Methodology · PetScored desk
We use a public, deterministic rubric. Five sub-scores. One composite. The rule events behind every score are visible on its product page. Same inputs, same score, every time.
Five promises
Scoring is deterministic. We do not run the rubric twice and pick the friendlier number. We do not let a single editor override a sub-score because they liked or disliked a brand.
Every score is reconstructible from the data on its product page. Sub-scores show their rule events. Rule events show their evidence tier. Source confidence is labelled on every fact.
Dog food, supplements, insurance, diagnostics, and pet tech have completely different evidence problems. We refuse to bolt a five-dimension scorecard onto all of them. Each category waits until its rubric is defensible on its own terms.
We publish the rubric, we publish the changelog when it changes, and we recompute the affected scorecards so the history is honest.
PetScored makes money from readers and from affiliate links on retail-purchase actions. Affiliate revenue does not affect the rubric, the rule events, the sub-scores, or the order of any best-for list. If we ever change this, we will publish the change here first.
Active rubrics
Live
Rubric liveThe first scored PetScored category, focused on label data, nutrition panels, source confidence, recall context, and value.
Live
Rubric liveThe second live scored category. Same five sub-scores as dog food, with cat-specific protein bands, a taurine declaration requirement (hard fail if missing on an adult diet), and a feline-allergen sensitivity profile.
Live
Rubric liveThe third live scored category. A deterministic rubric (v1.0) for joint, gut, skin and coat, calming, multivitamin, and liver supplements that weights evidence and delivered dose over marketing: a proprietary blend that hides its doses cannot earn a dose it will not disclose.
Live
Rubric liveThe fourth live scored category. A deterministic rubric (v1.0) for dental chews, biscuits, training treats, jerky, freeze-dried treats, and long-lasting chews: reframed from the food rubric because a treat is a snack, not a meal. Treat-specific Caloric Load and Claim Honesty replace Nutrition Fit and Sensitivity Risk, a dental claim earns credit only with a VOHC seal, and treats' outsized recall history weighs on Brand Trust.
Reports, not scored
Rubric pendingNot a scored category, and it never will be. There is no public dataset that would let anyone rank one prescription or parasite med against another for safety, so PetScored publishes the FDA adverse event record with context instead of inventing a number. The pages explain what a report is, what it is not, and why a report count is not a rate.
No public score until the rubric is defensiblePlanned
Rubric pendingPlanned editorial/data category for exclusions, reimbursement, waiting periods, breed/age pricing, and claims experience.
Planned
Rubric pendingPlanned category for DNA, microbiome, allergy, and longevity tests, with careful handling of clinical claims.
Planned
Rubric pendingPlanned category for high-ticket devices like health-monitoring litter boxes, smart feeders, GPS collars, and behavior cameras.
Where the line is
