Editorial policy

This policy covers every article on Right Dog Food: guides, blog posts, news and comparison pages. Product data follows our separate methodology.

What we publish

• Guides explain how to read labels, compare foods and feed the right amount.
• Blog posts are analysis and opinion from our editors, clearly labelled as such.
• News reports recalls, regulation changes and research, with a link to the primary source.
• Comparisons put two or more foods side by side using data from our database.

Sources

We rely on primary sources: the US Food and Drug Administration, AAFCO, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, the National Research Council’s nutrient requirements for dogs, peer-reviewed research, and manufacturers’ own published information for product facts. We link to the sources we use, and list them at the end of each article.

We don’t invent statistics, quotes, studies, experts or credentials. If we don’t have a number, we don’t give one.

Health topics

Dog food content can affect animal health, so we hold it to a higher standard:

• We describe what labels and research say. We don’t diagnose conditions or recommend treatments.
• We never call a food or ingredient “safe” or “unsafe” for an individual dog.
• We say clearly when the evidence is incomplete, and where it comes from.
• We recommend talking to a vet at the points where a decision depends on your dog’s health.

Fact-checking

Every article is checked against its sources by an editor before it’s marked as fact-checked. Until then it isn’t submitted for indexing by search engines.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it promptly and update the date on the article. If the error changed the meaning of the article, we add a short correction note at the end explaining what changed. Report an error through the contact page.

Independence

Brands can’t pay to be listed, ranked, reviewed or featured. We don’t accept free products in exchange for coverage. Some links to retailers may earn us a commission; editors don’t see which products earn commissions when writing, and commissions never change our data or the order of results. See our affiliate disclosure.

Writing standards

We write in plain English, lead with the answer, and use specific numbers with units. Our full writing guide covers voice, structure and the phrases we avoid.