The Comparison
Four Foods, One Method
The same five measures, applied to each food from its own figures.
Open Your Saved Comparison- 01 Castor & Pollux Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal Swap Remove
- 02 Acana Red Meat 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 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Swap Remove
| 01 Castor & Pollux Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal Swap Remove | 02 Acana Red Meat 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 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Swap Remove | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Protein, Dry Matter Higher Is Better 26-32% dm reads typical mainstream. | 01 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 31.5% | 02 Red Meat 33.0% Best in this row | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 22.3% | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 21.7% |
| 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 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 41% 36.5% as fed | 02 Red Meat 34% 30.0% as fed Best in this row | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 49% 44.0% as fed | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 54% 49.0% 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 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 3 of 5 | 02 Red Meat 3 of 5 | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 1 of 5 | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 1 of 5 |
| 04 Flagged Additives Level Lower Is Better Matched against the flag list. | 01 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal None | 02 Red Meat None | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice None |
| 05 Brand Recall History Level Lower Is Better Manufacturer, not recipe. | 01 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal None | 02 Red Meat None | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley None | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown 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 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 36.5% | 02 Red Meat 30.0% | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 44.0% | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 49.0% |
| Kcal / Cup | 01 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal 376 | 02 Red Meat 388 | 03 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Light with Chicken Meal & Barley 271 | 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice 370 |
| First Five Ingredients | 01 Pristine Wild-Caught Salmon & Oatmeal Salmon, Whitefish Meal, Organic Oatmeal, Organic Barley, Lamb Meal | 02 Red Meat Beef, pork, beef meal, whole red lentils, whole pinto beans | 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 1-6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Sorghum, Whole Grain Wheat |
Swap A Food
Replacing column 03.
- Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Grass-Fed Beef & Sweet Potato 36.0% 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 Large Breed 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
- Science Diet Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Large Breed Chicken 26.7% 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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