Pet Food Australia vs Hill's Science Diet: What’s Actually Different?
Independent side-by-side comparison
Pet Food Australia vs Hill’s Science Diet: What’s Actually Different?
If you currently feed Hill’s Science Diet, this isn’t about telling you that you’ve been feeding a “bad” food. It’s about showing you what is actually different inside two approaches to everyday adult dog nutrition so you can decide what matters for your dog.
Comparison prepared September 2026 using Hill’s Adult Small Bites Chicken & Barley packaging/product information, Petbarn’s displayed non-member 2kg price, and Pet Food Australia Turkey, Chicken & Ocean Fish product information. Formulas and retail prices can change.
Five years of Australian pet-health data
The Top Reasons Dogs Go To The Vet Keep Coming Back.
Year after year, PetSure’s Australian claims data keeps putting the same broad problems near the top: skin infections and allergies, gastrointestinal problems and ear infections. In its 2025 Pet Health Monitor, skin conditions were again the leading reason dogs visited the vet, followed by gastrointestinal issues and ear infections.
These problems can have many causes. PetSure itself points to factors including dietary sensitivities, environmental triggers and genetic predispositions.
So if your dog is eating a well-known premium food and is still scratching, still having digestive problems or still experiencing recurring ear trouble, it is reasonable to ask a simple question: is the food in the bowl actually the right fit for this dog?
Source: PetSure Pet Health Monitor reports and claims data. PetSure reports insured-pet claims; the data does not establish that any particular dog food brand caused these conditions.
Why this comparison matters
Some PFA Customers Came To Us After Feeding The Biggest Names In Dog Food.
Hill’s Science Diet and Royal Canin are among the best-known dog-food brands in Australia. Veterinary and prescription diets are also widely used when dogs have particular health needs.
Yet some Pet Food Australia customers tell us they changed to PFA after previously feeding Hill’s, Science Diet, Royal Canin or a veterinary diet including owners dealing with the same kinds of skin and digestive concerns that continue to appear in PetSure’s data.
What matters is what those owners actually said after the switch. We don’t need to rewrite their experiences or interpret them for you. Their original reviews should speak for themselves.
That doesn’t prove a corporate food caused the problem, and it doesn’t mean one food will suit every dog. It does show why owners who are still searching for an answer sometimes decide to question what is in the bowl even when the bag carries a very well-known name.
We’re Not Asking You To Take Our Word For It.
Hill’s has substantial nutrition research behind its brand and strong veterinary recognition. That deserves to be acknowledged.
But brand recognition does not answer the individual owner’s most important question: how is my dog actually doing on this food?
That is why this page puts the published formulation and price information side by side and why, further down, we show original verified customer reviews in the customers’ own words.
First, let’s look at what is actually different in the bowl.
First, Put The Two Bags Side By Side.
Hill’s Science DietAdult Small Bites
VS
Pet Food AustraliaTurkey, Chicken & Ocean Fish
Packshots are shown for product identification, not relative pack size. Price-per-kilogram comparisons below use PFA 2.5kg and Hill’s 2kg.
Start With Three Differences You Can Measure.
Crude protein — minimum
30%VS19%
PFA vs Hill’s
Crude fat — minimum
16%VS11.3%
PFA vs Hill’s
Price per kilogram
$15.18VS$24.50
PFA vs Hill’s
PFA’s guaranteed minimum crude protein is 11 percentage points higher: 30% versus 19%. Protein percentage alone does not decide which food is right for every dog, but it is a substantial formulation difference. The fibre guarantees are not a difference: both products list 4% maximum crude fibre.
The Side-By-Side
| What to compare | Pet Food Australia Turkey, Chicken & Ocean Fish |
Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Bites |
|---|---|---|
| Animal proteins highlighted | Turkey, chicken & ocean fish | Chicken, with chicken meal also listed |
| Grain-free | Yes | No — barley, brown rice, brewers rice, wheat and corn are listed |
| Crude protein | 30% minimum | 19% minimum |
| Crude fat | 16% minimum | 11.3% minimum |
| Crude fibre | 4% maximum | 4% maximum |
| Example small-pack price | $37.95 / 2.5kg | $48.99 / 2kg Petbarn non-member price |
| Price per kilogram | $15.18/kg | $24.50/kg |
| Hemp seed oil | Included | Not listed in the Hill’s ingredient panel being compared |
| Where made | Australia | Hill’s states its dry food is made in its own US facilities |
Both Can Meet AAFCO. So Why Are The Numbers So Different?
Seeing 30% protein on one food and 19% on another can raise an obvious question: how can both foods meet recognised nutritional standards?
AAFCO nutritional adequacy does not require every complete dog food to have identical protein and fat guarantees. Different nutritional profiles apply to different life stages, and a food can meet the applicable profile while still being formulated very differently from another food.
Hill’s states that this Science Diet Adult Small Bites recipe provides complete and balanced nutrition for adult maintenance. Pet Food Australia Turkey, Chicken & Ocean Fish provides 30% minimum crude protein and 16% minimum crude fat.
So the useful question isn’t simply “Does it meet AAFCO?” Both can meet an applicable nutritional standard while still being very different formulations.
The asterisk on the Hill’s guaranteed-analysis image beside Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) and Omega-6 Fatty Acids refers to those additional guarantees not being recognised as essential nutrients in the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. It does not mean the food fails AAFCO.
The Ingredient Lists Tell Two Different Stories.
Pet Food Australia
Turkey, Chicken & Ocean Fish is a grain-free formula built around multiple animal protein sources. It also includes hemp seed oil and natural prebiotics.
Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Bites
The supplied ingredient panel begins with chicken, followed by cracked pearled barley, brown rice, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, whole grain corn and corn protein meal, before chicken meal appears later.
That doesn’t make grains inherently “bad”. Plenty of dogs can eat grain containing foods successfully. But it does make the formulation approach meaningfully different.
Chicken First Doesn’t Mean The Rest Of The Bag Is Chicken.
Front of bag language makes dog food feel simple. The full ingredient panel tells you much more. Hill’s lists chicken first, but the next several ingredients supplied are barley, brown rice, brewers rice, whole grain wheat, whole grain corn and corn protein meal. PFA deliberately combines turkey, chicken and ocean fish in a grain-free formula.
What About “Science” And Vet Recommendation?
Hill’s has substantial nutrition research behind its brand and promotes a science-led nutritional philosophy. That is a legitimate reason many owners feel comfortable feeding it.
Pet owners can still reasonably compare protein sources, guaranteed analysis, grains, fat, manufacturing origin, feeding amounts, price and most importantly how their own dog does on the food.
Respect the science. Then read the label as well.
Australian Made Matters To Some Owners.
Hill’s states that its dry foods are made in its own facilities in the United States. Pet Food Australia is Australian owned and our dry dog food is made here in Australia.
Small-pack price comparison
$15.18/kg vs $24.50/kg
Pet Food Australia$15.18/kg2.5kg at $37.95
Hill’s Science Diet$24.50/kg2kg at $48.99 non-member
At these displayed pack prices, Hill’s costs about 61% more per kilogram.
Put another way, PFA costs about 38% less per kilogram in this small pack comparison.
Prices and promotions can change.
The Question No Comparison Table Can Answer.
How does your dog actually do on it?
A formulation can look excellent on paper and still not be the right fit for every individual dog. Appetite, stools, body condition, skin, coat and general wellbeing are practical things owners observe over time.
Don’t Take Our Comparison Alone. Read The Customers.
Below are live verified product reviews from our Turkey, Chicken & Ocean Fish range. Search them, filter them and read the experiences for yourself.
So Who Might Prefer Each Approach?
You may prefer PFA if you want…
Multiple animal protein sources, a grain-free formula, 30% minimum protein, hemp seed oil, Australian manufacturing, an Australian owned company supporting Australian Farmers and a lower price per kilogram in the small pack comparison above.
You may prefer Hill’s if you want…
A grain containing chicken based formula from a large global brand and strong veterinary recognition.
Currently Feeding Hill’s?
You don’t need to change because an advertisement told you to.
Read both labels. Compare the protein. Compare the ingredients. Compare the price per kilogram. Then decide which formulation makes more sense for your dog.
Pet Food Australia Turkey, Chicken & Ocean Fish
30% minimum protein · 16% minimum fat · Grain-free · Australian made
Comparison basis: Hill’s Science Diet Adult Small Bites nutrition/ingredient information and packaging supplied September 2026; Petbarn non-member 2kg price supplied September 2026; Pet Food Australia Turkey, Chicken & Ocean Fish current product information. Hill’s product names and trademarks belong to their respective owner and are used only for factual comparative purposes. Retail prices and formulations can change.
General nutritional information only. This page compares published/product-label information and is not veterinary advice. Individual dogs differ. Hill’s Science Diet is a trademark of its respective owner and is not affiliated with Pet Food Australia.
