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The Comparison

Four Foods, One Method

The same five measures, applied to each food from its own figures.

Four Foods, One Method. Each row is one measure; the best figure in a row is marked.
01 Blue Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Swap Remove 02 Blue Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice Swap Remove 03 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Swap Remove 04 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley Swap Remove
01 Protein, Dry Matter Higher Is Better 26-32% dm reads typical mainstream. 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 24.4% 02 Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice 28.9% Best in this row 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 21.7% 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley 22.2%
02 Carbohydrate Load, Dry Matter Lower Is Better Estimated, 6% ash assumed. Estimated, not measured. It is what is left of the guaranteed analysis once protein, fat, fiber and moisture are taken out, with ash assumed at 6%. That leftover is mostly starch but also carries sugars and the fiber a crude-fiber test misses, so read it as a close estimate rather than an exact figure. Measured as fed, the same basis as the bag. 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 48% 43.0% as fed 02 Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice 42% 38.0% as fed Best in this row 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 54% 49.0% as fed 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley 54% 48.5% as fed
03 Named Proteins In The First Five Count of named animal proteins. The count matches any named animal word in the opening five ingredients, so it also counts animal fats and flavourings as proteins. It is shown because it is one of the five measured lines, but it is too rough to call a winner on. 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 2 of 5 02 Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice 2 of 5 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 1 of 5 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley 1 of 5
04 Flagged Additives Level Lower Is Better Matched against the flag list. 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice None 02 Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice None 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice None 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley None
05 Brand Recall History Lower Is Better Manufacturer, not recipe. 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 5 4 in the last 3 years 02 Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice 5 4 in the last 3 years 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice None Best in this row 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley None Best in this row
Starch, As Fed Estimated, not measured. It is what is left of the guaranteed analysis once protein, fat, fiber and moisture are taken out, with ash assumed at 6%. That leftover is mostly starch but also carries sugars and the fiber a crude-fiber test misses, so read it as a close estimate rather than an exact figure. Measured as fed, the same basis as the bag. 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 43.0% 02 Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice 38.0% 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 49.0% 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley 48.5%
Kcal / Cup 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 378 02 Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice 386 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 370 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley 363
First Five Ingredients 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Deboned Lamb, Menhaden Fish Meal (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Barley 02 Life Protection Formula Puppy Large Breed Chicken and Brown Rice Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Barley 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Sorghum, Whole Grain Wheat 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley Chicken, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Grain Corn, Whole Grain Sorghum

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The comparison holds four foods. Use Swap on a column to put a different one in its place.

Every figure here is the food's own. Protein and carbohydrate are converted to dry matter so foods of different moisture can be set beside each other; starch is estimated from the guaranteed analysis with ash assumed at 6.0%, and the recall record belongs to the manufacturer rather than to the recipe. Two rows are printed but never marked: the named-protein count, because the detection behind it is too rough to call a winner on, and calories, because neither more nor fewer is better without knowing the dog.

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