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The Comparison

Four Foods, One Method

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

Every food here is made by Science Diet, so the recall row cannot separate them.

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 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Swap Remove 02 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Swap Remove 03 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 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 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 21.7% 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 22.2% 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 22.3% Best in this row 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 22.3% Best in this row
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 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 54% 49.0% as fed 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 54% 49.0% as fed 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 49% 44.0% as fed Best in this row 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 49% 44.0% as fed Best in this row
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 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 1 of 5 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 1 of 5 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 1 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 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice None 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats None 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None
05 Brand Recall History Level Manufacturer, not recipe. 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice None 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats None 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 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 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 49.0% 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 49.0% 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 44.0% 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 44.0%
Kcal / Cup 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 370 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 359 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 271 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Large Breed Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 271
First Five Ingredients 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Sorghum, Whole Grain Wheat 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Small Bites Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Chicken, Cracked Pearled Barley, Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Oats 03 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 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

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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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