How we grade

Every product gets a score out of 100. Foods are scored on four parts: safety and recall record (30), nutrition standards from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association guidelines (25), owner ratings (30) and value (15). Treats and dental chews are scored on three: safety (40), owner ratings (40) and value (20). Scores compare products within the same category, so a dry dog food is only ranked against other dry dog foods. Prices and ratings were checked in October 2026.

What we graded

For each category we picked the brands that sell most, using 2026 sales estimates from Amazon and Chewy's best-seller and review data. Each brand is graded on its top-selling formula, so the grade applies to that product, with the brand's recall history counted. We graded the top 15 brands of dry dog food, wet dog food, dry cat food and wet cat food, and 8 each of dog treats, dog dental chews, cat treats and cat dental treats.

Safety and recall record (30 for food, 40 for treats)

Every product starts with 40 (for foods, the result is then scaled to 30). Each FDA-listed recall, withdrawal or advisory for the same brand line from 2016 to today takes points off:

• Severity: 10 points for a harmful nutrient level or a pathogen (for example excess vitamin D, low thiamine, thyroid hormone, Salmonella), 6 for foreign material or mold, 3 for mislabeling or packaging problems.
• How related it is: full weight when it hit the same kind of product, half when it hit another product for the same species, 40% for other species. Recalls of vet-only prescription lines count for a quarter of that.
• How recent it is: full weight for the last five years, 60% for five to ten years ago.

Dental chews and treats are scored on 30 points of recall record plus up to 10 for the Veterinary Oral Health Council seal: 10 if accepted for both plaque and tartar, 8 for one. The seal means the company submitted trial results showing the product works. Rawhide-style chews lose 6 points for choking and blockage risk.

Recall sources: FDA recalls and withdrawals, AVMA recall alerts and published recall histories. Every recall on a product page links to its source.

Nutrition standards, foods only (25 points)

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association's guidelines on selecting a pet food say the label can't tell you much about quality. Instead, they tell owners to put a few questions to the company: who formulates the food and what their qualifications are, who makes it, what quality control it runs, and whether it does and publishes research. If a company can't or won't answer, WSAVA's advice is to be cautious.

The Pet Nutrition Alliance, a group of veterinary organizations, puts those questions to pet food companies and publishes the answers. We score each food's maker on its answers (collected June to November 2022, published in 2023):

• Qualified nutritionist (8): 8 for a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist (DACVIM Nutrition or ECVCN), 6 for a full-time PhD animal nutritionist.
• Makes its own food (6): the share of plants the company owns. WSAVA asks owners to check whether a food is "made by" the brand or "made for" it by someone else.
• Answers the questions (5): 5 for answering and supplying the level of a nutrient on request, which shows nutrient testing is in place.
• Published research (6): 6 for running its own pet nutrition research program that publishes in peer-reviewed journals.

Makers that didn't answer the survey score 0 of 25. That follows WSAVA's "be cautious" advice and isn't proof that a recipe is bad. If a company publishes its answers, email us and we'll re-grade it. Brands owned by the same company share one nutrition score, and where a brand has changed hands since the survey (Rachael Ray Nutrish, Meow Mix and 9Lives moved from J.M. Smucker to Post Holdings in 2023) we say so on the page. Treats and dental chews aren't complete diets, so they don't get this score.

Owner ratings (30 for food, 40 for treats)

We use the star rating and number of ratings from the retailer with the most reviews for that exact product, usually Chewy or Amazon. Ratings from only a few shoppers can swing, so we blend each rating with a 4.4-star average weighted like 300 extra ratings. A product needs a lot of reviews to move far from the middle. The adjusted rating maps to points on a straight line from 3.8 stars (0 points) to 4.9 stars (40 points), scaled to 30 for foods.

Value (15 for food, 20 for treats)

We compare cost within the category: dollars per 1,000 calories for dry food, per ounce for wet food, treats and cat dental treats, and per chew for dog dental chews. The cheapest product gets 20 points and the most expensive gets 4, on a logarithmic scale between them. For foods that's scaled to 15 and 3.

Letter grades and confidence

A is 85 and up, B is 75 to 84, C is 65 to 74, D is 55 to 64 and F is below 55. Confidence is High with 2,000 or more ratings, Medium with 300 to 1,999 and Low below 300.

What we don't grade

We don't test products ourselves, and we don't judge individual recipes or ingredient lists. Every food we graded is sold as complete and balanced. The nutrition score rates the company behind the food against WSAVA's questions, not the recipe in the bag. A high grade means a clean recall record, a qualified maker, happy owners and a fair price, not that one recipe suits every pet. Ask your vet about your own pet's diet.

Rules we follow

• Every claim has a source. Recall notices, ratings and prices link back to where they came from.
• No paid placements. We may earn a commission from retailer links, and we say so on every page with those links. Commissions never change a grade, and brands can't pay to be graded or ranked.
• Grades get updated. We recheck prices, ratings and recalls regularly, and a new recall changes a grade right away.
• Mistakes get fixed. Email hello@petgraded.com if something looks wrong.