The Wise Tools, and how we score

Named whole proteins and organs score up; unnamed meals, by-product meals and cheap starch bulk score down. Position in the panel matters — the first five ingredients carry the most weight.

Guaranteed analysis against life-stage needs: protein, fat, fibre, moisture, ash, plus calcium:phosphorus where published. AAFCO/CVMA statement presence is checked, not assumed.

Full ingredient panel, guaranteed analysis, kcal/kg, life stage, country of manufacture and sourcing. Missing data is scored as missing — never guessed.

Facility type, HPP or pathogen testing on raw, HACCP/CFIA/SQF registration, recall history.

Real feeding cost for your dog's weight and calorie needs, from current Canadian retail pricing — not per-bag price.

Single-ingredient and named whole-food treats score highest. Rendered meals, sugars, glycerin, wheat gluten and flour bulk pull the score down.

Choke, fracture and obstruction risk by treat format and hardness. Very hard chews (antler, hooves, weight-bearing bone) 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, added salt.

Air-dried, freeze-dried and dehydrated rank above extruded and high-heat baked; smoke and cure processes are flagged.

Size range, trainability, resealable packaging, mess and shelf stability.

Named facility and country, third-party testing, recall history.

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.