Instinct vs. Hill's Science Diet
In this comparison article for Instinct vs Hill's Science Diet, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Instinct 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 Instinct comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Instinct Review Page or Hill's Science Diet Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Hill's Science Diet vs. Instinct
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.
Instinct Dog Food vs. Hill's Science Diet Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Crude Protein | 38.1% | 24.5% |
| Crude Fat | 19.1% | 14.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.5% | 4.3% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Crude Protein | 45.6% | 25.8% |
| Crude Fat | 26.3% | 17.1% |
| Crude Fiber | 8.4% | 3.3% |
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.
The comparison table above shows that Instinct dry dog foods provide significantly more protein than Hill's Science Diet. More specifically, Instinct guarantees at least 13.57% more protein. Similarly, Instinct wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Hill's Science Diet wet foods.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.
There is a relatively large difference between the fat content of Instinct and Hill's Science Diet. On average, Hill's Science Diet dry dog food recipes contain 4.31% less fat than Instinct recipes. In addition, Instinct wet dog foods also provide more fat than Hill's Science Diet wet foods.
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet dog foods, Instinct provides more fiber (about 5.02% more).
Instinct Cat Food vs. Hill's Science Diet Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Crude Protein | 45.1% | 35.2% |
| Crude Fat | 19.9% | 18.5% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.1% | 5.8% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Crude Protein | 48.5% | 38.5% |
| Crude Fat | 23.1% | 22.0% |
| Crude Fiber | 11.1% | 4.4% |
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.
Instinct dry cat foods clearly provides more protein than Hill's Science Diet. In fact, the difference between the protein content is roughly 9.90%, which is a significant amount. Similarly, Instinct wet cat foods provide significantly more protein than Hill's Science Diet wet foods.
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):
- Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
- Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. With regards to wet cat food, Instinct and Hill's Science Diet also provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.
As you can see, Instinct and Hill's Science Diet guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Instinct provides more fiber (about 6.74% more).
Instinct Pet Food Ingredients vs. Hill's Science Diet Pet Food Ingredients
Instinct and Hill's Science Diet both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Instinct.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Hill's Science Diet.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Instinct and Hill's Science Diet both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:
Product Safety: Recall History of Instinct & Hill's Science Diet?
Instinct has been recalled 2 times.
- July 24, 2015: Salmonella
- Feb. 15, 2013: Pieces of clear plastic in bag
Hill's Science Diet has been recalled once.
- Jan. 31, 2019: elevated levels of Vitamin D
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Per Pound | $5.78 | $1.99 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0030 | $0.0012 |
| Dry Cat Food | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Per Pound | $7.71 | $2.90 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0039 | $0.0017 |
| Wet Dog Food | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Per Pound | $6.27 | $3.24 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0107 | $0.0078 |
| Wet Cat Food | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Per Pound | $7.54 | $4.73 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0165 | $0.0100 |
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 Instinct 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 Instinct 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 Instinct and Hill's Science Diet. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- $10 Off + Free Shipping Orders $60+ @ PetFlow (Use Code SAVENOW)
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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 Instinct Pet Foods
You can purchase Instinct pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Hill's Science Diet Pet Foods
You can purchase Hill's Science Diet pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Instinct | Hill's Science Diet |
| Dry Dog Food | 31 Recipes | 32 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 22 Recipes | 30 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | 3 Treats | 15 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 14 Recipes | 18 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 29 Recipes | 39 Recipes |
| Cat Treats |
