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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 Castor & Pollux>Pristine Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato Swap Remove 02 Castor & Pollux>Pristine Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil Swap Remove 03 Stella & Chewy's Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy 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 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato 36.0% 02 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil 37.1% Best in this row 03 Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy 33.0% 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 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato 35% 31.5% as fed 02 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil 34% 30.5% as fed Best in this row 03 Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy 38% 33.0% as fed 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 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato 3 of 5 02 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil 3 of 5 03 Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy -- No ingredient list on file. 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 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato None 02 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil None 03 Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy -- No ingredient list on file. 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice None
05 Brand Recall History Level Lower Is Better Manufacturer, not recipe. 01 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato None 02 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil None 03 Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy 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 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato 31.5% 02 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil 30.5% 03 Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy 33.0% 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 47.5%
Kcal / Cup 01 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato 386 02 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil 375 03 Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy -- 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice 371
First Five Ingredients 01 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken & Sweet Potato Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Organic Sweet Potatoes, Organic Potatoes 02 Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain-Free Free-Range Chicken, Turkey & Lentil Chicken, Chicken Meal, Organic Pea Protein, Lamb Meal, Organic Peas 03 Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy -- 04 Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Paws Chicken Meal & Rice Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Soybean Meal, Whole Grain Sorghum

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Replacing column 03.

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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