How we score your dog's food 🐕
Simple, science-based nutrition scoring.
Our Rating System
We analyze every ingredient in your dog's food and give it a score from 0-100.
What We Look For
Quality Protein First
The best dog foods start with real meat or fish. We love seeing chicken, beef, salmon, or turkey as the #1 ingredient.
Protein meals (like "chicken meal") are actually great too - they're concentrated protein with the water removed.
Smart Carbohydrates
Dogs need some carbs for energy, but quality matters:
Nutritious Extras
We give bonus points for:
- Superfoods: Blueberries, pumpkin, sweet potatoes
- Healthy fats: Salmon oil, chicken fat (named sources)
- Gut health: Probiotics and prebiotics
- Natural preservation: Vitamin E instead of chemicals
Red Flags
We dock points for:
- Mystery ingredients: "Meat by-products," "animal fat"
- Artificial stuff: Colors, flavors, chemical preservatives
- Unnecessary sweeteners: Dogs don't need sugar
- Filler overload: When carbs dominate the ingredient list
Why Ingredient Order Matters
The first 5 ingredients make up about 80% of the food. That's why we pay extra attention to what comes first.
A food that starts with "Chicken, sweet potato, peas..." will score much better than one starting with "Corn, wheat, chicken by-product..."
Quick Guide to Better Scores
Look for foods that:
- •Start with named meat or fish
- •Use natural preservation (tocopherols, rosemary)
- •Include beneficial extras (probiotics, omega oils)
- •Avoid artificial colors and flavors
- •Have recognizable, simple ingredients
Avoid foods that:
- •Lead with corn, wheat, or multiple carbs
- •Use generic terms like "meat meal" or "animal fat"
- •Contain artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT)
- •Have long lists of unpronounceable chemicals
- •Include sweeteners or artificial colors
Special Warnings
We'll alert you to:
Brand & Safety Record
Ingredients only tell part of the story. We also factor in what we know about the brand behind the food.
Brands with recent FDA or voluntary recalls — especially for contamination or safety violations — impact the score. Repeat offenders are weighted more heavily.
Known regulatory violations, misleading labeling, or patterns flagged in FDA enforcement reports are factored in alongside the ingredient analysis.
Where available, we consider whether a brand manufactures in-house vs. co-packs, and whether facilities follow FSMA or AAFCO-aligned quality controls.
The Bottom Line
Good dog food is simple: quality protein, wholesome ingredients, minimal processing. Just like you'd want for yourself!
Our scoring helps you cut through marketing claims and focus on what actually matters for your dog's health.
Questions about your dog's specific dietary needs? Always consult your veterinarian.
This is just an opinion given by the app. Always consult with your veterinarian for personalized advice.