How our ratings work

(a.k.a. What’s going on behind the scenes of those cheeky little stars)

Here at Barkly, we don’t just eyeball a label and cross our fingers. Every food we rate goes through a rigorous (but fair) health check using the Barkly Dry Food Health Rating System—a custom-built framework grounded in real nutritional science and inspired by guidelines from AAFCO, FEDIAF, NRC, and the latest research in canine health.

(This process currently applies to dry foods; wet foods and treats will be rated soon—stay tuned!)

But don’t stress—we’re not here to throw a textbook at you. Here’s how it all works, plain and simple.

1. Protein: The Building Blocks of Doggo Greatness

Protein’s the real MVP for dogs—helps build muscle, keeps ‘em strong, and supports all those zoomies.

We check:

How much protein is in the food (not just what it says on the front, but what really counts).

Where it comes from—named meats like “chicken” or “lamb”? Good stuff. Mystery mush like “meat by-products”? Nah.

Whether plant proteins are doing too much of the heavy lifting (peas and lentils might sound healthy, but they don’t wag tails like real meat).

We don’t just reward high protein—we reward the right kind of protein.

For air-dried foods, we score protein using dry matter basis (DMB) to account for the moisture loss during drying. This ensures a fair comparison across all foods.

2. Fat: Fuel, Flavor & Omega Vibes

Fat’s not a dirty word—good fat = energy, healthy skin, shiny coats, and brain gains. But balance is everything.

We check:

Fat % (too little = bland and boring, too much = calorie chaos).

Where the fat comes from—fish oils and named animal fats are ace. Generic "animal fat"? Bit sus.

Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio—an unbalanced ratio can mean inflammation and itchy skin. We keep it in check, especially for big breeds and joint-prone pooches.

Also, if it’s an air-dried food, we score fat differently to keep things fair. No penalties just ‘cause it’s naturally lean. We use a tailored fat scoring system for air-dried foods based on their unique composition.

3. Ingredient Quality: What’s Really in the Bowl?

Here’s where we roll up our sleeves and read every ingredient line like a detective in a Netflix doco.

We look at:

Transparency – Are the ingredients clear and specific? “Chicken”? Nice. “Animal digest”? Nope.

Fillers – Are they using rice or barley (fine), or packing it with corn, wheat, or soy? (We see you.)

Additives – Artificial colours, preservatives, flavours? That’s a red flag in our book.

Functional goodness – Bonus points for foods that include joint support, omega boosts, probiotics, and other goodies that go beyond basic.

If it’s honest, clean, and beneficial—we reward it. If it’s vague, cheap, or dodgy—it cops a penalty.

4. Caloric Density: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold

Calories matter more than you think. Too few and your dog’s missing out. Too many and they’ll pack on the pounds faster than you can say “sit.”

We score based on:

How calorie-dense the food is for the type of dog it’s meant for.

Puppies need fuel.

Seniors? Not so much.

Active working dogs? Bring it on.

For air-dried foods, we don’t rate calories directly—since air-dried foods have significantly reduced moisture content, their calories are much more concentrated. We focus on the overall composition and protein/fat quality rather than calculating precise calories.

We tailor the score to match the dog type—so a chonky couch potato doesn’t get the same rating needs as a farm-working kelpie.

Putting It All Together

Once we’ve scored all four sections, we:

Add in any bonuses (like great joint support or excellent omega ratios).

Apply penalties for sneaky stuff (like plant protein overload or vague fats).

Cap everything to keep it balanced—no section can overpower the others.

Then we convert the final score to a customer-facing 5-point scale. This is designed for simplicity—you get an easy-to-read star rating that’s simple and clear.

What We Don’t Do:

We don’t accept freebies, sponsorships or brand bribes.

We don’t sugar-coat bad formulas (even if the branding is cute as).

We don’t overwhelm you with jargon.

What You Can Count On:

Honest, data-backed reviews.

Aussie flair and straight talk in every “Quick Bite.”

A scoring system built on research, transparency, and doing right by your dog.

Barkly’s rating system was built for dog lovers, by dog nerds.
Because you shouldn’t need a PhD to buy good food for your best mate.