PetScoredReader-supported dog food reviews

Methodology · PetScored desk

How PetScored scores.

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.

Dog Food Rubric v1.0. Cat food, supplements, and other categories will get their own rubrics when each one is defensible. Not before.

Five promises

What deterministic means here

See the full dog food rubric ›
  1. 01

    Same inputs, same score.

    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.

  2. 02

    Receipts on every page.

    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.

  3. 03

    One rubric per category.

    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.

  4. 04

    The rubric is versioned and public.

    We publish the rubric (v1.0 today), we publish the changelog when it changes, and we recompute the affected scorecards so the history is honest.

  5. 05

    Affiliate revenue cannot move a score.

    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

One category live. The rest on the bench.

Live

Rubric live

Dog Food

The first scored PetScored category, focused on label data, nutrition panels, source confidence, recall context, and value.

Nutrition FitBrand TrustIngredient ClaritySensitivity RiskValue
Read the rubric ›

Next

Rubric pending

Pet Supplements

Planned category for joint, gut, skin/coat, calming, and longevity supplements once dosage and evidence rules are defined.

Active doseEvidence qualityIngredient claritySafety flagsValue
No public score until the rubric is defensible

Planned

Rubric pending

Pet Insurance

Planned editorial/data category for exclusions, reimbursement, waiting periods, breed/age pricing, and claims experience.

CoverageExclusionsQuote contextClaims experienceValue
No public score until the rubric is defensible

Planned

Rubric pending

Diagnostics

Planned category for DNA, microbiome, allergy, and longevity tests, with careful handling of clinical claims.

Clinical utilityEvidence qualityActionabilityPrivacyValue
No public score until the rubric is defensible

Planned

Rubric pending

Pet Tech

Planned category for high-ticket devices like health-monitoring litter boxes, smart feeders, GPS collars, and behavior cameras.

ReliabilityHealth signalPrivacyDurabilityValue
No public score until the rubric is defensible

Where the line is

What we refuse to do

See what we refused ›
  • Score unlike products with one universal rubric.
  • Let affiliate payouts, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships move a score.
  • Publish scores in a category before the data sources and their limits are understood.
  • Make medical, financial, or diagnostic claims outside the published evidence.
  • Score a bag we cannot source-verify. See the refusal list.