Formulation plan: what to put in the chews, and the seven pilots to run
Date: 2026-11-05. Built from the canine science (doc 09), the ingredient and legal research (doc 10) and the market scan (doc 11). This is the plan to hand the manufacturer. It is research, not veterinary or legal advice; the compliance flags from doc 03 still apply.
The decisions, in one table
| Question | Answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Core cannabinoid system | CBD + CBDA, 1:1, from THC-non-detect isolates | CBDA is absorbed 2–4 times better than CBD in dogs; 1:1 is the only ratio with two positive placebo-controlled canine trials; only ElleVet ($89 a bag) and Austin & Kat sell it, and neither sizes by dog weight. Actives cost under $0.60 a bag. |
| CBN | Out of the launch formulas | No canine PK, efficacy or safety data at all. A weak CB1 agonist in a CB1-dense species. Every commercial CBN is chemically converted from CBD or CBG, which is likely excluded from the federal definition of hemp after Dec 11, 2026. Jolly's "Sleepy" chew has this problem. |
| CBG | CBGA, not CBG, in the Daily line only | Neutral CBG is almost unabsorbed in dogs (5 ng/mL); the acid CBGA is absorbed about 40 times better and was safe for 90 days at 1 mg/kg twice daily. No canine efficacy data, so it is a differentiator and a story, not a claim. Nobody in the market uses it. |
| CBC, CBGA-forward, terpenes | Out | No canine data; CBC costs $3,895/kg; terpenes are flavor at best and linalool is a canine toxin at high doses. |
| Spectrum | Isolates for launch; broad-spectrum tested as one pilot | Full-spectrum fails the 0.4 mg THC per container cap in any 30-count bag. Broad-spectrum showed no absorption advantage over isolate in the Cornell head-to-head. Isolates make the THC math trivial and the COA clean. |
| Processing | Cold-formed, under 40 °C, no water | CBDA converts to CBD with heat (half-life 14 minutes at 110 °C). Baked bones like Jolly's have no CBDA left. Only 2 of 29 pet products on the market tested positive for CBDA. |
| Carrier | Sesame oil + sunflower lecithin + mixed tocopherols (0.3% of oil phase) | Lecithin held CBDA blood levels highest over two weeks in the Cornell study; sesame degraded least under light; alpha-tocopherol slows CBDA loss 4.6 times. Not MCT alone. |
| Strength tiers | Chill and Daily: 5 / 10 / 20 mg. Mobility: 10 / 20 / 40 mg. All as "mg hemp cannabinoids (CBD + CBDA)" per chew. | Arthritis is the one use with real dose-response data (0.5 mg/kg/day isolate up to 10 mg/kg/day), so the Mobility line runs at double strength. Lazarus already sells a 40 mg joint chew at $22; ElleVet's large chew is 19.2 mg. At 1:1, a 20 mg chew gives roughly the blood exposure of 30–40 mg of plain CBD. |
What this means against Jolly
Jolly: 10 mg CBD + 2 mg CBN or CBG, baked, MCT, one size, no COA on pack. Bagel & Butters: 10 mg CBD + CBDA at Medium, cold-formed, lecithin-sesame base, three sizes, full-panel COA by QR, and a Mobility bag at four times Jolly's cannabinoid load. Same $29.99 price point at Medium.
The dosing architecture
| Line | Small (under 25 lb) | Medium (26–60 lb) | Large (60 lb+) | Directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chill | 2.5 CBD + 2.5 CBDA = 5 mg | 5 + 5 = 10 mg | 10 + 10 = 20 mg | 1 chew daily. For a known stressor (storm, travel, vet), give 1–2 chews about 2 hours before. |
| Mobility | 5 + 5 = 10 mg | 10 + 10 = 20 mg | 20 + 20 = 40 mg | 1 chew daily with food; up to 2 chews daily. Expect 3–4 weeks to judge. |
| Daily | 2 CBD + 2 CBDA + 1 CBGA = 5 mg | 4 + 4 + 2 = 10 mg | 8 + 8 + 4 = 20 mg | 1 chew daily. |
Per-kg check at one chew a day: a 40 lb dog on Mobility Medium gets 1.1 mg/kg of total cannabinoid with CBDA doing most of the absorption, inside the positive range of the Verrico arthritis trial; two chews reach the Cornell 2 mg/kg protocol. A 15 lb dog on Chill Small gets 0.7 mg/kg, two chews 1.5 mg/kg. Over 120 lb, the label allows 2 chews.
The seven pilots (v2, updated with the advanced-ingredient research in doc 13)
All pilots are made at the Medium strength in the same base, so the only variables are the ones listed. Chew weight 4 g (the stacks need it). Target potency 108% of label at release. Each pilot is a 1–2 kg batch (about 250–500 chews).
| # | Pilot | Cannabinoids per chew | Co-actives per chew | What it answers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P0 | Base control | CBD isolate 10 mg | Vitamin E 150 IU only | Does the base, oil phase and process hold potency and water activity? Palatability baseline. |
| P1 | Chill A, canine-evidence stack | CBD 5 + CBDA 5 | Alpha-casozepine 270 mg, KSM-66 ashwagandha 270 mg, lemon balm extract 60 mg, vitamin E 150 IU | Every co-active has a canine trial (casozepine non-inferior to selegiline and in the Flint 2025 CBD blend; KSM-66 cut cortisol and anxiety scores at 15 mg/kg; lemon balm calmed beagles). Milk allergen. |
| P2 | Chill B, market stack | CBD 5 + CBDA 5 | L-theanine 50 mg, L-tryptophan 50 mg, chamomile 50 mg, vitamin E 150 IU | What the category sells. Weaker evidence, familiar label, no milk. Head-to-head with P1 on palatability, cost and owner-perceived calm. |
| P3 | Mobility A, canine-evidence stack | CBD 10 + CBDA 10 | Eggshell membrane (NEM) 245 mg, UC-II collagen 20 mg, green-lipped mussel 150 mg, hyaluronic acid (Mobilee) 27 mg, astaxanthin 5 mg, vitamin E 150 IU | NEM and UC-II have placebo-controlled canine trials at these doses; GLM has one; HA and astaxanthin have canine biomarker data. Nobody in the CBD category uses NEM or UC-II. Egg allergen. |
| P4 | Mobility B, market stack | CBD 10 + CBDA 10 | Glucosamine HCl 300 mg, chondroitin 120 mg, MSM 150 mg, Boswellia (AKBA-standardized) 75 mg, vitamin E 150 IU | What ElleVet, Medterra and Austin & Kat do. Bulky and bitter; tests carry and palatability. |
| P5 | Daily A, isolates | CBD 4 + CBDA 4 + CBGA 2 | Bovine colostrum 300 mg, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 1 billion CFU, silybin phytosome 24 mg, vitamin E 150 IU; salmon oil in the oil phase | The CBGA differentiator plus a gut and liver-support rationale (chronic CBD raises ALP). Spores survive a cold chew; Lactobacillus would not. Milk allergen. |
| P6 | Daily B, broad-spectrum | Broad-spectrum ND distillate at 4 mg CBD + CBDA 4 + CBGA 2 | same as P5 | Does a "whole plant" distillate change taste, color, stability or the THC margin? |
Optional, only if a lawyer clears it and a supplier can document plant-isolated (not converted) CBN: P7 Chill C = P1 cannabinoids + CBN 2 mg. No such supply exists today; expect to skip it.
Optional add-on worth one pilot later: ultramicronized PEA at 180–270 mg in Mobility (open-label canine itch data, endocannabinoid rationale, no canine arthritis trial).
Not in any pilot, by evidence: omega-3 at an arthritis dose (does not fit in a chew; sell a fish oil alongside), MCT for cognition, turkey tail, melatonin above 1.8 mg, piperine, 5-HTP, St John's wort, lavender, neutral CBG, CBN, CBC, terpenes.
Scaling to Small and Large: cannabinoids at half and double; per-kg co-actives (casozepine, KSM-66, NEM) at half and 1.5 times; weight-independent ones (UC-II, HA, astaxanthin, silybin, probiotic) unchanged.
Cannabinoid cost per 30-chew bag at Medium: P0 $0.11; P1, P2 $0.28; P3, P4 $0.56; P5, P6 about $0.35. Co-actives add roughly $0.30–1.20 a bag depending on branded forms (KSM-66, NEM and Mobilee are the pricier ones; quotes needed).
Test protocol per pilot
- Process log: maximum product temperature at every step, including drying or curing. Pass: never above 40 °C.
- Release potency (ISO 17025 lab; ProVerde in Milford, SC Labs/Botanacor, ACS, KCA): CBD, CBDA, CBGA, CBG, THC, THCA on the finished chew. Pass: 100–115% of label for each labeled cannabinoid; total THC non-detect; the whole bag's total THC under 0.4 mg by calculation.
- Homogeneity: four chews from two bags. Pass: relative standard deviation under 10% for each labeled cannabinoid.
- Water activity: pass at 0.60 or below.
- Stability: pouches stored at 25 °C/60% RH pulled at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months; a second set at 40 °C/75% RH pulled at 1 and 3 months. Measure CBD, CBDA, CBGA, THC. Pass: every labeled cannabinoid at 90% of label or better at 12 months real-time. CBDA is the one expected to move; the 40 °C pulls predict it early.
- Palatability: 10 dogs (Bagel, Butters, friends' dogs across sizes), two-bowl first-choice against a plain chew, three sessions. Record refusals.
- Tolerance: 14 days at label dose in 6 dogs; daily stool score, appetite, any vomiting or sedation. Any dog on medication is excluded.
- Owner-perceived effect, internal only, never a claim: 4 weeks at label dose; Chill owners score a known trigger before and after; Mobility owners use the Canine Brief Pain Inventory; Daily owners log coat and stool. Ten dogs per line is enough to pick A versus B, not to prove anything.
Decision gates
- Gate 1 (week 2): P0 passes potency, homogeneity and water activity, or the base changes before anything else runs.
- Gate 2 (week 6): pick Chill A or B and Mobility A or B on palatability, cost and manufacturability. Owner scores break ties.
- Gate 3 (month 3): 40 °C stability pulls decide whether CBDA needs a bigger overage, refrigerated distribution or a 12-month date instead of 18.
- Gate 4 (month 3): P5 versus P6 decides isolate or broad-spectrum for Daily, on THC margin and flavor.
- Then scale the three winners to Small and Large, make the first production batches, and run the same release tests on each size.
What to send the manufacturer
- Cannabinoid inputs with spec sheets and ISO 17025 lot COAs: CBD isolate 99% (ND THC), CBDA isolate 99% with a non-detect THC lot COA as a purchase condition (BCD or Go North Hemp, about $1,500/kg), CBGA isolate 99% with a written "non-converted, isolated from hemp" statement (BCD, about $1,900/kg), and for P6 a broad-spectrum distillate at 0.05% THC or lower (Red Mesa). One 100 g jar of each covers every pilot.
- Oil phase: sesame oil, sunflower lecithin, mixed tocopherols 0.3% of oil, rosemary extract; salmon oil for the Daily pilots.
- Base: oat flour, sweet potato, glycerin, flavor (peanut butter and banana for Chill, sweet potato and chicken for Mobility, pumpkin and peanut butter for Daily), no citric acid.
- Co-actives: alpha-casozepine (Lactium), KSM-66 ashwagandha, lemon balm extract (rosmarinic-acid standardized), L-theanine, L-tryptophan, chamomile extract, eggshell membrane (NEM), UC-II collagen, green-lipped mussel powder, Mobilee hyaluronic acid, natural astaxanthin, glucosamine HCl, chondroitin sulfate, MSM, AKBA-standardized Boswellia, bovine colostrum, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, silybin phytosome (Siliphos), d-alpha-tocopherol.
- The four questions: maximum process temperature and whether he can cold-form under 40 °C; whether drying or curing exceeds 40 °C; which lab he uses and whether CBDA and CBGA are on its panel; smallest pilot batch per formula.
What the pack and the site say about it
- Front: "mg hemp cannabinoids (CBD + CBDA) per chew." Daily adds "with CBGA."
- Back: active ingredients per chew list CBD, CBDA (and CBGA) separately, plus the co-actives in mg. The COA QR shows all of them.
- Claims stay structure/function: "supports calm behavior," "supports healthy joints," "supports everyday wellness." The CBDA story is told as absorption, with the Cornell citation on the site, never as a treatment claim.
- The compliance doc's cautions and the ALP note for Mobility customers (ask your vet to check liver values if your dog is on long-term use or an NSAID) stay.
Sources
See docs 09 (canine science), 10 (inputs, cost, stability, legal form) and 11 (market formulations) for every citation behind this plan.