On PetsRadar we’re passionate about giving you the right guidance and information about your pets. Whether they’re a bouncy German Shepherd, an aloof Tortie, or a beautiful, little Holland Lop we’re here to help you care for, bond with, and enjoy your animal companions. We hire the best writers in the pet world and work with qualified veterinary professionals to make sure our articles are accurate, useful, and up to date.
The same rigor applies to the products and services we recommend. We test the products we recommend in our buying guides, wherever it’s possible. However, for some things - like dog food - we simply can’t review these items in the traditional way. No matter how hard we try, our pets won’t tell us whether they prefer Iams or Royal Canin. In these instances we turn to vets and pet nutrition experts to explain exactly what is in each food, flea, or treat type to help us decide how and what to recommend for your needs.
Below is a little more information on how we test on PetsRadar, and how we put together our buyers guides, so we can give you absolute clarity on our process, and what we’re recommending for you.
How we create food, flea, treat, and medication buying guides
- We start by researching all the best-known products in a specific topic, like dry cat food. We then check out user recommendations for more obscure products before creating a long list of items to consider.
- We narrow this list down to a shortlist based on the expertise of our writers, before turning to vets for advice on each of the products. We want to know exactly what is in each food, what they’re good for, and whether there are any ingredients that might be less beneficial for your pets.
- We then balance these factors, and determine an overall list. Our top recommendation is the item with the most beneficial effects for the majority of pets. Our second recommendation is usually the cheapest option that we’d still recommend for the majority of pets. After that, the remaining recommendations try to cover off specific needs and niches. It might be a recommendation for older dogs, or outdoor cats, for example.
- We will always include extra advice in our guides, to help you make the right choice for your needs. However, we always recommend speaking with your veterinarian if you’re in ANY way unsure if your pet has specialist dietary needs, or other medications, beyond those available over the counter.
How we test toys and pet accessories
- We always test our pet toys and accessories for at least a week, or the appropriate amount of time for the item. While we can easily play with a cat wand for a week, we wouldn’t pop our kitty into a cat carrier every day for a week.
- We look at how much each item costs and make sure we give you advice on how much you’re getting for your money.
- If we don’t like something, we’ll tell you! All our reviews are done 100% separate from any commercial considerations. And we never accept payment or any other form of favors for reviews - we are totally independent.
- If we discover that the products we test develop faults or failures over time we will go back and revise our reviews, to make sure you have the most up to date information.
- We only commission real pet owners to do our testing and buying guides, and where necessary we have experts review, or comment on, our content for added information.
