The Comparison
Four Foods, One Method
The same five measures, applied to each food from its own figures.
Open Your Saved Comparison- 01 Blue>Carnivora Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend Swap Remove
- 02 Blue>Carnivora Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend Swap Remove
- 03 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato Swap Remove
- 04 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley Swap Remove
| 01 Blue>Carnivora Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend Swap Remove | 02 Blue>Carnivora Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend Swap Remove | 03 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato Swap Remove | 04 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley Swap Remove | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Protein, Dry Matter Higher Is Better 26-32% dm reads typical mainstream. | 01 Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend 46.7% Best in this row | 02 Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend 44.4% | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 36.0% | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 22.3% |
| 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 Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend 20% 18.0% as fed Best in this row | 02 Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend 24% 22.0% as fed | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 35% 31.5% as fed | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 49% 44.0% 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 Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend 3 of 5 | 02 Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend 4 of 5 | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 3 of 5 | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 1 of 5 |
| 04 Flagged Additives Level Lower Is Better Matched against the flag list. | 01 Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend None | 02 Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend None | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato None | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None |
| 05 Brand Recall History Level Lower Is Better Manufacturer, not recipe. | 01 Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend None | 02 Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend None | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato None | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None |
| 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 Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend 18.0% | 02 Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend 22.0% | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 31.5% | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 44.0% |
| Kcal / Cup | 01 Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend 460 | 02 Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend 422 | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 393 | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 271 |
| First Five Ingredients | 01 Blue Carnivora Adult Coastal Blend PRIMARY INGREDIENTS: Deboned Pollock, Deboned Sole, Deboned Halibut, Dried Chicken, Herring Meal | 02 Blue Carnivora Puppy Large Breed Woodland Blend PRIMARY INGREDIENTS: Deboned Chicken, Dried Chicken, Deboned Turkey, Chicken Meal, Tapioca Starch | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato Beef, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes | 04 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 |
Swap A Food
Replacing column 03.
- Stella & Chewy's Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy 33.0% 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 7+ Chicken Meal, Barley & Rice 17.2% 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
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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