Is Hill s Science Diet or Royal Canin better
Royal Canin vs Hills Science Diet Dog Food: 2024 Comparison
Royal Canin and Hills Science Diet are two well-known brands that fit into a similar niche, promising great veterinary research and helping to feed dogs of all kinds, including those with severe health issues. Both have a strong veterinary backing and are recommended by many vets. But if faced with a choice between the two brands, it can be hard to know the difference. Here is a comparison of the two brands and their favorite foods.
A Sneak Peek at the Winner: Hills Science Diet
Hills Science Diet is our recommended brand for most dogs, with delicious, healthy ingredients, balanced nutrition, and lots of great options. Their chicken and rice recipe is one of our favorite options, but if your dog doesnt like chicken or has allergies, their lamb meal food is another delicious choice.
| Rating | Image | Product | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Hills Science Diet Chicken & Barley | Check Price | |
| | Hills Science Diet Lamb Meal & Brown Rice | Check Price |
About Royal Canin
History
Royal Canin was founded in 1968 by a French veterinarian looking for solutions to diet-caused health issues. The brand expanded in 1972 when it was bought by a larger company, and since then, its become a leader in veterinary research for dogs and cats. They sponsor pet encyclopedias, create obesity clinics for animals, and make a variety of food products.
Products
Royal Canin has three main food types: size-based foods, breed-based foods, and veterinary foods. Their size-based foods are general-purpose pet foods optimized for specific sizes and age groupsfor instance, a large-breed puppy food. Their breed-based foods are made for specific breeds, like a Golden Retriever food, and designed for purebred dogs. Finally, they offer a variety of prescription foods that require a vets approval to use.
- Proven brand history
- Nutritious foods
- Higher protein
- Higher fiber
- More expensive
- Uses meat by-products
About Hills Science Diet
History
Hills Science Diet started with a guide dog who suffered from kidney disease in the early 1900s. When the dogs owner brought him to a vet, Dr. Mark Morris, Dr. Morris thought that diet changes could help manage the disease. His diet worked, and by the 1940s, Dr. Morris had partnered with Hill Packaging Company to create Hills Science Diet. Today, the company is owned by Colgate-Palmolive Group and is a favorite of vets worldwide.
Products
Hills Science Diet produces standard and prescription foods, just like Royal Canin. Their standard foods come in a variety of types, including foods for health conditions that dont require prescription care, like sensitive stomach foods. They also have allergy-friendly foods and weight loss foods. Like Royal Canin, they have a variety of foods made for dogs of different sizes and ages. They also have a wide line of prescription dog foods available.
- High nutrition
- Proven brand history
- Multiple flavor profiles
- Lower cost
- Lower protein content
- Non-meat protein boosts
- Controversial ingredients
The 3 Most Popular Royal Canin Dog Food Recipes
1. Royal Canin Size Health Medium Dry Food
Royal Canins most popular food outside of their prescription diets is their medium dog food. This food is formulated for dogs from 2355 pounds. It has an enhanced kibble design to promote chewing and balanced nutrition, with 23% crude protein, 12% crude fat, and 3.2% fiber. The main ingredients are brewers rice, chicken by-product meal, oat groats, wheat, corn gluten meal, and chicken fat. Its generally a red flag to see something other than meat or a meat meal as the first product in this food, and it calls into question how the 23% protein is reached.
Neither of the main protein sources, chicken by-product meal or corn gluten meal, are high quality. Chicken by-product meal is a concentrated chicken product from lower quality sources. Corn gluten meal is an inexpensive plant protein. Plant proteins are not ideal and dogs dont get as much nutritional value from Corn gluten meal as they would from chicken meal or similar foods.
- 23% protein
- Enhanced kibble design
- Meat isnt first ingredient
- Chicken by-products only
- Plant protein
2. Royal Canin Size Health Large Dry Food
Royal Canin Size Health Large Food is recommended for dogs weighing 56 to 100 pounds and is one of Royal Canins most popular foods. It is about 24% crude protein and 15% crude fathigher than other products on this list. It is also optimized for large breeds in other ways, with more nutrients to support bone and joint health and kibble that is designed for larger dogs. The main ingredients are chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, wheat, brown rice, chicken fat, and corn gluten meal. Chicken by-product meal is a concentrated chicken product made from less desirable chicken parts. Its a lower-quality chicken product. Brewers rice, wheat and brown rice are healthy whole grains that are easy to digest. Chicken fat is a common and healthy fat source in dog foods.
- 24% protein
- Optimized for large dogs
- Healthy whole grains
- Chicken by-products only
- Vegetable protein
3. Royal Canin Size Health Small Food
Royal Canins small dog foods are made for dogs weighing up to 22 lbs. The kibble size and nutritional balance is optimized for the needs of smaller dogs. This food is 25% protein and 14% fatideal levels for a dog of that size. The main ingredients are corn, chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, brown rice, and corn gluten meal. A good rule of thumb is that meat should always be the first ingredient. Although there are healthy, high-protein foods that dont follow this rule, the fact that the first, third, and fourth ingredients are all grains is worrying. Chicken by-product meal is also an inferior, lower-quality meat source.
- 25% protein
- Designed for small dogs
- Meat isnt first ingredient
- Chicken by-products only
- Vegetable protein
The 3 Most Popular Hills Science Diet Dog Food Recipes
1. Hills Science Diet Chicken & Barley
Hills Science Diet Chicken & Barley is one of the brands most popular foods and is a good choice for most healthy dogs. It has 20% crude protein, 11% crude fat, and 4% crude fiber. That puts it on the lower end of the ideal spectrum for protein and fat content, but it is still a healthy choice. The first ingredient in this food is chicken, followed by barley, wheat, corn, and sorghum. All of these are common whole grains that are relatively healthy. It also contains soybean meal, a plant-based protein source that is less healthy than meat proteins.
This food has a blend of omega fatty acids, E-vitamins, and antioxidants that support coat, joint, and immune system health and flavorful, easy-to-digest ingredients.
- Chicken is first ingredient
- No by-products
- Healthy added vitamins and minerals
- Lower protein and fat levels
- Plant-based protein meal included
2. Hills Science Diet Lamb Meal & Brown Rice
If you prefer to feed your dog something other than chicken, Hills Science Diet Lamb Meal and Brown Rice is an option. It has 19.5% crude protein and 12.5% crude fat, a little lower than ideal but still in normal range. The main protein source in this food is lamb meal, a concentrated lamb thats healthy and delicious. It makes a great alternative for dogs who dont like lamb. The main grains are brown rice, brewers rice, sorghum, wheat, corn, and barley. This mix of grains gives your dog plenty of whole grains, but the lower protein content suggests that this food might be carb-heavy. A blend of E-vitamins, omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and other nutrients help support your dogs overall health. This food is recommended for dogs one to six years of age.
- Great chicken alternative
- Healthy lamb and whole grain food
- Healthy added vitamins and minerals
- No by-products
- Carb-heavy and lower in protein
3. Hills Science Diet Sensitive Skin and Stomach
Hills Science Diet is well known for its range of products for dogs with health issues, including their Sensitive Skin and Stomach food. This food is made with easy-to-digest chicken, barley, and rice in order to make it easier on dogs stomachs. It contains vitamin E and omega fatty acids that are good for dogs with sensitive skin. It has 20% crude protein and 13% crude fat. The protein content is a little bit on the lower end, but its still within the range of acceptable food. One thing we dont love about this food is that the third ingredient is yellow peas. Peas are a controversial dog food ingredient that has been used as a filler food and has some links to heart health issues that are still being studied. Having peas high on the ingredients list is concerning.
- Formulated for sensitive dogs
- Vet-recommended
- Contains prebiotics for gut health
- Peas are third ingredient
- A little lower in protein
Recall the History of Royal Canin and Hills Science Diet
Hills Science Diet has had several recalls. The most recent recall was in 2019 when Hills Science Diet recalled about 45 products due to vitamin D toxicity. This is caused when a dog food has too much Vitamin D added. In November 2015, Hills issued a withdrawal of certain canned foods for unknown reasons that didnt affect the foods safety. In June 2014, 62 bags of food in California were recalled due to potential Salmonella contamination. In March 2007, Hills Science Diet was one of more than 100 brands that experienced recalls due to dangerous packaging containing melamine.
Royal Canin has also had several recalls. They were also affected by the 2007 melamine recall. They issued a second recall a few months later for the same issues as the first recall. In February 2006, they issued a recall due to elevated vitamin D3 levels in some of their foods.
Royal Canin vs Hills Science Diet Comparison
Taste
Royal Canin has a reputation for good flavor, with a variety of wet and dry foods that are very flavorful and delicious textures that dogs love. Hills Science Diet is similar in quality, but it doesnt have quite as strong of a reputation among owners.
Nutritional Value
- Edge: Hills Science Diet
In general, Hills Science Diet has better ingredients, but Royal Canin has more protein and fiber. Hills Science Diet doesnt use chicken by-products in its mainline foods, and they usually have real meat as the first ingredient. Both depend on plant proteins to some extent in their foods.
Price
- Edge: Hills Science Diet
Both brands are pretty pricey, and if your dog doesnt have health issues, other brands might be better. However, Hills Science Diet is generally cheaper in both its general and veterinary products.
Selection
- Edge: Hills Science Diet
Both brands create a variety of prescription diet products. Royal Canin also creates a line of breed-specific foods. But when it comes to general dog foods, Hills Science Diet has more flavor options, specialized foods, and other choices to help your dog eat the best possible foods.
Overall
- Edge: Hills Science Diet
Overall, we love Hills Science Diet for their great research, lower prices, and long history of bringing great food to animals in need. Royal Canin can be an excellent food as well in the right circumstances however.
Conclusion
Both Hills Science Diet and Royal Canin have their pros and cons, but in the end, we decided that Hills Science Diet was the best choice. Hills Science Diet is a nutritious product and often comes at a lower price. It also has more options available and is often a better choice for dogs needing specialized diets. However, it does have lower protein than Royal Canin, and some dogs on veterinary diets may do better with Royal Canin products.
Royal Canin vs. Hills Science Diet: Dog Food Comparison
Every aspect of your poochs physical and mental wellbeing can be affected positively or negatively by a good or poor diet, so it is fair to say that getting his nutrition right is possibly the single biggest responsibility that you have as a pet owner. The nutrients your pup eats from day dot can affect his health, character and his whole life. In this article, we compare two dog food giants in Royal Canin vs. Hills Science Diet.
There are literally hundreds of different dog foods on the market, but Royal Canin and Science Diet make some of the best. In this guide, we will compare these contenders in several different categories and give you everything you need to know about why they could be the answer you are looking for, and which one might be better for you and your pooch.
After reading this side by side comparison guide, youll have a clear understanding of each brand and their history, what their strengths and weaknesses are, the nutritional values and common ingredients that they use, pricing and much more. Our goal is to provide you with as much information as you need to figure out which brand is best for your pup. Lets get straight into it!
Foods Comparison: Royal Canin vs. Science Diet
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Comparing Brand Histories
Before we can give each one of these foods a fair shake, we need to look at the background of each brand and what their histories can tell us about their manufacturing processes. Anytime you are thinking of making a long term change for your dogs diet, its important to get a deeper look into what you will be putting into your pups body.
The good news is that both Royal Canin and Science Diet are both top tier brands, and have well respected histories. They have similar manufacturing processes, and their food is highly regarded by pet parents of just about every breed. Royal Canin is known for creating breed-specific foods (like the Yorkie, the boxer, or the Shih Tzu) with a high success rate, and Science Diet is also known for producing high quality kibbles for many different sizes of dogs, from small to medium, large and even food for giant breeds like the Dane.
Royal Canin History
Royal Canin was founded by Veterinarian Jean Cathary in 1968 in France, as he saw that many skin problems in dogs were caused by poor diet. He first created his first recipe, appetizingly called yellow soup, which allowed him to monitor how this affected the condition. After documenting its success, he went on to create his first cereal based dry food that has been the basis for most dry foods for the past 50 years and more.
In 1972 Royal Canin was bought by the Guyomarch Group, who had already established nutritional expertise in specialized canine diets, and with their resources they expanded the range and sold their products across Europe. In 1980, they released the first-ever puppy recipe for large breeds, and for over a decade it was the reference food for developing nutrition for dogs and cats. Exports increased to the USA in 1985, and shortly after the Paribas Group purchased the Guyomarch Group who then expanded the brand worldwide.
Their philosophy is unchanged and ingrained the world over, which is to make a better world for pets. Royal Canin continues to cement their place as the worlds leading authority on pet nutrition by winning awards for their pet encyclopedias, creating obesity clinics for animals and continuing to produce world-class food.
Science Diet History
A traveling promoter for guide dogs for the blind, known as Morris Frank, was the catalyst that started Hills Science Diet range. His guide dog, Buddy, was suffering from kidney failure so he enlisted the help of a Veterinarian by the name of Dr Mark Morris with the hope of improving his health and prolong his life. Dr Morris had already researched the impact of poor diet on dogs and believed this to be the root cause of Buddys kidney problems, and so he designed specific food for Buddy.
It quickly became apparent that he was right and many other dog owners purchased and used the food as a health supplement to ease, and sometimes cure, certain health conditions. In the late 1940s, demand for his food increased so much that Dr Morris partnered with the Hill packaging company to produce and package his foods. Overtime Dr Morris son turned this into what is now known as Hills Science Diet, and it now includes over 50 different pet foods for every life stage and special needs in pets.
The company is now owned by the Colgate-Palmolive group and is available in 86 countries worldwide, with more Veterinarians worldwide using it for their own pets than any other brand. Hills are to this day world renowned for producing the highest quality pet nutrition available.
Nutritional Value Comparison
We all know that our pooches can have sensitive tummies when it comes to food, and their allergies and bowel trouble can flare up if we dont pay attention to what their bodies will tolerate, or not as the case maybe. Understanding their essential needs their and daily dietary requirements should be the basis for what we feed them and how we find that food.
Food will both nourish and sustain a dogs body and mind, and in order to do so it needs to contain the building blocks their body needs such as protein, fat, fiber and calorie content. In order to compare each brands nutritional value we have looked at their popular size-generic kibble, and the table below compares the average nutritional components.
All brand packaging will have the regulated and required information about the contents of their food as set by the Association of American Food Control Officials (AAFCO), with the three major components being protein, fat and fiber.
Whilst this information it is important for you to make a sound nutritional choice for your pooch, you need to know exactly what they are and what they mean for your pooch. So, heres a recap as to what benefits your pooch takes from these components, and which brand comes out on top.
Protein Content
Just like humans, dogs do not create enough amino acid to provide the body with the building blocks it needs to grow and repair itself, as such their dietary intake of this protein is very important in order to create energy, regenerate damaged cells, build strong muscles and keep hair, skin, and ligaments in tip top condition. It also provides usable energy that will keep your pooch sustained throughout the day, and they wont cause your pooch to become obese unlike too many carbohydrates.
From the table above we can see that Royal Canin comes out on top in all size categories for protein content, with an average of 3% more protein per product. The required amount of protein for each breed and size differs, so be sure to ask your local Veterinarianor consult an online Veterinarians guide as to what your dogs needs are.
Fat Content
Fat is another essential compound for dogs as it delivers energy and fat-soluble vitamins as well promoting good blood pressure and a healthy and strong body. Dependent on your poochs weight and energy levels his fat intake will change but be sure to monitor it so that he does not become overweight which will put unnecessary stress on his joints and organs.
We can see in the table that the difference between the two brands appears to negligible in the side by side comparison, but there is a truth here that needs to be addressed. Science Diet has a higher fat to protein ratio, only a small one but it should be noted. The higher the fat to protein ratio dog food has, the more chance there is of your pooch absorbing the calories rather than nutrients, which could lead to them gaining weight quicker and becoming unhealthy due to a lack of nutrients.
Fiber Content
Higher fiber content can assist to satiate a dogs appetite keeping them feeling fuller for longer as it is an easier way to bulk out food without adding calories. Fiber is also an aid to digestion and keeps your dogs bowel movements regular and healthy. Fiber in the gut assists with the breakdown of food and allows the body to absorb more of the nutrients and vitamins. When it comes to the fiber content, it is clear to see that Science Diet has almost 0.5% more fiber than Royal Canin across all three size products.
Flavor Choice Comparison
As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life, and this holds true diet. Not all dogs like the taste of Chicken, and some dogs even have Chicken allergies, so it is important that brands offer their clients variety and both Royal Canin and Science Diet offer different flavors and recipes.
While Science Diet offers a choice of either Chicken or Lamb flavored kibble with brown rice and barley, Royal Canin only offers one flavor. However, both do offer a gravy pouch with meat chunks with the same nutrient balance per dog size. So, should you wish to give your pup a treat you can mix the two to make it more appealing, or just add a little water to the kibble to create a gravy-like texture to it.
If you need to transition your pooch from one flavor to another for whatever reason, be sure to do it slowly as advised on the package, because despite being from the same product family the ingredients can still be different enough to upset his tummy.
Cost Comparison
Cost is an important factor to consider when choosing a kibble for your pooch. Whilst you certainly pay for what you get, you do not have to spend hundreds on a bag of kibble or buy the most expensive one. Decide on your budget and dependent on what nutritional needs your pooch has, choose between kibbles that fall into your budget.
So, to make things simple for you we have compared the cost of the Royal Canin and Science Diet products above by both weight and calorie content in a like for like comparison. This way it is a simple calculation of value for money, in that the more food you get per dollar the better value it will be in the long run.
Overall, Science Diet appears to be cheaper across all three size-specific products. Not only are you getting more food for your dollar, you have more change in your pocket for other treats and toys for him. So, Science Diet takes the value for money crown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although most questions have been covered about how these branded products stack up and compare, there are some other wider issues that can create further questions. So, just in case you are wondering, here are some of the most commonly asked nutrition questions:
Is the protein in these products from meat?
Like most brands both Royal Canin and Science Diet list Chicken, Lamb and Turkey as protein sources, however, when you delve into the ingredient list you see that the meat within contains a moderate amount of meat meal and meat by-product meal i.e. Chicken meal and Chicken by-product meal.
Meat meal is a concentrated form of meat that is higher in protein than fresh meat, because it contains bones, cartilage and organs which are high in nutrients and glucosamine. By-product meals contain undisclosed ingredients, such as beaks, claws, eggs, etc., and as such arent necessarily meat and arent nutritionally great. Unfortunately, both Royal Canin and Science Diet use by-product meals in some of their recipes.
Are these brands grain free?
The short answer is no. Most of Royal Canins and Science Diets recipes do contain grain-based products to boost protein and fiber, much like a lot of other dog foods. Both brands do offer specific grain free products for dogs that have intolerances. The wider question regarding the health benefits and detriments of grain in a dogs diet are still under scrutiny.
Which brand is better value?
Both brands are considered average dog food producers in terms of ingredient quality by several aggregator websites. However, both have a good track record of providing a well-balanced healthy diet for dogs that ease ailments and promote healthier pooches. Pound for pound Hills Science Diet is the cheaper of the two, which often means it is better value.
How do I know which product I should buy for my pup?
Both brands are heavily endorsed and recommended by Veterinarians as a healthy balanced diet product for dogs that is value for money. Both brands developed their range in consultation with Veterinary professionals, but because your pups nutritional needs are unique your own Veterinarian is best placed to assess your pups needs and recommend the best food from the range.
Pros and Cons
Final Thoughts
While comparing Royal Canin vs. Science Diet, youve seen that they have incredibly similar backstories, and both pride themselves on their drive to produce balanced and healthy pet food that is specifically tailored to size, breed, illness or all the above. Their popularity and success prove that a lot of what they produce does what it is supposed to and helps dogs that may suffer from digestive intolerances or other health issues.
While there are other brands out there with more exotic food ingredients, these brands produce quality food at a reasonable price based on the research and development that goes into them. So much so, that it is incredibly hard to separate them in terms of which brand is better and therefore this versus article is declared a draw. It really is dependent on your dog and his unique dietary requirements and preferences.
