Why every product on Right Dog Food shows its source

Every product page on Right Dog Food shows two small lines under the data: a link to the manufacturer page we took it from, and the date we last checked it. They’re the most important part of the page. Without them, you’d have to take our word for it, and you shouldn’t have to.

Recipes change, and labels follow

Manufacturers reformulate foods. An ingredient supplier changes, a price rises, a new protein is added, a preservative is swapped. The product name and bag design often stay the same, so the change is easy to miss.

For most dogs a small recipe change doesn’t matter. For a dog avoiding chicken, it can matter a lot if the new recipe adds chicken fat. A database that was right last year can be wrong today, and nothing on the page would tell you.

A check date tells you how fresh the information is. A source link lets you see the current label yourself in one click.

What we take from the source

For each formula we record what the manufacturer publishes:

• the full ingredient list, in label order
• the guaranteed analysis
• the calorie statement, in kcal per kg and per cup or can
• the life stage and AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement
• the product format and sizes

We store the URL we took it from and the date we fetched it. We don’t rewrite the ingredient list, sort it, or fill gaps with guesses. If a manufacturer doesn’t publish a value, we show it as missing rather than estimate it. Our methodology page explains the process in full, including how we spot-check our own work.

Why not just trust the database

Because databases drift, including ours. Data entry mistakes happen. A parser misreads a table. A page changes after we’ve read it. We check a sample of products by hand against the manufacturer’s page, and we fix errors when readers report them, but we can’t promise a perfect record across thousands of formulas.

What we can do is make every number traceable. If our page and the manufacturer’s page disagree, the manufacturer’s label wins, and we want you to be able to see that immediately.

What a check date doesn’t promise

A recent check date means our record matched the manufacturer’s published information on that day. It doesn’t mean every bag in every shop matches it. Stores sell through old stock, and a reformulated food can sit on the shelf beside the previous version for months. The label on the bag in your hand is always the final word, which is why we try to make it easy to compare the two.

The objection: “nobody clicks source links”

Most people don’t, most of the time. That’s fine. The link is there for the moment it matters: when your dog reacts to a food that looked fine on paper, when your vet asks exactly what’s in the bag, or when something on our page looks wrong.

The check date also does work even when nobody clicks. It forces us to keep the data current, because a page that says “Checked 18 months ago” looks as stale as it is.

Where this matters most

Allergens. When our Label Checker or Food Finder says an ingredient list doesn’t contain chicken, it’s describing the list we recorded on the check date. If the food has changed since, the source link is how you’d find out.

Recalls. Recall notices name specific products and lot numbers. We link to the official notice so you can check your bag against the original, not against our summary of it.

Calories. Portion sizes depend on kcal per cup. A reformulated food with a different calorie content needs a new portion, and the check date tells you when we last confirmed the number.

What this means for you

• Look at the check date on any product you rely on.
• Use the source link if your dog has a strict avoid-list, or if anything looks off.
• If you find a difference between our page and the label, tell us through the contact page. We correct it and update the date.

Our editorial policy explains how we handle corrections and what we will and won’t say about a food.