How the Reviews team tests pet products at Business Insider

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The Reviews team at Business Insider has been covering pet products for over six years. Helmed by senior editor Lisa Sabatini, our buying guides undergo rigorous research, testing, and medical reviews before publication.

The reporters we work with are experts in the field who have worked as dog trainers, studied veterinary science, and assisted in vet offices. We also consult dozens of veterinarians, animal behaviorists, dog trainers, pet-safety experts, and devoted pet owners to guide us in recommending products that offer the best quality, value, and safety.

Our approach to testing and recommending pet products

Our product coverage prioritizes animal health and welfare. For each guide, reporters consult veterinarians, animal behaviorists, and other pet experts to identify essential product criteria. Our editor works alongside reporters to develop a testing methodology uniquely tailored to each product category, considering use cases for different pets and households.

Our recommendations for pet food, medicine, and supplements are based on rigorous reporting and research. We develop evaluation criteria for these products based on feedback from impartial experts, such as board-certified veterinary nutritionists and behaviorists. In addition, our buying advice aligns with standards set by organizations such as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Association of American Feed Control Officials, FDA, and Companion Animal Parasite Council.

Before publication, our independent medical reviewers, who are licensed veterinarians, ensure the accuracy of each guide.

What we look for

While every pet's needs and preferences are different, our evaluations are based on a shared set of standards used for all the products we recommend, including:

• Safety and comfort for pets
• Ease of use for people
• Durability and performance after repeated use
• Price and overall value
• Product claims regarding health and wellness

Final recommendations reflect product performance in testing, comparisons with others we've tested in the same category, and the value offered for the price.

Editorial independence and standards

Our recommendations are editorially independent. We do not accept payment in exchange for guaranteed coverage or positive reviews, and brands do not review our content before publication. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission, and you'll always see a disclaimer on Reviews stories about this.

Our editor collaborates with reporters to develop and refine testing methodologies to ensure consistent standards across our pets coverage. As part of Business Insider — a global newsroom read by millions each month — our Reviews team follows established journalistic standards focused on accuracy, fairness, and transparency.

Pet products we cover

Food: Choosing a pet food is one of the most important decisions you'll make for your cat or dog. Our reporters explain what to look for, from a formula's nutritional adequacy to a brand's reputation and manufacturing standards. We consult board-certified veterinary nutritionists to guide our recommendations, then evaluate hundreds of options to identify the best cat food and dog food. We've also fed our own dogs fresh food to narrow down the best brands.

Medicine and supplements: There's no shortage of pet products that make big health claims, but safety and effectiveness can vary widely. Our reporters consult veterinarians, peer-reviewed research, and guidelines from the Companion Animal Parasite Council and the FDA to evaluate flea and tick treatments for dogs and cats. When recommending dog supplements, we scrutinize health claims, ingredients, and manufacturing standards that meet the National Animal Supplement Council's guidelines.

Dog supplies: Our recommendations are rooted in real-life testing with dozens of dogs of different sizes, ages, and activity levels. Editors and reporters have logged thousands of hours with their own dogs to evaluate everyday essentials like no-pull dog harnesses, leashes, and coats, as well as comfort-focused items like orthopedic dog beds. We assess fit, durability, comfort, ease of use, and how well products hold up to daily wear.

Cat supplies: Cats can be especially particular about their environment, so our recommendations focus on products that balance function, cat comfort, and ease of use. Our editors test cat supplies in real homes to evaluate items like litter boxes, airline-approved cat carriers, cat brushes, and automatic feeders. We consider factors like safety, durability, ease of use, cleaning, and — most importantly — whether products meet the preferences of finicky cats.

Pet toys: Toys play a key role in keeping pets physically active and mentally stimulated, but not every toy works for every animal. Our editors test dog and cat toys with dozens of pets to evaluate engagement, durability, and safety across different play styles. From puzzle toys and balls to scratchers and toys for aggressive chewers, we look for options that keep pets interested over time and hold up to real-world use.

How we test pet products

The pet products market is as vast as the unique personalities and needs of our pets. Our editor works closely with reporters to determine different use cases for each product type and design testing methodologies that cover a wide range of ages, breed sizes, and needs.

We test pet accessories, supplies, and toys with our own cats and dogs to evaluate real-world performance and observe how our pets interact with them. For many buying guides, we also recruit other Reviews editors and reporters to test products with their cats and dogs. This helps us understand how well a product works across different breed sizes, behaviors, and play styles.

For items used daily at home, such as litter boxes and dog beds, we test them for at least two weeks. During this time, we closely observe whether our pets show clear preferences and document our own experiences using, cleaning, and maintaining the products. Less frequently used items, such as nail clippers and brushes, are used at least once with a pet.

Beyond real-life use, we also conduct durability tests designed to simulate longer-term wear. While a product may perform well over a few weeks, we want to understand how it will hold up months or even years later. To do this, we apply extra force to fasteners, run zippers repeatedly, soil and wash beds and accessories, and simulate behaviours such as scratching, chewing, and digging.

Meet our expert pets team

Our editor and reporters have over 40 years of combined experience reporting on pet care. Our medical reviewers are both licensed veterinarians with a combined 20 years of practice experience.

Lisa Sabatini, Senior Pets Editor

Lisa Sabatini is the pets editor for Reviews. She has been with the Reviews team since 2020. In her role, Lisa works closely with reporters to develop rigorous research and testing methodologies and oversees all aspects of pet product coverage, from guide planning through publication.

Lisa collaborates with veterinary medical reviewers to ensure recommendations meet high standards for animal health and welfare. She has edited more than 100 buying guides and regularly participates in product testing, evaluating everything from dog beds to dog puzzle toys. In 2022, she moderated the SXSW panel "Pet Tech and the Changing Pet-Owner Relationship," which explored how technological innovation is reshaping the pet care industry.

Lisa began her journalism career at The Wall Street Journal and later edited parenting and lifestyle content at Scary Mommy. Lisa has also worked as a freelance developmental editor for Callisto, where she edited dog training books for young readers. Over the past decade, she has adopted and cared for two shelter dogs through their senior years, deepening her interest in evidence-based, rewards-based training.

See Lisa's LinkedIn.

Dr. Julie Liu, DVM, Veterinary Medical Reviewer

Dr. Julie Liu is a veterinarian, consultant, freelancer, and speaker based in Austin, Texas. She has been a veterinary medical reviewer on the Reviews team since 2024, focusing on our product coverage for cats.

Especially passionate about felines and advocating for the emotional health of all pets, Dr. Liu has contributed extensive educational content to Fear Free, including blogs, webinars, and a self-paced course for vet professionals that focus on improving the emotional welfare of cats and dogs.

Dr. Liu is an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional and certified Cat Friendly Veterinarian, and has presented at the local and national levels. She also volunteers for the FelineVMA's Cat Friendly Practice committee, which focuses on making vet visits less stressful for felines.

In late 2023, Dr. Liu started My Family Cat, an in-home and virtual cat behavior consulting practice supporting the cats of the Austin area.

Learn more about Dr. Liu at Flux Veterinary, My Family Cat, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Dr. Sorin McKnight, DVM, Veterinary Medical Reviewer

Dr. Sorin McKnight is a veterinarian at Wellborn Road Veterinary Medical Center in College Station, Texas, with over 10 years of clinical experience. She has served as a veterinary medical reviewer for the Reviews team since 2021, providing expert guidance on pet nutrition, flea and tick prevention, and pet care products.

Dr. McKnight has a special interest in preventative medicine and nutrition, with a focus on improving long-term health and quality of life for companion animals. She is a graduate of St. George's University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Outside of practice, Dr. McKnight enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Jackie Brown, Freelance Reporter

Jackie Brown is a freelance reporter for Reviews. She has covered pet health and wellness products for Reviews since 2019. Jackie was integral in launching our dog food coverage and specializes in parasite preventives and dog grooming tools. She consults a network of veterinarians to carefully narrow down her product recommendations, such as flea and tick treatments and dewormers. She's also tested fresh dog food with her own pup, Jäger.

Jackie's expertise is rooted in her 8 years as a veterinary assistant in animal hospitals, followed by a 20-year career writing and editing for pet and veterinary industry media. Her work spans general pet health and care, nutrition, grooming, behavior, training, veterinary and health topics, rescue and animal welfare, lifestyle, and the human-animal bond.

She is also a contributing writer to "National Geographic's Complete Guide to Pet Health, Behavior, and Happiness" and the author of "It's Raining Cats and Dogs: Making Sense of Animal Phrases."

See Jackie's website.

Janelle Leeson, Freelance Reporter

Janelle Leeson is a freelance reporter for Reviews. Since 2023, she has reported extensively on pet food and tested hundreds of products with her two cats. Her approach is grounded in scientific principles that prioritize a pet's biological needs for play, proper nutrition, and environmental enrichment.

Janelle applies rigorous testing methodologies across product categories, from evaluating cat litters to identifying the top airline-friendly cat carriers. She also consults with veterinarians, veterinary nutritionists, and animal behaviorists to inform her reporting. Her work includes more than a dozen pet food guides that provide evidence-based recommendations for puppies, kittens, adult dogs and cats, and senior pets.

She is a three-time Certificate of Excellence winner from the Cat Writers' Association and has been both a panelist and a selected panel contributor for the American Society of Journalists and Authors' annual conference. She is also a former volunteer cat foster for Portland-based rescues, where she fostered more than 50 cats and kittens over a 5-year span.

Janelle holds a B.S. in biology and transitioned to freelance journalism after a decade-long career in the field. Her pet coverage has appeared in Inside Your Dog's Mind, Inside Your Cat's Mind, and Paw Print magazines, as well as online at Rover, PetMD, Daily Paws, Fetch by The Dodo, and more. She also writes about beauty, fashion, and parenting for several publications.

See Janelle's LinkedIn.