Stop hoping your dog's food is good for them. Know it.
Scan any bag in seconds, cook from a vet-informed recipe library, and watch a week of real meals add up. NatBuddy is the second opinion that lives in your pocket.
Three steps that loop into one habit.
Start with a single scan. The picture builds from there.
One score, in seconds.
Point your camera at any bag, can or treat. NatBuddy reads the ingredient list and gives you a single rating — mint for good, coral for caution. This is the color you'll see everywhere from here.
Real food you actually cook.
A curated library of vet-informed recipes, already portioned for your dog's weight. You browse and pick what fits — it's a library, never a plan you're handed. Every recipe carries the same score you trust from a scan.
See the full week, treats and all.
Log what your dog actually ate — the cooked bowl, the scoop of kibble, the treats that sneak in. The ring fills with the real story, not a wish, so a coral day shows up as a coral day.
Charlie's the guide. These two keep him busy.
Two dogs, two completely different problems, one rule: read the label first.
"I scanned the food I'd trusted for years. Coral. Switched that week — the scratching stopped inside a month."
"Two of the recipes are on permanent rotation now. Cleaner than anything on the shelf, and Theo actually finishes the bowl."
"The weekly view is the part I didn't know I needed. I can finally see the treats adding up. No guilt — just the picture."
Five tools. One healthier bowl.
Scan a label, cook a real meal, log the day, ask Charlie, and check on your dog with a photo. Each one feeds the next — follow the thread all the way down.
How the dog food score is built.
One number on a single scale, built from the label and weighed against vet-informed thresholds. No black box, no scare tactics.
On the surface you see two colors — mint for good, coral for caution. The number underneath is what moves the badge, so two foods that both look "fine" still rank against each other on the same scale.
Four things move the number.
What's listed first is what's mostly in the bag. A named whole protein up top lifts the score; corn or "meat meal" first pulls it down.
Fillers, artificial dyes, vague by-products and known irritants are checked against a vet-informed watchlist. Every flag is a deduction you can see.
Protein, fat, fiber and sodium are read against the range for your dog's size and life stage — not a one-size-fits-all average.
Specific labels score better than vague ones. If a brand won't say what's actually in the bag, that uncertainty counts against the score, not for it.
Same shelf. Two very different scores.
Vet-informed, not vet-replacing.
Our thresholds are built on veterinary nutrition guidance and kept current. A score is a fast second opinion on a label — it doesn't diagnose, and it never replaces a conversation with your own vet about your dog.
One scan away from knowing.
Scan, cook, track, and ask Charlie — the whole picture of your dog's nutrition, in one app.
Everything NatBuddy does.
Five tools, one shared number — the score you trust from a single scan runs through all of them.
Plain answers to the quiet questions.
Know what's really in the bowl.
Cook vet-informed, portioned to your dog.
Track what they actually eat.
Ask Charlie anything, anytime.
Catch changes early with health scans.
Credibility you can check.
No paid reviews. No "vet-approved" badge. Just method — and a clear line on your data.
Vet-informed method
Scores and recipes are built on vet-informed thresholds — not marketing claims or opinions.
Grounded in 11+ peer-reviewed sources
Charlie's guidance draws on published canine-nutrition literature, not guesswork.
Private by default
Your pets' data stays yours. We don't sell it — and the Privacy Notice spells out exactly what's collected.
Questions, answered plainly.
NatBuddy starts with a 3-day free trial, then continues as a subscription. You'll see the current price for your region on the App Store before you're ever charged.
We scored the food on the shelf. See where yours lands.
Every score here is built from the ingredients a brand lists — order, risk flags, balance and transparency. Open any review and check our work.
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How it scores on our method
We read the label against four things. Each result is neutral — we flag items against our watchlist, we don't call any product dangerous.
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This is NatBuddy's opinion based on the listed ingredients, not a statement of fact about the product or a health claim.
If you want a higher-scoring option
A home-cooked bowl skips the label guessing entirely. NatBuddy has vet-informed recipes built around your dog.
Common questions
NatBuddy scores are our opinion, based on the ingredients each manufacturer publicly lists as of the date shown, weighed against our published method (see The Science). They are informational, are not veterinary advice, and are not statements that any product is unsafe. Formulations change — always read the current label and consult your vet.
Brand names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. NatBuddy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any brand reviewed here.
Email is the fastest way in
Email support@natbuddy.com with your question. If it helps, add a short note on what you were doing and which device you're on. We aim to reply within 2 business days.
Subscriptions, billing & refunds
NatBuddy Pro is an optional subscription, offered in Weekly and Yearly plans, and new subscribers may get a 3-day free trial. Current pricing is shown in the App Store and at checkout before you subscribe. Because purchases go through the App Store, you manage and cancel in your Apple ID subscription settings — turn off auto-renew at least 24 hours before the period ends. Refunds are handled by Apple under Apple's policies; NatBuddy can't process refunds or cancel on your behalf.
Terms of ServicePrivacy & data requests
You can delete your account and its personal information any time, right in the app. California residents can also exercise privacy rights (to know, delete, correct and more) via our Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information page — no account needed, and we respond within 45 days. To make a request, email support@natbuddy.com.
Account & technical help
For sign-in trouble, account recovery, syncing issues or a bug, email support@natbuddy.com and include your device model, iOS version, app version, and steps to reproduce if you can — the more detail, the faster we can help. NatBuddy's recipes, scans, scanner results and Charlie are informational only and not a substitute for veterinary care; for anything about your dog's health, please consult your vet.
Vet DisclaimerCompany & mailing address
Real food, real answers for your dog.
Recipes you can actually cook, nutrition explained without the jargon, and vet-informed guides — from the team behind NatBuddy and Charlie.
What can dogs eat? The complete A–Z.
One clear verdict per food — safe, in moderation, or best avoided — each linking to the full guide with portions, prep and the safe-vs-risky details. Grounded in ASPCA and AAFCO guidance.
Informational only — always consult your vet for dietary decisions, and for any suspected poisoning call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Every food, one clear verdict
More foods are added regularly. For anything not listed, scan the label in the app or ask your vet.
Homemade recipes
How much & how often
Weight & health
Not on the list? Scan it.
Point NatBuddy at any dog food or ingredient for an instant safety score, personalized to your dog.
What these guides cover
Can dogs eat this? Clear answers on everyday foods — with genuine hazards like chocolate, grapes and xylitol flagged firmly, and the rest kept in proportion.
How much to feed, how often, and why it changes with a dog's weight, age and activity — the same math the NatBuddy app runs per pet.
Simple, real-food recipes with actual nutrition numbers, weighed against AAFCO baselines — a starting point to cook from, not a prescription.
What ingredient lists actually tell you, what the marketing hides, and how to read a bag before you trust it.
How these guides are made
Every article is grounded in published guidance from the ASPCA, AAFCO, the National Research Council (NRC) and WSAVA — and each one lists its sources at the bottom, so you can check them yourself instead of taking our word for it.
Health topics use cautious language on purpose. We flag real dangers clearly, but we won't scare you about a food that's simply worth a quick word with your vet. The scores in our reviews come from the same method the app uses — you can read it in full on The Science.
Emma Hart is the byline for NatBuddy's editorial work — the writing, research and editing behind our nutrition content. She is not a veterinarian. For anything specific to your dog's health, talk to your vet. See our Vet Disclaimer.
Put a guide in your pocket.
Scan any dog food for an instant score, cook vet-informed recipes, and log what your dog really eats.
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Want this portioned to your dog?
Portioned to your dog's exact weight, scored for nutrition, and saved to their day — that part lives in the app. Tap Cook for your dog to scale it, then Save to their day to log it.
Common questions
Sources
Guidance on this page is grounded in established veterinary-nutrition and animal-health authorities.
Informational only — not a substitute for veterinary advice. Recipes here are vet-informed and use no ingredients known to be toxic to dogs, but every dog is different. Consult your vet before changing your dog's diet.