab Report Is, and What It Is Not
A certificate records the laboratory’s measurements for the sample it received. Its results do not automatically describe every bottle with the same product name.
FDA has not approved CBD for use in animals. A lab report is a separate thing from an agency review: it shows measurements, not a regulatory decision. FDA’s questions and answers on cannabis products address pets directly and recommend talking with your veterinarian.
Bailey’s posts its reports as PDF files on its lab results page. The page groups them by product and size, and lists each report with a sample ID, a sample date and a best-by date.
Read the Header First: Lab, Client, Sample and Dates
The top block of every page identifies the document. On the June 2025 report for The Original CBD Oil for Dogs, the header shows:
- Laboratory: Purity Medical Laboratories in Irvine, California, with a license number printed under its address
- Client: Bailey’s Wellness LLC in Costa Mesa, California
- Sample ID: 2506PML0560.2404
- Strain, the product description the lab recorded: Dog 150mg
- Matrix and type: Ingestible, Tincture
- Dates: collected and received June 24, 2025, completed June 27, 2025
Each date means something different. Collected is when the sample was taken, received is when it reached the lab, and completed is when the lab finished the report. Each individual test also carries its own date in the summary.
A license number identifies the lab. It does not tell you what the results mean for your pet. If you want to know what a lab is licensed or accredited to do, ask the brand or contact the lab directly.
Batch Number, Sample ID and the Bottle in Your Hand
Look for the lot number and any QR code on your bottle. The manufacturer should be able to identify which report covers that lot; a laboratory sample ID and a manufacturer’s lot number may be different identifiers.
Look at how the example report identifies its sample. It gives a Sample ID, 2506PML0560.2404, and the lab results page lists the same ID. The report also has a field labeled Batch#, and on this report that field is blank.
So check two things before you read any further:
- Find the lot number or QR code on your bottle.
- Confirm which report corresponds to that lot.
If the lot number on your package does not appear on a report, ask Bailey’s which report matches it before you rely on one. The company lists info@baileyscbd.com and 1-844-738-7223 on its site.
The lab results page keeps several reports for each size, older and newer. Match the report to your bottle rather than reading the newest one by default. A report for one size or one date does not describe a different size or a later batch.
Analytes: What the Lab Measured
An analyte is the specific substance a test looks for. The summary on the first page lists each test, the date it was run and the result. The example report lists these panels:
- Cannabinoids
- Water activity
- Residual solvents, in two categories
- Pesticides, in two categories
- Heavy metals: arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury
It also describes the method used to check for foreign matter. A test that is not listed in the summary was not reported on that certificate.
Pass on a summary line means the result fell within the limit the lab applied to that test. The limit appears in its own column on the detailed pages. A pass is not a statement about how a product will affect your pet.
Reading the Cannabinoid Table
The example table lists 13 cannabinoid analytes. Five rows have quantified results: delta-9 THC, CBDA, CBD, CBG and CBC. These are findings for this historical sample, not a description of every Bailey’s product or later batch.
Each row is reported in several units: percent, mg/g, mg/mL, mg per serving and mg per container. A footnote states the conversions the lab used, including how it converted milliliters to grams for this sample. The mg per container column is the figure for the whole bottle.
Read the formulas beneath the table before comparing totals. In this report, total CBD includes CBD plus 0.877 times CBDA; total THC uses delta-9 THC, delta-8 THC and 0.877 times THCA. The acid-form conversion means a calculated total can differ from a simple sum.
Reporting Limits: LOD, LOQ, ND and Less Than LOQ
The limit of detection (LOD) describes the method’s detection threshold. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) is the threshold for reporting a reliable numeric amount. Read the laboratory’s own definitions and units beside each result.
On the example report, most cannabinoids have an LOD of 0.012 mg/g and an LOQ of 0.040 mg/g. Three kinds of entries then appear in the results columns:
| Entry | Meaning | Example rows |
|---|---|---|
| ND | Not detected, below the LOD | THCA, delta-8 THC, THCV, CBDVA, CBL |
| <LOQ | Detected, below the LOQ | CBDV, CBN, CBGA |
| A number | Measured at or above the LOQ | Delta-9 THC, CBDA, CBD, CBG, CBC |
ND does not mean zero. It means the amount, if any, was below what that method could detect at that limit. A non-detect result only means something when you read it next to its units and its LOD.
The detailed pages for pesticides, solvents and heavy metals also carry a Limit column: the threshold the lab used to assign pass or fail. The footer adds that measurement uncertainty is not factored into the final results or into the pass or fail decision.
Review the product label used in this example
Compare the current label and bottle size, then request the report for the actual lot you have.
What a Lab Report Cannot Tell You
A certificate has clear edges. It cannot tell you:
- Whether a product will do anything for your pet. The lab’s footer states that it makes no claims about efficacy, safety or other risks tied to any compound it detected or did not detect.
- Anything about a different lot, a different size or a sample tested on another date.
- Anything about an analyte that was not on the panel.
- How much to give, or whether CBD fits your pet’s health history. That is a conversation with your veterinarian.
- Whether a product has regulatory approval. A certificate records measurements, and it is not an approval.
A report is still useful. It tells you which lab measured what, in which sample, down to what level. Bring the report that matches your lot to your veterinarian along with the bottle, so you are both looking at the same numbers.
How to Read a CBD Lab Report, Step by Step
- Find the lot number or QR code on your package.
- Open the report that matches it, and confirm the product name and size the lab recorded.
- Read the header: lab name, address, license, and the collected, received and completed dates.
- Read the summary for the list of panels and the date each test ran.
- In each table, read the units first, then the LOD and LOQ, then the result.
- Read the footnotes and the footer, which state the conversions used and the limits of the document.
- If any step leaves a question, ask the brand before you rely on the report, then take it to your veterinarian.
The first step is the easiest one to skip. A tidy report for the wrong lot answers a question about a different bottle. Matching the lot takes a minute, and it decides whether anything else on the page applies to the product in your cabinet.
These products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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