Petfood-Advisor is a social network that aims to help you develop your skills in animal nutrition and find reliable tools to compare different pet food brands. We are particularly focused on developing AI-based tools to compare these products, create comparative tables, rankings, and establish a database in animal nutrition.
How to evaluate our pets’ food?
To compare different brands of wet and dry food for dogs and cats, you can take into account several factors such as ingredients, nutritional composition, quality standards, price, and customer reviews. You can ask your questions on the Petfood Advisor® forums!
On your part, you can try to establish your own Petfood-Score and form your own opinion as long as you use reliable information. However, it is always important to seek the advice of professionals in animal nutrition. Here is a step-by-step approach that anyone can follow to conduct a comprehensive comparison, which you can develop on our websites, such as Sos Petfood®:
1. Select the brands that interest you or that you use for your pet: Choose specific brands of wet and dry food that you want to compare, which you can find on the internet, Facebook groups, or specialized websites in animal nutrition. Make sure you have a sufficient number of brands to make meaningful comparisons because otherwise, your comparative tables may not be reliable enough.
2. Gather information on your word processor, text editor, or in the publishing spaces we provide on the Petfood Alert® website: Collect detailed information about each brand, including their ingredient lists, guaranteed analysis (nutritional composition), feeding recommendations, quality certifications, and any specific claims or advantages they advertise. Sometimes, you can easily copy and paste the information when it is available.
3. Analyze the ingredients based on the criteria you have chosen: Examine the ingredients of each brand, but be careful not to focus solely on carbohydrate levels! Indeed, you cannot rely on comparative tables based on carbohydrate levels, especially since the information on pet food packages is not guaranteed. Look for high-quality protein sources, limited fillers or by-products, natural preservatives, and essential nutrients. Pay attention to potential allergens or controversial ingredients. Take note of specific ingredients that may offer benefits (e.g., added vitamins, minerals, or supplements). And remember to seek the advice of a veterinarian or professionals with qualifications in animal nutrition.
4. Evaluate the nutritional composition based on the information you read on the labels, keeping in mind that this data is not sufficient: Review the guaranteed analysis of each brand, which includes information on protein, fat, fiber, moisture content, and other essential nutrients. Make sure the food meets the nutritional needs for the specific age range (e.g., puppy/kitten, adult, senior) and species (dog/cat).
5. Consider the advantages and disadvantages, assess the pros and cons of each brand: This may include factors such as palatability, convenience (e.g., ease of serving, packaging), special formulations (e.g., grain-free, limited ingredients), adaptability to specific dietary needs (e.g., weight management, sensitive digestion), and any potential drawbacks or concerns associated with the brand. Do not share fake news on social networks: animal nutrition is a complex discipline, and one cannot become an animal nutrition whistleblower or influencer without proper knowledge and expertise.
6. Price comparison remains an important piece of information that interests many consumers, given the regular increase in pet food prices: Take into account the cost of each brand and analyze the value for money. Compare the price per unit (ounce, pound, can, etc.) for both wet and dry food options, considering the quality of ingredients and nutritional composition. Petfood-Advisor is also working on an application to allow you to track the prices of your pet food in real-time, but this development takes a lot of time.
7. Incorporate customer reviews, which are sometimes displayed on online commerce websites or pet stores: Read the reviews and comments from customers for each brand to gather information about overall satisfaction levels, palatability, and specific experiences or concerns shared by pet owners who have used these products. However, remember that reviews can be fraudulent, and the Petfood-Score Pacta has already helped identify campaigns of fake customer reviews directed from private Facebook groups.
8. Create comparative tables for dog and cat kibble and canned food: Organize the gathered information into comparative tables to visually present key details and facilitate the comparison of different brands. You will often find that many commercial comparative tables for dog and cat kibble and canned food are inaccurate, especially when they are based on evaluated carbohydrate levels.
In conclusion, we reiterate the objectives of Petfood-Score Pacta®: to help you form an informed opinion based on reliable and verifiable information. In particular, remember that the Petfood-Score Pacta does not assign ratings to your kibble and canned food! Each animal has its own needs, and we are not veterinarians or professionals with qualifications in animal nutrition. Petfood-Advisor® does not provide nutrition advice; it is a social network and a space for discussion.