Natural Balance vs. Hill's Ideal Balance
In this comparison article for Natural Balance vs Hill's Ideal Balance, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Natural Balance 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 Natural Balance comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Natural Balance Review Page or Hill's Ideal Balance Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Hill's Ideal Balance vs. Natural Balance
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.
Natural Balance Dog Food vs. Hill's Ideal Balance Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Crude Protein | 26.6% | 23.5% |
| Crude Fat | 12.9% | 17.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.4% | 1.6% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Crude Protein | 38.8% | 26.6% |
| Crude Fat | 19.1% | 19.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 7.1% | 4.8% |
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.
If you look at the average percentages of crude protein, you'll notice that Natural Balance typically guarantees 3.13% more protein. This is a fairly small difference between Natural Balance and Hill's Ideal Balance, but still worth mentioning. In addition, Natural Balance wet dog foods also provide more protein than Hill's Ideal Balance wet foods.
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.
The table shows that Natural Balance provides far less fat than Hill's Ideal Balance. The difference in fat content is roughly 4.96%. For wet dog foods, Hill's Ideal Balance and Natural Balance provide roughly the same amount of fat.
According to our data, Natural Balance guarantees 3.75% more fiber than Hill's Ideal Balance. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. In addition, Natural Balance wet dog foods also provide more fiber than Hill's Ideal Balance wet foods.
Natural Balance Cat Food vs. Hill's Ideal Balance Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Crude Protein | 37.1% | 32.5% |
| Crude Fat | 14.3% | 21.9% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.6% | 0.9% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Crude Protein | 47.4% | 43.6% |
| Crude Fat | 19.1% | 22.1% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.9% | 3.3% |
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 Natural Balance guarantees 4.68% more protein than Hill's Ideal Balance dry cat food recipes. For wet cat foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more protein (about 3.77% more).
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.
There is a relatively large difference between the fat content of Hill's Ideal Balance and Natural Balance. On average, Natural Balance dry cat food recipes contain 7.54% less fat than Hill's Ideal Balance recipes. For wet cat foods, Hill's Ideal Balance typically provides a little more fat (about 2.99% more).
Hill's Ideal Balance dry recipes contain 4.69% less fiber than Natural Balance dry recipes. This difference in fiber content is a notable difference between Natural Balance and Hill's Ideal Balance. For wet cat foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.70% more).
Natural Balance Pet Food Ingredients vs. Hill's Ideal Balance Pet Food Ingredients
Natural Balance and Hill's Ideal Balance both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Natural Balance.
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.
Natural Balance and Hill's Ideal Balance both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:
Product Safety: Recall History of Natural Balance & Hill's Ideal Balance?
Natural Balance has been recalled 5 times.
- July 21, 2007: ofbotulinum toxin
- May 4, 2012: Salmonella
- June 18, 2010: Salmonella
- April 27, 2007: Melamine
- April 17, 2007: Melamine
According to our records, Hill's Ideal Balance has never been recalled.
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Per Pound | $2.61 | $2.04 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0017 | $0.0012 |
| Dry Cat Food | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Per Pound | $3.32 | $2.79 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0021 | $0.0015 |
| Wet Dog Food | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Per Pound | $4.91 | $3.32 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0100 | $0.0098 |
| Wet Cat Food | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Per Pound | $6.30 | $7.17 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0148 | $0.0161 |
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 Natural Balance 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 Natural Balance 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 Natural Balance and Hill's Ideal Balance. 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 Natural Balance Pet Foods
You can purchase Natural Balance 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 | Natural Balance | Hill's Ideal Balance |
| Dry Dog Food | 27 Recipes | 6 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 31 Recipes | 2 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | 33 Treats | 3 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 14 Recipes | 4 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 39 Recipes | 2 Recipes |
| Cat Treats |
