The Wise Tools, and how we score

Is a named animal protein first, how much of the panel is genuinely animal-derived, and which organs are present — liver, heart and other appropriate organs are scored separately. Plain named meat is never treated as a rendered meal, bone is never counted as muscle meat, and concentrated plant proteins used to lift the protein figure are penalised.

Every food ingredient is mapped to a canonical identity, tiered, and weighted by its position in the panel. Added vitamins and minerals are separated out first and contribute nothing to this denominator — a product isn't rewarded or punished for its premix.

Carbohydrate as published by the manufacturer, or calculated only when ash is disclosed — no ash means no calculated carbohydrate, and the criterion is marked unknown rather than guessed. Refined starches, combined pulse load and split plant fractions apply deductions; whole vegetables and fruit do not.

How the food is made — raw, freeze-dried, air-dried, gently cooked, canned, baked or extruded — and how much of the original ingredient survives that process.

Ingredient origin, country of manufacture, facility disclosure and how specific the brand is about where the food comes from. Undisclosed is scored as unknown and removed from the denominator — never invented, never assumed.

Guaranteed analysis, calcium and phosphorus, and the adequacy statement — always read at the individual formula level. Adequacy, life stage and nutrient values can never be inherited from a brand or product line.

Pathogen testing, HACCP and CFIA registration, batch testing and recall history, with recalls inside 24 months shown directly on the product.

Single-ingredient and named whole-food treats score highest. Unnamed meat, animal digest, by-products, and long low-value panels pull the score down.

Choke, fracture, obstruction and splinter risk by treat format and hardness. Very hard chews are capped regardless of ingredients.

Full panel, guaranteed analysis, calories, country of origin, sourcing of the protein.

Protein, fat, calories per piece and how a normal serve fits inside the 10%-of-daily-calories treat rule.

Corn, wheat, soy, sugar, molasses, tapioca and starch binders used to pad the recipe.

Artificial colours, artificial flavours, BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin, propylene glycol, nitrites and other label-declared additives.

Each active is matched against published canine research. Human-only or in-vitro evidence is labelled as such and never counted as canine evidence.

Amount per scoop compared to studied ranges for the dog's weight. Sprinkle doses of a good ingredient score as a sprinkle dose.

The specific form matters — chelated minerals, EPA/DHA content rather than 'fish oil', standardised botanical extracts.

Per-active amounts, not proprietary blends. A blend that hides its split is scored as unverifiable.

Third-party testing, heavy-metal and contaminant screening, NASC quality seal, batch COAs.

Actives with known interactions or narrow safety margins are flagged with a vet-first warning and capped.

Weighted hardest — puppies mouth every surface and metabolise less well than adults.

Acute and chronic exposure risk for a full-grown dog living on the treated surface.

Residue left on floors, corrosivity and irritation on pads.

VOCs, aerosols, ammonia and chlorine off-gassing in the shared airspace.

What happens when a dog licks the treated surface before it dries — the most common real-world exposure.

Biodegradability, aquatic toxicity, packaging.

Does it actually work — a low-tox product that doesn't clean gets used twice as heavily.