The Comparison
Four Foods, One Method
The same five measures, applied to each food from its own figures.
Open Your Saved Comparison- 01 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice Swap Remove
- 02 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Swap Remove
- 03 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato Swap Remove
- 04 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice Swap Remove
| 01 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice Swap Remove | 02 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats Swap Remove | 03 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato Swap Remove | 04 Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice Swap Remove | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Protein, Dry Matter Higher Is Better 26-32% dm reads typical mainstream. | 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice 21.1% | 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 22.2% | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 36.0% Best in this row | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 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 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice 57% 51.0% as fed | 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 54% 49.0% as fed | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 35% 31.5% as fed Best in this row | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 53% 47.5% 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 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice 1 of 5 | 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 1 of 5 | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 3 of 5 | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 1 of 5 |
| 04 Flagged Additives Level Lower Is Better Matched against the flag list. | 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice None | 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats None | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato None | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice None |
| 05 Brand Recall History Level Lower Is Better Manufacturer, not recipe. | 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice None | 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats None | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato None | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 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 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice 51.0% | 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 49.0% | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 31.5% | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 47.5% |
| Kcal / Cup | 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice 363 | 02 Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion Large Breed Chicken, Brown Rice & Whole Oats 380 | 03 Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 393 | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 371 |
| First Five Ingredients | 01 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Senior Vitality Small & Mini Chicken & Rice Chicken, Brewers Rice, Yellow Peas, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Oats | 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 Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato Beef, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Soybean Meal, Whole Grain Sorghum |
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.



