Frequently Asked Questions

We are an independent and unbiased educational site that does not participate in specific product endorsements. We provide the data behind certain supplements and foods to enable pet owners and their veterinarians to make informed decisions regarding pet health.

You are! We developed this site with the intent of a wide audience reach. To do this, we’ve attempted to package the complex science behind common pet products in a simple, accessible way that will be understandable (and hopefully helpful) to pet owners and veterinarians alike.

Our site has education as the sole focus rather than encouraging product purchasing. Using our scientific methodology and board certified veterinary specialist background, we are able to provide un-biased facts to help owners make better informed decisions regarding their pet’s health. We don’t provide rankings of the “best” products since some products may be better for certain animals. We encourage every pet owner to be informed and communicate with their veterinarian to develop a comprehensive health plan.

This is a great question and has two parts: efficacy and quality. Efficacy = do the ingredients result in a favorable effect? Quality = are the ingredients of good quality and actually represent what is advertised on the product label? We evaluate ingredient efficacy based on the scientific literature, so you can use our grading system to develop an idea of efficacy.

Quality testing is performed by 3rd parties such as National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) and consumerlab.com. Importantly, high quality does not equal efficacy, and vice versa. Ideally, a supplement would have both evidence of efficacy as well as be high in quality.

Nope.

We do not accept funding from manufacturers or affiliates for any products mentioned on our website.

At the Pet Evidence Project, we maintain a rigorous, human-led editorial process to ensure the clinical safety and scientific accuracy of our content. We pride ourselves on transparency and disclosures, including when we do, and more importantly when we don't, use generative AI. 

To preserve the integrity of our evidence-based mission, we strictly prohibit the use of generative AI for the core scientific components of our work:

• No Automated Sourcing: We do not use AI to review, select, or interpret primary source material or scientific literature.
• No Information Consolidation: The synthesis of data and the analysis of evidence are performed exclusively by board certified veterinary specialists.
• No Automated Grading: All Pet Evidence Project Grades and are determined by us without the use of AI.
• No AI-Written Articles: We do not use AI to write our specialist series articles. Every piece of content is drafted by a specialist author, though occasionally AI may be used to assist with SEO to help us reach a broader audience.

We occasionally use generative AI as a supplemental tool to help draft background scientific sections for supplement and food reviews, as well as assist with citation organization.

Regardless of AI use, sections of both supplement/food reviews and articles undergo a final mandatory peer-review process by 1–2 additional veterinary specialists before publication to ensure accuracy of information.

We can absolutely help, though we are unable to provide specific recommendations. We can show you the evidence behind certain diets and which ones to potentially avoid. As a broad approach, we recommend complete and balanced diets (not raw) appropriate for the life stage of the animal. In other words, diets that meet AAFCO requirements. Since each animal is different and may have different needs, this is a discussion best had with your veterinarian.

No. This site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or otherwise provide veterinary care. Rather, we are an informational resource that you (and your vet) can utilize to help make informed decisions regarding your pet’s care. We hope this site can help you!

This should be a big red flag indicating lack of transparency. While it can be understandable for a company to want to protect their secrets, we feel it is more important to be transparent and disclose all product information.

Since we are unable to provide veterinary advice, we recommend you discuss this option with your veterinarian. While many supplements are safe, some may have drug interactions.

Many will have dosing information listed on the package insert, though this is best discussed with your primary care veterinarian. While some literature provides more effective dosing protocols for certain supplements, we are unable to recommend specific dosing as that may expand beyond our scope as an educational resource.