Affiliate Disclosure

Our Commitment to Transparency

Chowmark is a reader-supported platform. We believe you deserve to know exactly how we make money and how that affects — or rather, does not affect — the scores and information we publish.

What Is an Affiliate Relationship?

When you click a retailer link on Chowmark (such as links to Amazon, Chewy, PetSmart, or other stores) and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission from that retailer. This commission comes at no additional cost to you — you pay the same price whether or not you arrived via our link.

How We Earn Commissions

We participate in the following affiliate programs:

• Amazon Associates (US and Canada) — We earn commissions on qualifying purchases made through Amazon.com and Amazon.ca links.
• Chewy Affiliate Program — We earn commissions on qualifying purchases made through Chewy.com links.
• Skimlinks — We use Skimlinks to manage affiliate relationships with multiple retailers including PetSmart, Pet Valu, Walmart, and others. Skimlinks automatically converts eligible links to affiliate links.
• Other retailers — We may have direct affiliate relationships with additional pet food retailers from time to time.

Our Independence Policy

Our affiliate relationships never influence our scores, rankings, or editorial content. Specifically:

• Products are scored using our published methodology regardless of whether an affiliate relationship exists for that product.
• We do not accept payment from brands to improve their scores or rankings.
• We do not accept free products in exchange for favorable coverage.
• Brands cannot purchase placement in our "Top Rated" or "Best Of" lists.
• A product with no affiliate link available will receive the same scoring treatment as one with a high-commission affiliate link.

Where You'll See Affiliate Links

Affiliate links appear in the "Where to Get It" section on product pages and in the "Replace this food" section on recall pages. These sections are clearly labeled. We show retailer links because we believe helping you find a product quickly is a genuine service — the commission is how we fund the platform.

Regulatory Compliance

This disclosure complies with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guidelines on endorsements and testimonials (16 CFR Part 255) and Canada's Competition Bureau guidelines on influencer marketing and affiliate relationships. We are committed to clear, prominent disclosure of all material connections.

Questions

If you have questions about our affiliate relationships or editorial independence, contact us at [email protected].