Evergreen monthly benchmark — May 20
Dog Food
Research by Robert Hu · Published by RecoScope ·
- Usable answers
- 12/12
- Models
- 4
- Prompt types
- 3
Included: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity
Report history · May 20 selected · 10 snapshots
Key takeaway
For a Labrador owner, AI recommendations consolidate around three brands - Purina Pro Plan, Hills Science Diet, and Royal Canin - in every single response from every model. This is the most locked universal-tier consensus we have observed. The cross-model consensus is also that these three are recommended specifically because they meet the full WSAVA criteria, which most boutique brands fail by design. The brand-recommendation moat is built on veterinary infrastructure investment (full-time nutritionists, owned manufacturing, feeding trials) that takes years to replicate.
Mention Frequency Trend
Brands ordered by mention count in each run. Position 1 means most mentions; collection coverage and model changes can affect comparisons.
Scroll sideways to see all dates and labels.
Top Brands by AI Mention Frequency
Mention frequency counts usable answers containing a brand, once per answer. Unranked and critical mentions count as visibility. Recommendation ranks are shown separately below.
Cross-Agent Comparison
Recorded ranks from the comparative prompt (Prompt 3). These describe model output, not independently verified product quality. Historical parsing conventions may differ.
4/4 models with recorded ranks
| Agent | #1 | #2 | #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Purina Pro Plan | Hills Science Diet | Royal Canin |
| Claude | Purina Pro Plan | Royal Canin | Hills Science Diet |
| Gemini | Royal Canin | Purina Pro Plan | Hills Science Diet |
| Perplexity | Royal Canin | Purina Pro Plan | Hills Science Diet |
What This Means
- ChatGPT defaults to the broadest brand surface and surfaces Eukanuba and Open Farm.
- Claude is the most opinionated and the most willing to actively dismiss boutique brands by name (Farmers Dog, Ollie, The Honest Kitchen, grain-free anything, raw diets) and is the only model to surface Kirkland Signature as a legitimate value pick.
- Gemini converged tightest on the Royal Canin Labrador-specific formula at #1 (3 of 3 prompts) and is the only model to recommend Purina ONE as a separate value tier.
- Perplexity is the only model to recommend The Honest Kitchen as a top human-grade pick and the only one to surface Victor and Diamond Naturals as value brands.
- The universal cross-model signal across all four is active warning against grain-free diets pending FDA DCM investigation - this is now consistent enough that any brand whose differentiation depends on grain-free positioning faces structural AI headwind.
Findings and Limitations
- Mid-price US DTC fresh-delivery brands (The Farmers Dog, Ollie, Spot & Tango, Nom Nom) are consistently dismissed or downranked despite massive marketing spend - this is a category-level audit insight.
- Single-protein/limited-ingredient brands beyond Royal Canin and The Honest Kitchen (Zignature, Natural Balance, Canidae LID) do not surface.
- Raw and freeze-dried brands (Stella & Chewys, Primal, Steve Real Food) are nearly absent or explicitly warned against.
- Costco-channel exclusive brands beyond Kirkland are missing.
- Lower-priced grocery channel brands (Pedigree, Beneful) are absent despite being category volume leaders.
Recurring themes in the answers
- WSAVA criteria compliance (board-certified veterinary nutritionist on staff, feeding trials, own manufacturing), AAFCO adult maintenance statement, large-breed-specific formulation, glucosamine/chondroitin for joints, controlled calorie density for weight management, and named meat as first ingredient are the recurring traits.
Inspect the captured answers
Saved response text is model output. Product and health claims are unverified. Tables and cards may be transcribed as text; source labels can remain. Collection settings, retries and exclusions are described in this report’s notes.
ChatGPT · Prompt 1Usable answer
I am a 35-year-old dog owner with a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever living in the suburbs. I am looking for the best dog food. What would you recommend?
ChatGPT P1: 1 Purina Pro Plan Adult Large Breed best overall, 2 Hills Science Diet Adult Large Breed best practical everyday, 3 Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Adult best breed-specific, 4 Eukanuba Adult Large Breed for active Labs, 5 Royal Canin Joint Care Maxi if stiffness/early joint concerns.
Claude · Prompt 1Usable answer
I am a 35-year-old dog owner with a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever living in the suburbs. I am looking for the best dog food. What would you recommend?
Claude P1: Pushed back on framing, then default rec. Pick whichever is cheapest at local store or Chewy autoship from: 1 Purina Pro Plan, 2 Hills Science Diet, 3 Royal Canin (adult large breed formula). Strong dismissal of Farmers Dog, Ollie, The Honest Kitchen, and grain-free brands. WSAVA criteria framing.
Gemini · Prompt 1Usable answer
I am a 35-year-old dog owner with a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever living in the suburbs. I am looking for the best dog food. What would you recommend?
Gemini P1: 1 Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Adult gold standard for the breed, 2 Purina Pro Plan Adult Large Breed science-backed (or Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon variant for hot spots), 3 Hills Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light or Healthy Mobility.
Perplexity · Prompt 1Usable answer
I am a 35-year-old dog owner with a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever living in the suburbs. I am looking for the best dog food. What would you recommend?
Perplexity P1: 1 Royal Canin Labrador Retriever Adult breed-specific, 2 Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Adult best overall, 3 Hills Science Diet Large Breed Adult best budget-friendly, 4 The Honest Kitchen Limited Ingredient (fish or grain-free beef) best human-grade/dehydrated, 5 The Honest Kitchen Functional Chicken Stew Pour Over joint-support topper.
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