How Our Ratings Work

📊 How Our Ratings Work – Explained Simply

At The Delicious Dog Food Company, we believe dog food should be judged by:

🧬 Solid, basic biological science, the kind a child could understand (we tested it on three 12-year-olds... all understood it!)
🐶 Real-world results, based on thousands of dogs over two decades
💻 Absolutely zero input from keyboard warriors, no guesses, no hype, no drama ✋

🔍 Who We Are and Why It Matters

We are not vets.
We are qualified canine nutritionists since 2004, backed by over 20 years of continuous study, practical feeding advice, and real-world experience.

Alongside this, our lead analyst (my wife) holds a Master’s Degree in Statistics, meaning everything we observe is based on real numbers, not opinion or imagination.

Many years ago, we acquired and have since carefully built one of the largest independent databases of dog health outcomes in the UK, tracking thousands of dogs, their diets, blood test results, ailments, recoveries, and life spans.

This gives us two big advantages:
✔️ Practical experience with real dogs, not theories
✔️ True statistical insight into what actually works, not just what sounds good

We do not guess.

We do not promise miracles, but we do use the knowledge and the data to increase the probability for you to provide huge benefits to your dog’s health, nutrition, and lifespan.

We follow biology, science, and real-world facts, because your dog deserves better than imagination, emotion, or marketing spin.

What we can confirm is that over the past nine professional nutrition courses we have completed, and through the thousands of real-world data entries in our database, one thing is abundantly obvious:
The same patterns, methods, and solutions continue to show up. Over and over again.

The solutions to dog nutrition and health are not difficult, they are not hidden, and they do not involve any hardship on you, your dog, or your wallet.
They just keep constantly showing up, if, and this is the big if, you follow the biology and ignore the marketing.

Because marketing does not care about your dog’s health.
It only cares how easily you open your wallet.
Biology does not care about your wallet.
It only holds the facts for you to make the right decisions, for your dog.

I implore you, look into your dog’s eyes, and re-read this paragraph again.

📌 Puppy Food Ratings Coming Soon!
We are finalising our dedicated puppy food ratings system right now, because growing dogs have different needs to adults. Watch this space, it is coming very soon!

⭐ What We Score

Every dog food is rated across four key areas, each scored out of 5 stars, for a total of 20 stars 🌟
We apply the same method to every single review, no matter the brand, flavour, or price.
That is what makes our system fair, consistent, and genuinely useful.

Each section can score between 1 and 5 stars.
• 1 star means serious concerns or poor biological suitability
• 5 stars means excellent suitability for canine biology based on the evidence we see
The final score simply adds the four sections together, meaning a food could score anything from 4 stars (very poor) to 20 stars (outstanding).

This is because we rate on reoccurring patterns we have seen, followed, and watched repeated over and over again to a high percentage.

Our own brand dog food was not produced after our findings, or before, it was produced because of our findings.

🍗 Protein Quality
This is all about the type and quality of meat in the food, not just how much protein there is.
Named, clear ingredients always stand out 🥩
Vague or sneaky wording usually means corners have been cut, and that is never a good sign.

🧬 Essential Amino Acids
Dogs need:

🧬 22 amino acids
🧪 13 vitamins
🧲 14 minerals

And they do not just need a bit of each, they need every single one in the right amount.
I bet you have not heard that very often either — or if at all.
Yet this is the very basics of nutrition, and it is our firm belief that if someone talks about dog nutrition without mentioning this, then we are not really interested in anything they have to say, because it is almost always pulled from imagination.
Well-meaning or tantrum, it does not matter.

We check whether the 10 essential amino acids are present, and in the right balance ⚖️
🔁 You will often see us recommend rotation to help make sure your dog gets everything they need over time.

🌾 Carbohydrate Balance
Dogs do not need lots of carbs, just the right amount, from the right source.
✅ Good carbs (like sweet potato or brown rice) support digestion and energy
❌ Cheap fillers (like wheat or maize) just take up space

We look closely at both the type and the amount of carbohydrate included.

🐕 Biological Suitability
This means: Does the food match what a dog’s body is built to eat?
We check:
• The meat content
• The variety of ingredients
• How well the food supports a dog’s natural digestion and biology

🔁 Again, rotation plays a part here, helping fill nutritional gaps and avoid overloads.

🔁 So, What’s Rotation? And Why Does It Matter?

Lots of people say they have never heard of rotation, and that is exactly the point.

Dogs need:
🧬 22 amino acids
🧪 13 vitamins
🧲 14 minerals

And they do not just need a bit of each, they need every single one in the right amount.

⚖️ Too little leads to deficiencies.
⚖️ Too much leads to overload.
Both can cause real health problems.

➡️ That is where rotation comes in. It means switching foods sensibly over time to help make sure your dog gets a wider range of nutrients, and in better balance.

And we will say this loud and clear:

If rotation and basic biology is not part of someone’s advice, it is not real nutrition advice.
Even vets (who do incredible work!) are often too busy treating poorly dogs to explain this side of nutrition.
That is where we come in, to help you feed smarter, not just feed better.

🔬 The Science Behind Our Ratings

We base our reviews on real biology, not opinions.
We follow clear, trusted standards from the best sources in pet nutrition:

🇬🇧 United Kingdom
• ✔️ PFMA — Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association
• ✔️ FEDIAF — European Pet Food Industry Federation
• ✔️ BVA — British Veterinary Association

🇺🇸 United States
• ✔️ AAFCO — Association of American Feed Control Officials
• ✔️ NRC — National Research Council
• ✔️ FDA — Food & Drug Administration

🇪🇺 Europe
• ✔️ FEDIAF — The recognised EU standard
• ✔️ EFSA — European Food Safety Authority
• ✔️ European Veterinary Nutrition Guidelines

"Based on the nutritional tables and research shared by FEDIAF, AAFCO, and NRC, we know that dogs require precise balances of amino acids, vitamins and minerals, not too much, and not too little. Since no single food is perfect, and because even complete formulas can lean too far in one direction, we recommend rotation to help balance the load over time."

Alongside these recognised standards, we also lean heavily on the patterns revealed through our independent database, real-world data built across thousands of dogs, their diets, illnesses, blood tests, recoveries, and life spans.

📌 We Only Rate What’s Public – No Hidden Tricks

If something’s great, it will be shouted about on the label.
If it is vague, missing, or hidden behind clever wording, that is a 🚩 red flag.

Here is our promise:
• ✅ We only rate what is publicly available, no guessing, no backroom deals
• ✅ We apply the same rules to every review
• ✅ If something is unclear or suspicious, it loses points, every time

Brands are welcome to challenge our reviews, but if they want a correction, they will need to update the information the public sees too. That is only fair.

📨 Debates, Opinions and Imagination

We often get emails and private messages where people wish to debate, argue or challenge what we do.
Here is our polite and professional position:

If you believe what you believe, then you are correct, for you.
If you do not have a qualification backed up by a comprehensive database, then what you have is imagination, and that is also your right.

We respect your views.
But our own beliefs will not change, because we will continue to be guided by biology, nutrition, science, and real-world data, not emotion or guesses.

⚠️ Why We Sometimes Downgrade High-Meat Foods

Yes, we sometimes give lower scores to foods with over 69% meat content.
Because more meat is not always better.
Our data shows this very clearly.

Marketing, whether it is from a huge worldwide manufacturer, Brian and Lisa at the local pet shop, or Karen stood in her TikTok shop, all has the same goal:
To get you to spend, spend, spend.
And they need you to spend so they can offer you more, more, more.

None of this actually helps your dog. None.
In fact, you have to understand, your dog’s internal system is far more delicate than you think, and this kind of marketing only speeds up its decline.

Also notice:
Not one of the above ever mentions the absolute basics that should be guiding your decisions.

Your dog needs:
🧬 22 amino acids
🧪 13 essential vitamins
🧲 14 minerals

And they need every single one in the right amount.
Not too little. Not too much.

So encouraging you to spend more and more, with monster bargains, giant sacks, or endless oversized treats, is not kindness.
It is fast-tracking your beautiful, loyal, loving dog into an early grave.

It is heartbreaking, because we all agree on one thing:
Dogs already do not live long enough.

Dogs need balance, not overload.

📢 A Final Word from Us

We are not here to judge brands.
We are here to help dogs live better, longer lives 🐾

Since 2004, our purpose has been simple:
To increase the probability that your dog lives a longer, healthier, more comfortable life.

We have seen dogs thrive on "budget" foods with a smart plan that we have provided, and dogs struggle on premium diets with no plan at all, simply because the owner had the plan, they just could not be bothered.

Real success is not about chasing more, it is about achieving the right balance, at the right time, in the right amounts. That is where true health begins.

So here is the truth:
✅ Feed the best you can afford
✅ Use a plan that is rooted in real biology
✅ Stick with it

That is what actually works.

🚀 Ratings Are Just a Tool – The Real Power Is the Plan

Dog food ratings are not the answer on their own.
They are just the start.

Once you combine them with a rotation system, a bit of knowledge, and the discipline to stick to it, you will start to see real, lasting results in your dog’s health and wellbeing.

That goes for our reviews, and anyone else’s too.

🐶 Need Help Choosing the Right Food?

We are always here if you need help.
No pressure, no sales talk, just honest advice that is proven to work.

💬 Message us any time. Let us help you give your dog the best chance at a longer, healthier, happier life 🐾