
Acana vs. Hill's Ideal Balance
In this comparison article for Acana vs Hill's Ideal Balance, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Acana and Hill's Ideal Balance, 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 Ideal Balance vs Acana comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Acana Review Page or Hill's Ideal Balance Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Hill's Ideal Balance vs. Acana
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.
Acana Dog Food vs. Hill's Ideal Balance Dog Food
Dry Dog Food | Acana | Hill's Ideal Balance |
Crude Protein | 36.0% | 23.5% |
Crude Fat | 18.8% | 17.8% |
Crude Fiber | 6.5% | 1.6% |
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.
On average, Acana dry dog food recipes contain 12.53% more protein than Hill's Ideal Balance recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Hill's Ideal Balance and Acana.
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.
As you can see, Hill's Ideal Balance and Acana guarantee a similar amount of crude fat.
The table shows that Hill's Ideal Balance provides far less fiber than Acana. The difference in fiber content is roughly 4.85%.
Acana Cat Food vs. Hill's Ideal Balance Cat Food
Dry Cat Food | Acana | Hill's Ideal Balance |
Crude Protein | 40% | 32.5% |
Crude Fat | 22.2% | 21.9% |
Crude Fiber | 3.9% | 0.9% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.
Our analysis shows that Acana guarantees 7.55% more protein than Hill's Ideal Balance dry cat food recipes.
Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food
There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):
- Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
- Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
- Maintain healthy blood pressure
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Fats improve the taste/texture of food.
Hill's Ideal Balance and Acana both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.
If you look at the average percentages of crude fiber, you'll notice that Acana typically guarantees 2.96% more fiber. This is a fairly small difference between Acana and Hill's Ideal Balance, but still worth mentioning.
Acana Pet Food Ingredients vs. Hill's Ideal Balance Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Acana.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Hill's Ideal Balance.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Hill's Ideal Balance.
Product Safety: Recall History of Acana & Hill's Ideal Balance?
According to our records, neither brand has issued any product recalls. Therefore, consumers have no reason to question the safety of Acana or Hill's Ideal Balance pet food products.
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
Dry Dog Food | Acana | Hill's Ideal Balance |
Per Pound | $3.42 | $1.98 |
Per Calorie | $0.0022 | $0.0011 |
Dry Cat Food | Acana | Hill's Ideal Balance |
Per Pound | $5.21 | $2.49 |
Per Calorie | $0.0029 | $0.0013 |
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 Acana or Hill's Ideal Balance, 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 Acana or Hill's Ideal Balance will depend on your shopping habits.
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Acana and Hill's Ideal Balance. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
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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 Acana Pet Foods
You can purchase Acana pet foods from the following stores:



Where To Buy Hill's Ideal Balance Pet Foods
You can purchase Hill's Ideal Balance pet food products from these retailers:




Type Of Pet Foods Available
Product | Acana | Hill's Ideal Balance |
Dry Dog Food | 36 Recipes | 6 Recipes |
Wet Dog Food | 2 Recipes | |
Dog Treats | 4 Treats | 3 Treats |
Dry Cat Food | 8 Recipes | 4 Recipes |
Wet Cat Food | 2 Recipes | |
Cat Treats |