How we score dog food
Every food gets one honest score out of 100, built from four pillars and reweighted to your dog. Brands can't buy a better score.
Lily's Kitchen
Senior Recipe for Older Dogs
Independent by default
No brand sponsors a score. The same written rules are applied to every food on the site.
One honest scale
Whether wet, dry, raw or fresh, every food is judged on a like-for-like, dry-matter basis.
Reweighted to your dog
The headline score is the food. The match score adapts it to your dog's profile.
What goes into every score
Every dog food score starts with four pillar scores. Together they create the headline score out of 100.
Protein and processing
How much of the bowl is named animal protein, and how gently it got there.
- The share of the recipe that is named meat or fish, measured once the water is taken out
- Named species count in full, generic "meat" at half, vague "derivatives" at a quarter
- How the food is made, since raw, fresh and gently cooked keep more than a high-heat kibble
Example · a 92/100 food
- Protein and processingOutstanding
- Nutritional balanceOutstanding
- TransparencyOutstanding
- ValueOutstanding
Four pillars behind every headline score.
How a score comes together
The headline is the weighted blend of everything the engine measures, published to one decimal. Each pillar is published as a band word rather than a figure, so you can see at a glance where a food is strong and where it is soft. Here's an illustrative example of a food that lands at 87.
Browse real scored reviews →Lily's Kitchen
Senior Recipe for Older Dogs
What the score means
Every score sits in one of five bands, so you can read it at a glance.
- 80 and aboveOutstanding
Among the best we've assessed, and strong on every pillar.
- 70 to 80Excellent
A genuinely good choice with little to fault.
- 50 to 70Good
A solid option, with a few points worth weighing.
- Over 30Average
Does the job, but there are clearer trade-offs.
- 30 and underPoor
We'd point you to something better-matched first.
The honest bits
The things worth being upfront about.
Not veterinary advice
Our scores help you choose and compare. For a health condition, your vet always comes first.
Veterinary diets are not scored
Prescription and veterinary diets are built for a condition, not for the open market, so we review them but never score or rank them. That choice belongs with your vet.
Commercially clean
Brands can't pay to change a score or jump a ranking. Retailer links may earn us a commission, but they never touch the number.
Stop guessing. Start matching.
See how the foods you're considering actually score, and which fit your dog.
