PetScoredReader-supported dog food reviews

Source standards · PetScored desk

What we refuse to score.

Most dog food rating sites score every bag they can find. We do not. When the evidence is missing, contested, or partial in a way we can’t resolve, we leave the food off the public scorecards instead of inventing a number.

2 bags currently on hold. Every block is a deterministic call against the same rubric we publish.

  1. 01

    The Farmer's Dog

    Beef Recipe

    On holdFresh/refrigeratedAll life stages

    Why it’s blocked

    • Fresh-food evidence standard is not met.
    • Recipe-specific manufacturer/package/customer-plan label artifact is missing.
    • Recipe calories are missing from a primary/control source.
    • Deterministic profile-based price scenario is missing.
    • Do not mark verified.

    Next: Render only as a source-hold/not-scored public page until recipe-specific label and deterministic profile-based price evidence are captured; do not create a scored product fixture.

    Updated 2026-05-07.

  2. 02

    Victor

    Hi-Pro Plus Dry Dog Food

    On holdKibbleAll life stages

    Why it’s blocked

    • Brand Trust status is conflict.
    • Recent 2023 Mid America/Victor Salmonella recall/outbreak history is directly source-backed by FDA.
    • The November 22, 2024 FDA warning letter is source-backed; the August 21, 2025 closeout resolves active-open status but does not create verified-clean language.
    • No public product fixture should be created until conflict-state scorecard copy policy is accepted.
    • Do not mark verified.

    Next: Keep Victor out of products.json and public scorecards. Use this deterministic draft only for conflict-state review; do not mark verified.

    Updated 2026-05-07.

What this proves

Why we leave bags off the list

The fastest way to inflate a dog food rating site is to score every bag, fill the gaps with assumptions, and let traffic do the rest. The fastest way to lose a skeptical reader is to do exactly that.

PetScored takes the slower path. We refuse to score when:

  • The label record is incomplete on a field the rubric needs.
  • The brand is in active conflict with a regulator and the public copy would mislead.
  • The recipe is fresh, custom, or rotated — and the bag we’d score is not the bag the customer receives.
  • The source we’d be relying on is too thin to defend.

When a block clears, the food gets a public scorecard. Until then, the absence is the honest answer.