Purina Pro Plan vs Royal Canin vs Hill's Science Diet vs Blue Buffalo
For a 50 lb adult dog, Pro Plan costs the least of the four at $1.56 a day for Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula Adult Dry Dog Food; Hill's answers yes to the most of WSAVA's five questions (5 of 5). Yes answers in the public sources we could check: Hill's 5 of 5, Pro Plan 4 of 5, Royal Canin 4 of 5, Blue Buffalo 4 of 5. The four example dry foods cost $1.56 to $2.42 a day for that dog (about 1,160 calories a day).
Updated October 3, 2026
Purina Pro Plan
Yes to 4 of 5 WSAVA questions
Quality-control testing: Not checked
Example: Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula Adult Dry Dog Food, 449 calories per cup.
$1.56 a day for a 50 lb dog (about 2.5 cups)
Check price →
Royal Canin
Yes to 4 of 5 WSAVA questions
Feeding trials: Not stated
Example: Royal Canin Medium Adult Dry Dog Food, 340 calories per cup.
$1.95 a day for a 50 lb dog (about 3.5 cups)
Check price →
Hill's Science Diet
Yes to 5 of 5 WSAVA questions
Example: Adult Chicken & Barley Recipe Dog Food, 365 calories per cup.
$2.42 a day for a 50 lb dog (about 3.25 cups)
Check price →
Blue Buffalo
Yes to 4 of 5 WSAVA questions
Makes its own food: Mixed
Example: Life Protection Formula Adult Dog Beef Recipe, 391 calories per cup.
$1.72 a day for a 50 lb dog (about 3 cups)
Check price →Amazon prices as of 2026-10-19. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Each example is the same dry food our WSAVA page shows for the brand, with an Amazon listing we matched to it. Cost per day = the dog's daily calories x the food's Amazon cost per 1,000 calories. Today's Amazon price may differ. We earn a commission if you buy; it does not change the answers on this page.
The five questions
Each brand's answers, with sources
WSAVA's Global Nutrition Committee gives owners questions to ask a pet food company (its guide). It does not approve brands. ? means we could not find or could not check a public answer; it is not a no. Tap "source" in a cell to see the quote. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
| Brand | Nutritionist on staff | Quality-control testing | Published research | Makes its own food | Feeding trials | Example dry food, cost a day (50 lb dog) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purina Pro Plan | Yes sourced source“Purina Senior Research Scientist Arleigh Reynolds, a veterinarian who is board-certified in veterinary nutrition and who trained the sprint dog team...” https://newscenter.purina.com/2014-08-20-Purina-Shares-Expertise-on-Achieving-a-Performance-Edge | ? Not checked | Yes sourced | Yes Owns its plants source“Nestlé Purina PetCare Company today commemorated the opening of its 21st factory in the United States in Hartwell, Georgia... Purina also operates a manufacturing facility in Fairburn, Georgia, which employs 350 people.” https://newscenter.purina.com/2019-11-18-Pet-Care-Leader-Purina-Opens-21st-Factory-in-United-States | Yes sourced | $1.56 $1.34 per 1,000 calories, 449 per cup |
| Royal Canin | Yes sourced source“Formulations are developed by a team of board-certified veterinary nutritionists, Ph. D. nutritionists, and Royal Canin associates with a Masters degree in small animal nutrition.” https://www.royalcanin.com/us/about-us/our-nutritional-approach/pet-food-safety-questions-to-ask-your-manufacturer | Yes sourced source“A network of state-of-the-art laboratories across the world conduct detailed analyses on all ingredients and finished products from our manufacturing sites.” https://www.royalcanin.com/us/about-us/our-nutritional-approach/pet-food-safety-questions-to-ask-your-manufacturer | Yes sourced | Yes Owns its plants source“Royal Canin is a worldwide company providing nutritional formulas for cats and dogs in over 91 countries with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities situated throughout the world.” https://www.royalcanin.com/us/about-us/our-nutritional-approach/pet-food-safety-questions-to-ask-your-manufacturer | ? Not stated source“The vast majority are validated and compliant with AFFCO and FEDIAF nutrient profiles and/or feeding trials, where these are the most relevant nutritional regulators.” https://www.royalcanin.com/us/about-us/our-nutritional-approach/pet-food-safety-questions-to-ask-your-manufacturer | $1.95 $1.68 per 1,000 calories, 340 per cup |
| Hill's Science Diet | Yes sourced source“of the 94 diplomates in the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, Hill's employs four, along with two veterinarians who are residency-trained in clinical nutrition.” https://www.hillspet.com/about-us/our-company | Yes sourced source“Additionally, all finished products are physically inspected and tested for key nutrients prior to release to help ensure your pet gets a consistent product bag to bag.” https://www.hillspet.com/about-us/quality-and-safety | Yes sourced | Yes Owns its plants source“Hill's Pet Nutrition plans to add to its US manufacturing capabilities with a US$700 million purchase of three Ohio based dry pet-food plants from Red Collar Pet Foods.” https://www.foodbusinessafrica.com/hills-pet-nutrition-to-acquire-red-collar-pet-foods-plants/ | Yes sourced | $2.42 $2.08 per 1,000 calories, 365 per cup |
| Blue Buffalo | Yes sourced source“An expansive research and development team. Ranging from veterinarians, doctorate-level animal nutritionists, and food safety and quality experts.” https://www.bluevetconnect.com/manufacturing-quality/ | Yes sourced source“All products undergo rigorous testing, including but not limited to, microbiology, nutrient analyses, shelf life, stool quality, urine pH, palatability, digestibility and product efficacy.” https://www.bluevetconnect.com/manufacturing-and-quality/ | Yes sourced | Mixed Mixed source“It often outsources the production of its recipes to other U.S. manufacturers, which include Ainsworth, ANI/Vita-Line, CJ Foods, Triple T Foods, and Tuffy's.” https://allamerican.org/investigation/blue-buffalo/ | Yes sourced source“AAFCO feeding trials have been conducted on the BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet™ dry formulas and many of our over-the-counter diets to demonstrate complete and balanced nutrition.” https://www.bluebuffalo.com/dry-dog-food/blue-natural-veterinary-diet/low-fat-digestive-support/ | $1.72 $1.48 per 1,000 calories, 391 per cup |
Same answers and sources as our WSAVA brand page, which covers every dog food brand we track. A 50 lb adult dog needs about 1,160 calories a day by the standard formula (70 x weight in kg to the 0.75 power, x 1.6 for an adult); an older, less active or spayed dog may need less. How we calculate.
Questions owners ask
Is Purina Pro Plan better than Royal Canin?
Neither wins on every point. In public sources, Pro Plan answers yes to 4 of WSAVA's five questions and Royal Canin to 4. Royal Canin's feeding-trial answer: Not stated. Pro Plan's quality-control answer: Not checked. For a 50 lb adult dog, the Pro Plan example costs $1.56 a day and the Royal Canin example $1.95. Pro Plan's has 449 calories per cup and Royal Canin's 340, so the dog eats about 2.5 cups of one or about 3.5 cups of the other.
Which is cheapest per day?
For a 50 lb adult dog: Pro Plan $1.56, Blue Buffalo $1.72, Royal Canin $1.95, Hill's $2.42, for the example dry foods above at their Amazon prices. Cost per day depends on calories, not bag price: we divide the dog's daily calories by each food's cost per 1,000 calories.
Which of these brands meet WSAVA guidelines?
WSAVA does not approve, list or certify brands; it publishes questions to ask a pet food company. Hill's answers yes to all five in public sources we could check. The table below shows each answer and its source. Our WSAVA page shows the same answers for every dog food brand we track.
Why does calories per cup matter?
Because the cup is what you scoop. The four example foods range from 340 to 449 calories per cup, so the same dog needs a different number of cups of each. A bag that looks cheaper can cost more per day if each cup carries fewer calories.
Have any of these brands been recalled?
In the FDA's animal and veterinary recall records we hold (2019 to now, plus older recalls we added by hand): Pro Plan 3, Royal Canin 2, Hill's 3, Blue Buffalo 1. That is not a complete lifetime history.
More: WSAVA answers for every brand · cheaper alternatives to Royal Canin · is Purina ONE good for dogs? (vs Pro Plan, cost a day) ·Purina Pro Plan scorecard · Royal Canin scorecard · Hill's Science Diet scorecard · Blue Buffalo scorecard · cost per day for every dog food.
Sources
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee, Guidelines on Selecting Pet Foods (updated 10 March 2021) and committee page.
- Each brand's answers: the quote and link in each table cell (company pages, press releases and PubMed searches).
- Calories per cup and AAFCO statements: each food's official label in our data. Prices: the Amazon listing, recorded on the date shown above.
- Recalls: FDA animal and veterinary recall records (2019 to now) plus older recalls we added by hand.