Skip to content
My dogs
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 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley Swap Remove 02 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Swap Remove 03 Castor & Pollux Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal Swap Remove 04 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley Swap Remove
01 Protein, Dry Matter Higher Is Better 26-32% dm reads typical mainstream. 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 22.3% 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 22.2% 03 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 31.5% Best in this row 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws 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 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 49% 44.0% as fed 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 54% 49.0% as fed 03 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 41% 36.5% as fed Best in this row 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws 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 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 1 of 5 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 1 of 5 03 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 3 of 5 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 1 of 5
04 Flagged Additives Level Lower Is Better Matched against the flag list. 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats None 03 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal None 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None
05 Brand Recall History Level Lower Is Better Manufacturer, not recipe. 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats None 03 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal None 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws 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 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 44.0% 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 49.0% 03 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 36.5% 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 44.0%
Kcal / Cup 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 271 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 380 03 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 376 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 271
First Five Ingredients 01 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 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Chicken, Cracked Pearled Barley, Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Oats 03 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal Salmon, Whitefish Meal, Organic Oatmeal, Organic Barley, Lamb Meal 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley Chicken Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Pea Fiber, Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Grain Corn

Add A Food

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.

Keep In The Know,
Know What's In The Bowl

Dog food guidance, ingredient deep dives, and nutrition news worth knowing.