The Comparison
Four Foods, One Method
The same five measures, applied to each food from its own figures.
Open Your Saved Comparison- 01 Blue Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Swap Remove
- 02 Blue Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Swap Remove
- 03 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley Swap Remove
- 04 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice Swap Remove
| 01 Blue Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Swap Remove | 02 Blue Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Swap Remove | 03 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley Swap Remove | 04 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 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% Best in this row | 02 Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 22.2% | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 22.3% | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 17.2% |
| 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 Best in this row | 02 Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 51% 46.0% as fed | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 49% 44.0% as fed | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 60% 54.0% 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 Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 2 of 5 | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 1 of 5 | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 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 Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice None | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 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 Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 5 4 in the last 3 years | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None Best in this row | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 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 Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 46.0% | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 44.0% | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 54.0% |
| Kcal / Cup | 01 Life Protection Formula Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 378 | 02 Life Protection Formula Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice 365 | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 271 | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 353 |
| 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 Large Breed Adult Lamb and Brown Rice Deboned Lamb, Menhaden Fish Meal (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Barley | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley Chicken Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Pea Fiber, Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Grain Corn | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice Chicken Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Grain Corn |
Swap A Food
Replacing column 02.
- Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 36.0% protein Swap In
- Castor & Pollux Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 31.5% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Chicken & Rice 21.1% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice 21.1% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Chicken & Barley 22.2% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Chicken & Barley 22.2% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 21.7% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Small Bites Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 21.7% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 22.2% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 21.7% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 22.3% protein Swap In
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Chicken & Barley 22.2% protein Swap In
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.
Keep In The Know,
Know What's In The Bowl
Dog food guidance, ingredient deep dives, and nutrition news worth knowing.