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LINE VS LINE · HILL'S KIBBLE

Hill's Healthy Advantage vs Hill's Bioactive Recipe

Hill's Healthy Advantage vs Hill's Bioactive Recipe: a bag from each line with their average protein, fat, starch and calories

Hill's Healthy Advantage against Hill's Bioactive Recipe, measured across 6 and 6 kibble recipes: 25.0% vs 24.3% protein and 16.3% vs 11.5% fat, as fed.

THE SHORT VERSION

Main Differences

  • Hill's Healthy Advantage averages 16.3% fat as fed (14.7% to 22.1% across recipes), while Hill's Bioactive Recipe averages 11.5% fat (10.8% to 12.5%), noticeably lower.
  • Protein levels are close: Hill's Healthy Advantage averages 25% protein as fed, and Hill's Bioactive Recipe averages 24.4%.
  • Hill's Healthy Advantage averages 376 kcal per cup (270 to 445 across recipes), compared with Hill's Bioactive Recipe's average of 316 kcal per cup (259 to 374).
  • Hill's Healthy Advantage covers puppy, adult and senior recipes, including one large breed and one small breed option. Hill's Bioactive Recipe covers only adult and senior recipes, with two small breed and two large breed options.
  • Both lines show a grain-free share of 0 percent, so neither is grain-free based on label data. Healthy Advantage's estimated price per pound is $2.87, while Bioactive Recipe's is $2.59.
HEAD TO HEAD

The Two Lines in Figures

Measure Hill's Healthy Advantage Hill's Bioactive Recipe Average kibble
Kibble recipes compared 6 6 1,747 in total
Protein, as fed 25.0%19.4% to 29.7% 24.3%20.0% to 28.7% 27.2%
Fat, as fed 16.3%14.7% to 22.1% 11.5%10.8% to 12.5% 14.3%
Starch, as fedEstimated, not measured. It is what is left of the guaranteed analysis once protein, fat, fiber and moisture are taken out, with ash assumed at 6%. That leftover is mostly starch but also carries sugars and the fiber a crude-fiber test misses, so read it as a close estimate rather than an exact figure. Measured as fed, the same basis as the bag. No data No data 37%
Calories per cup 376270 to 445 316259 to 374 398
Grain-free recipes 0% 0%
Life stages Adult 3, Puppy 2, Senior 1 Adult 5, Senior 1
Breed sizes All Breeds 6, Large Breed 1, Small Breed 1 All Breeds 6, Small Breed 2, Large Breed 2
Price per pound, estimate $2.87/lbEstimate, median of 1 of 6 recipesRecipes run $2.87 to $2.87Prices checked Oct 16, 2026 $2.59/lbEstimate, median of 4 of 6 recipesRecipes run $2.23 to $2.98Prices checked Oct 16, 2026
FDA recalls, last 5 years None None

Line figures are averages over every kibble recipe we review from that line, with the lowest and highest recipe underneath. Wet food, toppers and prescription diets are left out so the numbers compare like with like. Everything is as fed, the way the bag prints it; the switch above the table shows protein and fat on a dry matter basis instead. Why we use as fed. The price per pound is an estimate: the median of each recipe's lowest price per pound across the bag sizes and US retailers our price checks found, so a single bag can cost more or less. Shelf prices change often.

WHERE TO START

Top Recipes in Each Line

CHOOSING

Who Each Line Suits

A GOOD FIT FOR

Hill's Healthy Advantage

  • Owners of puppies, since Healthy Advantage has 2 puppy recipes and Bioactive Recipe has none.
  • Owners of large breed puppies, via Healthy Advantage's Puppy Large Breed recipe at 417 kcal.
  • Owners of dogs needing dental support, via Healthy Advantage's Oral+ recipe sold for that purpose.
A GOOD FIT FOR

Hill's Bioactive Recipe

  • Owners of adult dogs wanting a lower fat recipe, since Bioactive Recipe averages 11.5% fat.
  • Owners looking for a lower estimated price per pound, at $2.59 for Bioactive Recipe.
  • Owners of adult dogs interested in Bioactive Recipe's Fit + Radiant recipes, sold for fitness.
THE WHOLE RANGE

Every Hill's Line

Line Kibble recipes Protein Fat Starch Kcal / cup Grain-free Price / lb, est.
Science Diet 54 20.5% 11.3% 47% 355 2% $3.29
Bioactive Recipe 6 24.3% 11.5% -- 316 0% $2.59
Healthy Advantage 6 25.0% 16.3% -- 376 0% $2.87
Prescription Diet No kibble; 19 other recipes
Veterinary diets 22 prescription recipes, fed for a medical condition on a vet's advice. Not compared.

Averages over each line's kibble we review, as fed. Lines with only a few recipes swing more on one bag. Price per pound is the same estimate as above.

KEEP COMPARING

More Hill's Line Comparisons

The Hill's Lines

Hill's Against Other Brands

How we compare: every figure comes from the guaranteed analysis and ingredient list of recipes we review, not from the brand's own claims. Starch is our estimate, since no manufacturer prints it. The written comparison is drafted from these figures, and every number in it is checked against them. Figures refreshed October 25, 2026.

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