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Purina Dog Chow vs Hill's Science Diet

Purina Dog Chow vs. Hill's Science Diet

In this comparison article for Purina Dog Chow vs Hill's Science Diet, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Purina Dog Chow and Hill's Science Diet, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Hill's Science Diet vs Purina Dog Chow comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Purina Dog Chow Review Page or Hill's Science Diet Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Hill's Science Diet vs. Purina Dog Chow

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Purina Dog Chow Dog Food vs. Hill's Science Diet Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodPurina Dog ChowHill's Science Diet
Crude Protein26.2%24.6%
Crude Fat12.3%14.7%
Crude Fiber4.9%3.7%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodPurina Dog ChowHill's Science Diet
Crude Protein49.5%25.7%
Crude Fat14.5%17.3%
Crude Fiber6.8%3.5%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

As you can see, Hill's Science Diet and Purina Dog Chow guarantee a similar amount of crude protein. For wet dog foods, Purina Dog Chow provides significantly more protein (about 23.77% more).


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.

If you look at the average percentages of crude fat, you'll notice that Hill's Science Diet typically guarantees 2.34% more fat. This is a fairly small difference between Hill's Science Diet and Purina Dog Chow, but still worth mentioning. In addition, Hill's Science Diet wet dog foods also provide more fat than Purina Dog Chow wet foods.


Hill's Science Diet and Purina Dog Chow both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Purina Dog Chow typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.22% more).

Purina Dog Chow Pet Food Ingredients vs. Hill's Science Diet Pet Food Ingredients

Purina Dog Chow and Hill's Science Diet both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Liver
Wheat Gluten
Corn Gluten Meal
Whole Grain Corn
Whole Grain Wheat

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Purina Dog Chow.

Soybean Flour
Meat By-Products
Ground Yellow Corn
Meat And Bone Meal
Turkey By-Product Meal
Chicken By-Product Meal
Poultry By-Product Meal

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Hill's Science Diet.

Caramel
Corn Flour
Iron Oxide
Pea Protein
Pork Plasma
Poultry Fat
Animal Liver
Brewers Rice
Caramel Color
Tomato Pomace
Beef By-Products
Pork By-Products
Powdered Cellulose
Dried Tomato Pomace
Pea Protein Concentrate
Soybean Protein Isolate

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Purina Dog Chow and Hill's Science Diet both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Purina Dog Chow.

Blue 2
Red 40
Yellow 5
Yellow 6
Added Color

Product Safety: Recall History of Purina Dog Chow & Hill's Science Diet?

According to our records, Purina Dog Chow has never been recalled.

Hill's Science Diet has been recalled 2 times.

  • Jan. 31, 2019: elevated levels of Vitamin D
  • March 20, 2019: elevated levels of Vitamin D

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodPurina Dog ChowHill's Science Diet
Per Pound$1.22$2.83
Per Calorie$0.0008$0.0018
Wet Dog FoodPurina Dog ChowHill's Science Diet
Per Pound$2.14$5.03
Per Calorie$0.0042$0.0125

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Purina Dog Chow or Hill's Science Diet, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Purina Dog Chow or Hill's Science Diet will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Purina Dog Chow and Hill's Science Diet. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Purina Dog Chow Pet Foods

You can purchase Purina Dog Chow pet foods from the following stores:


4 Recipes In-Stock Today

1 Recipes In-Stock Today

4 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Hill's Science Diet Pet Foods

You can purchase Hill's Science Diet pet food products from these retailers:


125 Recipes In-Stock Today

123 Recipes In-Stock Today

101 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductPurina Dog ChowHill's Science Diet
Dry Dog Food5 Recipes48 Recipes
Wet Dog Food9 Recipes34 Recipes
Dog TreatsNone18 Treats
Dry Cat FoodNone25 Recipes
Wet Cat FoodNone48 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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