Therapeutic diet cross-reference (worldwide)
A global map of comparable therapeutic diets across Hill’s Prescription Diet, Royal Canin Veterinary and Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets. The same diet is often sold under different names in different countries, so each cell lists the naming variants seen across the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and South Africa.
⚠ Important: read before using
This table covers all regions. Product names, formulations and availability vary by country and change over time; some products listed here may not be sold in your area, and some local products may not appear here. Always verify against the current manufacturer catalog for your own market before acting.
Reference only; not veterinary advice, and not a prescribing tool. “Same indication” does not mean “interchangeable”: therapeutic diets differ in their exact nutrient targets, and some carry one-way or conditional restrictions (see Chart 2). Every therapeutic-diet substitution is a clinical decision that rests with the prescribing veterinarian. If a client's exact prescribed diet is out of stock, the safe default is order it in or book the vet, not hand over a different one.
GI standard is not GI low-fat
In pancreatitis, hyperlipidaemia and lymphangiectasia the fat restriction is the therapy. Match low-fat to low-fat only; a standard GI diet is not a substitute.
Hydrolysed is not novel protein
Hydrolysed and novel/selected-protein diets work differently, and parent proteins differ between brands. Never swap either one mid-elimination-trial: the 8–12-week clock restarts.
Hill's y/d has no equivalent
The feline hyperthyroid diet is iodine-restricted and fails if the cat eats anything else at all. There is no cross-brand counterpart; order it in, never substitute.
Chart 1: Comparable diets by indication
25 of 25 indications shown.
| Indication | Hill’s Prescription Diet | Royal Canin Veterinary | Purina Pro Plan Vet (PPVD) | Cross-swap note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic kidney disease (renal) | k/d · k/d Kidney CareHill's official page ↗ | Renal · Renal Support A/D/E/F (letters = palatability variants, same tier) · Renal Special · Renal LiquidRoyal Canin official page ↗ | NF Renal Function (Advanced Care)Purina official page ↗ | Match the stage first (see next row). |
| Early-stage renal | k/d Early Support · k/d Early Stage | Early Renal · Renal Support Early ConsultRoyal Canin official page ↗ | NF Renal Function Early Care | ⚠ Early-stage ≠ standard renal: different restriction tier. |
| Digestive / GI (standard) | i/d · i/d Digestive CareHill's official page ↗ | Gastrointestinal (Moderate Calorie · Kitten/Puppy)Royal Canin official page ↗ | EN Gastroenteric (US) / EN Gastrointestinal (UK)Purina official page ↗ | Straight swap for routine GI. |
| GI: LOW FAT (pancreatitis, hyperlipidaemia, lymphangiectasia) | i/d Low FatHill's official page ↗ | Gastrointestinal Low Fat (Small Dog · Loaf)Royal Canin official page ↗ | EN Gastroenteric/Gastrointestinal Low FatPurina official page ↗ | ⚠ The fat restriction is the therapy: match low-fat to low-fat only. |
| GI: fiber / microbiome (colitis, constipation) | Gastrointestinal Biome · w/d (Multi-Benefit)Hill's official page ↗ | Gastrointestinal Fibre/Fiber Response · Gastrointestinal High Fibre/FiberRoyal Canin official page ↗ | EN (fibre variants) | High-fiber and low-fat GI diets solve opposite problems; confirm which was prescribed. |
| Urinary: struvite / FLUTD (maintenance) | c/d Multicare · c/d Urinary CareHill's official page ↗ | Urinary S/O (SA: “Urinary So”) · Urinary S/O Moderate CalorieRoyal Canin official page ↗ | UR Urinary St/OxPurina official page ↗ | Struvite-focused; aids oxalate by dilution. Not for dissolution or urate (below). |
| Urinary: rapid struvite dissolution (short-term) | s/dHill's official page ↗ | Urinary S/O (dissolution protocol) | UR (dissolution use) | ⚠ Short-term diet: never a maintenance food, never handed over as an ongoing substitute. |
| Urinary: urate / cystine (low purine) | u/dHill's official page ↗ | Urinary UC (Low Purine)Royal Canin official page ↗ | n/a | ⚠ Opposite protein/mineral profile to struvite diets: needs stone analysis, never a shelf swap. |
| Food sensitivity: HYDROLYSED (standard) | z/d (hydrolysed chicken liver)Hill's official page ↗ | Hypoallergenic · Hydrolyzed Protein HP/PS (hydrolysed soy)Royal Canin official page ↗ | HA Hydrolyzed / HypoallergenicPurina official page ↗ | Different parent proteins; a patient reactive to one may flare on the other. |
| Food sensitivity: HYDROLYSED (extensive) | (none at this tier) | Anallergenic · Ultamino (feather hydrolysate, oligopeptides)Royal Canin official page ↗ | (HA, some markets) | ⚠ One-way: stepping up to extensive is safe; stepping back down is not. |
| Food sensitivity: NOVEL / SELECTED protein | d/d (Duck, Salmon, Venison…)Hill's official page ↗ | Sensitivity Control · Selected Protein PD/PR/PW (duck/rabbit/whitefish)Royal Canin official page ↗ | (market-specific) | ⚠ Novel protein ≠ hydrolysed. Match protein exactly; carrier carbohydrate still differs. |
| Skin / dermatology | Derm Complete · Derm DefenseHill's official page ↗ | Skin Care · Skin & Coat · Skintopic · Adult SkinRoyal Canin official page ↗ | DRM DermatosisPurina official page ↗ | Derm diets target different drivers (food vs environmental), so they are not straight swaps. |
| Weight management / obesity | Metabolic (Metabolic Weight) · r/dHill's official page ↗ | Satiety / Satiety Weight Management · Neutered Satiety/Weight Balance · Moderate-Calorie variants | OM Overweight / Obesity ManagementPurina official page ↗ | Different mechanisms; recalculate the ration on any swap. |
| Diabetes: dog | w/d (high-fiber)Hill's official page ↗ | DiabeticRoyal Canin official page ↗ | DM Dietetic / Diabetes ManagementPurina official page ↗ | ⚠ Two strategies (high-fiber vs low-carb) change insulin needs. Do not cross species. |
| Diabetes: cat | m/d (m/d GlucoSupport)Hill's official page ↗ | Glycobalance (US/UK/CA) / Diabetic (SA/AU)Royal Canin official page ↗ | DM Dietetic Management (low-carb)Purina official page ↗ | Feline-specific. Do not cross species. |
| Liver (hepatic) | l/dHill's official page ↗ | HepaticRoyal Canin official page ↗ | HP HepaticPurina official page ↗ | Copper-restricted; confirmed copper-associated hepatopathy needs <1.2 mg Cu/1000 kcal: l/d and RC Hepatic are formulated to meet it. ⚠ “No added copper” bags are not automatically restricted enough (see note). |
| Joint / mobility | j/d (Reduced Calorie) · combos: k/d + Mobility, Metabolic + Mobility, Brain Care + j/dHill's official page ↗ | Mobility · Mobility C2P+ · Mobility Support (JS) · Advanced Mobility SupportRoyal Canin official page ↗ | JM Joint Mobility | Match the primary condition first with combination diets. |
| Dental | t/d (Mini · Small Bites)Hill's official page ↗ | Dental (Small Dog)Royal Canin official page ↗ | DH Dental | Mechanical fiber matrix; closest to like-for-like, but still a vet call. |
| Convalescence / recovery / anorexia | a/d (Urgent Care)Hill's official page ↗ | RecoveryRoyal Canin official page ↗ | CN ConvalescencePurina official page ↗ | ⚠ High-energy critical-care food, short-term only (not maintenance). Both syringeable. |
| Cardiac | h/dHill's official page ↗ | Cardiac · Early CardiacRoyal Canin official page ↗ | CC Cardio CarePurina official page ↗ | Sodium-restricted; match the specific cardiac indication. |
| Cognitive / brain aging | b/d (Brain Ageing Care) · Brain Care + j/dHill's official page ↗ | (Mature Consult: ageing, not seizure) | NC NeuroCarePurina official page ↗ | ⚠ Different targets: cognitive-ageing vs seizure support. Limited mapping. |
| Senior / mature wellness | g/d · Multi-Organ Complex Support | Mature Consult (Balance · Large Dog)Royal Canin official page ↗ | n/a | Wellness tier, not a disease diet. |
| Anxiety / stress (add-on) | c/d Multicare Stress · i/d Stress · Gastrointestinal Biome Stress | Calm (+ base diet)Royal Canin official page ↗ | (Calming Care = supplement) | Stress variants add anxiety support on top of a base indication; match the base too. |
| Thyroid (feline hyperthyroid) | y/dHill's official page ↗ | n/a | n/a | ⚠ NO cross-brand equivalent. Iodine-restricted; fails if the cat eats anything else. Order in: never substitute. |
| Oncology support | ONC Care (On-Care)Hill's official page ↗ | n/a | n/a | No cross-brand counterpart. |
Chart 2: Conditional / directional swaps
| From | Direction | To | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| z/d (hydrolysed chicken liver) | ↔ both ways | RC Hypoallergenic / Hydrolyzed HP (hydrolysed soy) | Different parent proteins; reactive to one may flare on the other |
| z/d or RC Hydrolyzed HP (standard) | → one way only | RC Anallergenic / Ultamino (extensive) | Stepping up is safe; stepping back down is not |
| d/d Duck (novel protein) | ↔ both ways | RC Selected Protein PD (duck) | Only where the protein matches exactly; carrier carb still differs |
| s/d (struvite dissolution) | → one way only | RC Urinary S/O (maintenance) | s/d is short-term dissolution, not maintenance |
| u/d (urate / cystine) | ↔ partial | RC Urinary UC Low Purine | Partial match: protein & purine restriction differ; vet decision |
⚠ Never swap a hydrolysed or novel-protein diet during a diagnostic elimination trial: it invalidates the trial and the 8–12-week clock restarts.
Chart 3: No cross-brand equivalent (order in, do not substitute)
| Product | Why nothing substitutes | |
|---|---|---|
| Hill's y/d: feline hyperthyroidism | Iodine-restricted, no counterpart; fails if the cat eats anything else at all | Do not substitute |
| Hill's u/d: urate / cystine | Very low protein & purine; RC Urinary UC is a partial match at best | Do not substitute |
| Hill's b/d: canine cognitive dysfunction | No direct counterpart | Do not substitute |
| Hill's ONC Care: oncology | No cross-brand counterpart | Do not substitute |
| Hill's Derm Complete: environmental + food allergy | A different approach to the nearest competitor, not a substitution | Do not substitute |
| RC Anallergenic / Ultamino: extensive hydrolysate | Nothing in Hill's hydrolyses to this level; z/d is not a step down | Do not substitute |
| RC Selected Protein PR / PW: rabbit, whitefish | These proteins aren't made by the other brand | Do not substitute |
| RC Calm: anxiety | No standalone anxiety diet in the other range | Do not substitute |
| Multifunction diets (e.g. renal + hydrolysed) | Combination ranges differ between brands and rarely map one-to-one | Do not substitute |
Rules that apply to every swap
- Stage is not the same as brand: early-stage and standard renal are different tiers within both ranges. Match the stage, then the brand.
- Match wet-to-wet, dry-to-dry: swapping form quietly cuts water intake in renal & urinary patients.
- Check life stage; most therapeutic diets are not formulated for growth, gestation or lactation.
- Transition over ~7 days: mid-stockout, mixing the remaining old food across 3–4 days still beats an abrupt switch.
- Inappetence is usually palatability, not formula: a cat refusing one renal variant may accept another.
Note: copper and the liver diets
The real trap is the reverse of what people expect. For confirmed copper-associated hepatopathy, dietary copper should be < 1.2 mg / 1000 kcal (ACVIM 2019 consensus). Standard commercial foods sit far higher (median ~4.4 mg/1000 kcal). Therapeutic hepatic diets are the ones that meet the target: Hill's l/d, Royal Canin Hepatic and JustFoodForDogs Hepatic Support Low Fat are named as meeting it. A food labeled “no added copper” (usually over-the-counter) is not automatically restricted enough for a confirmed case.
Sources: Torres-Henderson C, “Nutritional Management of Copper Hepatopathy,” Today's Veterinary Practice, Mar/Apr 2025; ACVIM consensus on chronic hepatitis in dogs (Webster et al., JVIM 2019); WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines. Naming variants compiled from manufacturer catalogs across six markets. Not maintained in real time; review at least annually and whenever a brand reformulates.
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the Royal Canin equivalent of Hill's k/d?
- For chronic kidney disease, Hill's k/d maps to Royal Canin Renal (including Renal Support A/D/E/F palatability variants, Renal Special and Renal Liquid) and Purina PPVD NF Renal Function. Match the stage first; early-stage renal diets are a different restriction tier.
- Can I swap a hydrolysed diet for another brand?
- Not casually. Hill's z/d uses hydrolysed chicken liver and Royal Canin Hypoallergenic / Hydrolyzed HP uses hydrolysed soy, so a patient reactive to one may flare on the other. Stepping up to an extensive hydrolysate (Anallergenic / Ultamino) is one-way; stepping back down is not safe. Never swap during a diagnostic elimination trial.
- Is there an alternative to Hill's y/d?
- No. Hill's y/d for feline hyperthyroidism is iodine-restricted and there is no cross-brand equivalent. It also fails if the cat eats anything else at all, so it must be ordered in rather than substituted.
- Does swapping a therapeutic diet change the portion size?
- Yes. Therapeutic diets differ in calorie density, so any swap needs the daily ration recalculated, especially weight-management diets, which use different mechanisms between brands.