PetScoredIndependent pet product reviews

Reference · Formats & the evidence

Dog food formats, by the evidence.

Fresh, raw, freeze-dried, air-dried - every format is sold as an upgrade over “just kibble.” This is a separate question from how good any one bag is: how much evidence actually stands behind the format itself. A food can be an excellent example of a format whose premise is thin.

By the PetScored Editorial Team. This is context, not a score - we rate every food on the same rubric regardless of format.

How to read these.

  • Well-establishedDeep evidence base; a defensible default.
  • Limited evidencePremium positioning ahead of the proof.
  • Contested / carries riskBenefits unproven and/or documented risk.

  1. Kibble (dry)

    Well-established

    The most-studied format. Deepest evidence base, lowest cost per calorie.

    Dry kibble is the format most AAFCO feeding trials are run on and the one with the longest, deepest evidence base. It's shelf-stable, convenient, and the cheapest per calorie. "It's just kibble" is not a knock - a complete, well-formulated kibble is a defensible default for most healthy dogs.

  2. Wet / canned

    Well-established

    Long track record. Higher moisture, higher cost per calorie.

    Canned and other wet foods have a long, well-understood history. The high moisture content can help dogs that don't drink enough or need palatability help, and the format is easy to formulate to AAFCO standards. The trade-off is cost per calorie, which runs well above kibble.

  3. Fresh-cooked / refrigerated

    Limited evidence

    Premium positioning ahead of the evidence. No proven edge over quality kibble.

    Gently-cooked fresh food is marketed as a premium upgrade, often with "human-grade" framing. Palatability and digestibility signals exist, but there is no strong evidence it outperforms a quality complete kibble for healthy dogs - and it costs many times more per calorie. It's a reasonable choice; it is not a proven one.

  4. Freeze-dried & raw

    Contested / carries risk

    Claimed benefits unproven; raw carries documented pathogen risk.

    Raw and freeze-dried-raw diets are sold on ancestral-diet framing. The claimed benefits are not well-substantiated, and the FDA, CDC, and AVMA have flagged pathogen risk (Salmonella, Listeria) to both pets and the humans handling the food. Freeze-drying reduces but does not reliably eliminate that risk. PetScored scores these foods on the same rubric but does not credit the raw premise.

  5. Dehydrated & air-dried

    Limited evidence

    Between kibble and fresh. Gently processed, premium-priced, thinly studied.

    Dehydrated and air-dried foods sit between kibble and fresh: lower-temperature processing, premium positioning, and a high price per calorie. The comparative evidence that the processing meaningfully benefits healthy dogs is thin. Judge the individual product on the rubric rather than the processing story.

What this does and doesn’t change.

Format context does not move a score. PetScored does not credit a format for being fresh or raw, and does not penalize one for being kibble - we score what the label and the public record prove. This page is here so a high score on a thinly-evidenced format reads honestly: a great version of a format whose premise you should weigh. See how to choose a dog food and what the marketing claims mean.