This rubric evaluates pet supplement brands as buyer-verifiable evidence systems. Only public information available at the time of review is counted. Internal claims, off-page certifications, or correspondence-only evidence are excluded unless surfaced publicly. Scores are deterministic. Per-criterion rationale is written by the editorial team only after source-backed attributes are extracted, archival snapshots captured, and mapped to fixed score-tier definitions.
Criteria
8 · independently scored
Tier ladder
10 · 7 · 4 · 1
C.01
Weight × 15
Label And Dose Transparency
Evaluates whether the brand publicly discloses active ingredients, per-serving amounts, supplement facts panels, inactive ingredients, and proprietary blend status across its product line. Brand-level criterion — scored against the modal product line, not the best-disclosed SKU.
Can I see exactly what is in this brand's products and how much, across the full line — not just on the flagship?
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10Full active-by-active mg/IU/mcg disclosure across every product in the line, with serving sizes clearly defined, no proprietary blends, and consistent disclosure standards from flagship to least-purchased SKU.
9Disclosure is near-complete across the line, with one or two products holding a minor blend-level ambiguity for secondary ingredients only.
8Most products in the line disclose per-active doses, but at least one product uses a proprietary blend or omits secondary-active amounts.
7Disclosure is strong on the flagship but inconsistent across the broader line — multiple products use proprietary blends or grouped amounts.
4Some products show partial dose disclosure, but proprietary blends, undisclosed amounts, or blend-only labeling dominate the line.
1The brand publishes ingredient lists but does not meaningfully disclose per-active doses on the products a buyer would compare.
C.02
Weight × 10
Scientific Rationale Disclosure
Evaluates whether the brand publicly explains why specific ingredients were selected, what biological roles they serve, and whether claimed benefits are connected to a plausible mechanism. Marketing language that asserts benefits without explaining the biology fails this criterion. Scores of 7-10 additionally require that mechanism claims reference recognized biology or citable literature; a detailed public rationale built on non-recognized mechanisms is capped at 6 — the disclosure is real, but a buyer cannot verify it against independent sources.
Does the brand explain why each ingredient is in the product, or just that it is?
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10The brand publishes a public, criterion-by-criterion explanation of ingredient selection, biological role, and mechanism for every meaningful active across the line — with citations to ingredient-level research where applicable.
9Ingredient rationale is published for the flagship and most secondary products, with only minor mechanism explanations missing.
8Most ingredients have surface-level rationale, but meaningful actives are described in benefit language rather than mechanism language.
7Rationale is present in places but inconsistent — some products explain ingredient logic, others rely on benefit assertions only.
4Brand publishes broad benefit claims with little visible mechanism reasoning. Buyer cannot evaluate whether ingredients were thoughtfully selected.
1No public ingredient rationale. Claims rest on marketing language rather than disclosed biological logic.
C.03
Weight × 15
Evidence And Clinical Citation Transparency
Evaluates whether the brand distinguishes ingredient-level published research from finished-formula clinical trials, cites studies accessibly, avoids borrowing unrelated research, and discloses whether finished-product RCTs actually exist. 'Clinically tested' / 'clinically proven' language must point to a verifiable study or be explicitly qualified.
If the brand says clinically tested, can I read the study — and is it on this product or borrowed from an ingredient?
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10Brand explicitly distinguishes ingredient-level research from finished-formula research, cites publicly accessible studies with author and journal information, avoids borrowing unrelated trials, and discloses honestly when no finished-formula clinical study exists.
9Citation discipline is strong but one product page lightly borrows ingredient-level evidence as if it were finished-formula evidence.
8Cites real studies on most products, but some claims rest on ingredient research presented in finished-formula context without explicit qualification.
7Citation is sometimes present but uneven — some products borrow research from related ingredients without distinguishing the source.
4Uses clinical-style language without surfacing the underlying studies, or routinely borrows ingredient-level research as finished-formula evidence.
1Uses 'clinically tested', 'clinically proven', or similar language with no underlying citation visible to buyers.
C.04
Weight × 15
Veterinary And Expert Transparency
Evaluates whether the brand publicly identifies veterinarians, nutritionists, formulators, scientific advisors, or expert reviewers by name, credentials, role, and scope of involvement. Anonymous 'our veterinarian team' or 'developed with experts' fails this criterion.
Who is the named veterinarian, nutritionist, or formulator behind this brand, and what was their actual role?
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10Named veterinarians, nutritionists, formulators, or scientific advisors are surfaced publicly with full credentials, role descriptions, scope of involvement, and biographical context — visible from the brand's primary navigation.
9At least one named expert is fully surfaced with credentials and role. Secondary expert involvement is mentioned but not as thoroughly documented.
8Named experts are present but reachable only via deep navigation or with partial credential disclosure.
7Brand references 'veterinarian formulated' or 'expert designed' with at least one name visible somewhere on the site, but credentials, role, or scope remain vague.
4Uses 'veterinarian-formulated' or 'expert-developed' language without any named individual visible to buyers.
1No named veterinary or expert involvement is publicly disclosed.
C.05
Weight × 15
Testing And COA Transparency
Evaluates whether the brand publicly discloses finished-product testing, contaminant panels, microbial testing, potency verification, named third-party laboratories, public COA lookup, and lot-level traceability across its product line.
Can I look up the lab report for the specific bottle I'm about to buy — and do I know which lab did the testing?
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10Public, lot-linked COA lookup is available across the product line, with named third-party laboratories, full contaminant and microbial panels, potency verification, and consistent batch traceability.
9COA program is strong but lot-lookup access is incomplete on at least one secondary product, or one element of the panel scope is not fully surfaced.
8Third-party testing is publicly described with at least one named lab, but lot-level COA access is partial or only available on request.
7Testing is referenced publicly, but COA access is limited, generic, or not connected to specific lots.
4Brand asserts testing but does not name laboratories, surface COAs, or connect testing to specific batches.
1No meaningful public testing disclosure beyond generic 'tested for quality' language.
C.06
Weight × 10
Manufacturing And Quality-System Transparency
Evaluates whether the brand publicly discloses manufacturing locations, facility-level quality signals (NASC, cGMP, HACCP, FDA registration, SQF, ISO), sourcing logic, and traceability practices. Brand-level criterion — surfaces structural quality, not per-product testing.
Where is this brand actually manufactured, under what quality system, and what does the brand disclose about sourcing?
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10Manufacturing locations are publicly named at the facility level (facility name, city, state) with disclosed facility certifications (NASC, cGMP, HACCP, FDA registration, SQF, ISO), sourcing logic, and traceability practices documented from primary navigation. Facility identity disclosed + quality system disclosed.
9Manufacturing disclosure is strong, with minor gaps in either facility certification scope or sourcing logic detail. Facility identity AND quality system both disclosed, but at least one is incomplete.
8Quality system disclosed (NASC / cGMP / FDA-registered named) but facility identity is held at country or region level rather than facility, city, and state.
7Brand discloses one manufacturing or quality element (e.g., 'Made in USA' or 'cGMP') without further detail. Facility identity not surfaced.
4Quality system language is present but generic, with no named facility, certification body, or sourcing detail.
1No public manufacturing or quality-system disclosure.
C.07
Weight × 10
Claim Discipline And Consumer Honesty
Evaluates whether the brand's marketing pattern avoids high-certainty claim language that its own public evidence does not match. This criterion does not adjudicate whether claims are true; it measures the gap between the confidence a buyer is given and the evidence the buyer can check. Failure modes: disease-treatment implications, lifespan-extension promises, unqualified 'clinically proven/tested' language without a verifiable finished-product citation, before/after implications without supporting evidence, hero badges whose scope the public record does not substantiate, and above-the-fold outcome framing with no inline qualifier. Brand-level criterion — pattern of marketing, not individual product copy.
Does the brand's marketing language stay inside what its evidence can actually support?
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10Brand marketing consistently stays inside supportable claim language, qualifies clinical-style language explicitly above-the-fold, avoids disease-treatment implications, and treats consumer trust as a constraint on what can be claimed.
9Claim discipline is strong with only minor instances of borderline phrasing on secondary product pages.
8Generally disciplined, but isolated marketing claims overshoot the evidence base on at least one product or campaign. Above-the-fold framing may use broad words (e.g., 'complete') without an inline qualifier.
7Mixed — some product pages or marketing campaigns make claims that the brand's evidence cannot fully support.
4Routinely uses 'clinically proven,' 'cures,' 'guaranteed results,' or similar high-confidence language without underlying citations.
1Brand marketing makes disease-treatment claims, exaggerated lifespan claims, or high-certainty clinical language with no checkable public evidence as standard practice.
C.08
Weight × 10
Accessibility And Buyer Verifiability
Evaluates whether the buyer can actually find and inspect the relevant evidence before purchase, without emailing support, decoding vague badges, or trusting unsupported claims. Brand-level criterion — measures the navigability of the evidence the brand publishes.
Can a buyer find the science, the testing, the experts, and the manufacturing details in three clicks from the brand's home page?
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10Evidence — science, testing, named experts, manufacturing — is reachable within three clicks from a single consolidated trust hub (e.g., 'Evidence & Trust' landing page) plus primary navigation, with clear page titles.
9Evidence is reachable via primary navigation but distributed across multiple top-level links rather than a single consolidated trust hub.
8Most evidence is reachable, but one or two of the four pillars require deeper navigation or are split between header and footer.
7Evidence exists but requires effort to find — search bar use, footer-only links, or third-party retailer pages.
4Evidence is partially published but access requires support contact, account creation, or unsupported third-party links.
1Evidence is not meaningfully accessible to buyers before purchase.
