Insight, Pet Food Nutraceutical market
Hill's vs Royal Canin vs Purina Prescription Diets: How the Therapeutic Diet Brands Compare in Brazil and South America
By Growth Market Reports Research, published , updated
Hill's Prescription Diet, Royal Canin Veterinary and Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets are the three global therapeutic diet ranges sold in Brazil and across South America, and Brazil's PremieR Nutricao Clinica is the local alternative most vets put next to them. All four cover the common conditions: kidney, urinary, digestive, weight and food sensitivity. They differ in breadth of range, where they are made, price per kilo and how fast their owners are investing in the region. A veterinarian should always choose the diet for the diagnosis; this guide sets out what separates the brands once that choice is open.
Hill's vs Royal Canin vs Purina vs PremieR at a glance
| Criteria | Hill's Prescription Diet | Royal Canin Veterinary | Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets | PremieR Nutricao Clinica |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Colgate-Palmolive (listed, US) | Mars (private, US) | Nestle (listed, Switzerland) | PremieRpet (private, Brazil) |
| Owner's pet sales, 2025 | USD 4,613 million (Hill's total) | Not disclosed | CHF 18,406 million (Nestle PetCare total) | Not disclosed |
| Made in Brazil | Not disclosed | Yes, Descalvado (SP) | Yes, Ribeirao Preto (SP) and Vargeao (SC) | Yes, Dourado (SP) |
| Conditions covered in Brazil | Digestive, weight, urinary, kidney, joint, food sensitivity | Veterinary lines for dogs and cats, including renal | Obesity, urinary (struvite), hydrolyzed, NeuroCare (dogs) | Gastrointestinal, renal, urinary, diabetes, hypoallergenic, obesity, cardiac |
| Feline renal diet, 1.5 kg shelf price | Varies by pack size | BRL 148.66 (about BRL 99/kg) | Varies by retailer | BRL 109.99 (about BRL 73/kg) |
| Best for | Owners whose vet follows Hill's protocols, joint and multi-condition care | Widest vet and pharmacy availability, cats with kidney disease | Owners already on Pro Plan, neurological and allergy cases in dogs | Lower cost per kilo, broadest local clinical range |
Sources for each cell are linked in the sections below.
Why the choice matters in South America
Therapeutic diets are the largest part of the regional health nutrition business. The South America pet food nutraceutical market was worth USD 990 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 1.71 billion by 2034, a CAGR of 6.3%, according to the Growth Market Reports South America pet food nutraceutical market report. Medicinal foods, the diets in this comparison, are the largest product type with 41% of 2025 sales, and Brazil holds 55.5% of the regional market. By Growth Market Reports' analysis, Royal Canin, Purina, Hill's, PremieRpet and Farmina together hold about 45% of the market.
Demand for these diets holds up even when owners trade down on everyday food. Brazil's pet sector chamber at the Ministry of Agriculture reported that in 2025 the veterinary market grew 5% while pet food grew only 0.16%. Brazil's pet sector earned BRL 77.96 billion in 2025, of which BRL 41.42 billion was pet food. A diet prescribed for a sick animal is one of the last purchases owners cut.
Hill's Prescription Diet
Hill's Pet Nutrition is the pet nutrition division of Colgate-Palmolive. Its 2025 annual report on Form 10-K shows net sales of USD 4,613 million, up 2.9%, with organic sales up 1.2%. Hill's sells two brands in Brazil, Prescription Diet and Science Diet, in dry and wet formats for dogs and cats, with nutrition for digestive health, weight management, urinary health, kidney disease, joint health and food sensitivities.
Hill's strength is the breadth of its clinical portfolio, which spans joint care as well as the core kidney, urinary and digestive conditions. Its weakness in South America is supply: Hill's does not disclose a Brazilian plant, while its three main rivals all make food in Sao Paulo state or Santa Catarina. That matters in a market where currency swings move the shelf price of imported food, and where the Ministry of Agriculture's new mycotoxin limits for dog and cat food took effect on 1 July 2026.
Royal Canin Veterinary
Royal Canin is Mars's health nutrition brand. The Ministry of Agriculture's register lists Royal Canin do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda with a pet food plant in Descalvado, Sao Paulo, certified for export. Royal Canin Brasil sells separate veterinary diet lines for cats and dogs, and the company says it operates in more than 100 countries with more than 8,000 associates.
Royal Canin is the easiest of the four to find: its renal diet for cats sits on drugstore shelves as well as in clinics and pet shops. Drogasil lists the Royal Canin feline renal diet at BRL 148.66 for 1.5 kg, about BRL 99 a kilo, the highest per-kilo price in this comparison. Owners pay for the brand's depth in feline kidney and urinary care and its wide distribution, and Mars, as a private company, does not publish Brazilian sales.
Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets
Purina is the most active of the four in South America right now. Nestle's PetCare business had CHF 18,406 million of sales in 2025. In Brazil, Pro Plan Veterinary Diets offers canine formulas for obesity management, struvite urinary stones, allergies (a hydrolyzed hypoallergenic diet) and NeuroCare for adult dogs, and feline formulas for obesity, urinary care and allergies.
The investment pipeline sets Purina apart. On 3 March 2026 it opened a BRL 2.5 billion wet food plant in Vargeao, Santa Catarina, which supplies Chile first and will supply Colombia and Mexico. On 2 April 2026 it relaunched Pro Plan in Brazil, expanding the dry range from 41 to 54 items and its veterinary team from 3 to 18, with 40 planned by the end of 2026, and set a goal of doubling Pro Plan's market share in two years. At WSAVA 2025 in Rio de Janeiro it presented Pro Plan LiveClear, which cuts active cat allergen by up to 47%, and Pro Plan Active Mind for senior dogs. For a vet, a larger Purina field team means more training and samples; for an owner, it should mean easier access to the range in Chile and Colombia.
PremieR Nutricao Clinica: the Brazilian alternative
PremieRpet, founded in 1995, is Brazil's leading super premium pet food maker. Its Dourado industrial complex covers more than 680,000 square metres with dry food, wet food and biscuit factories, and its Porto Amazonas plant in Parana, opened in June 2022 with BRL 1.1 billion of investment, can make more than 600,000 tonnes a year. PremieR Nutricao Clinica covers gastrointestinal, renal, urinary, diabetes, hypoallergenic, obesity and cardiac needs, the broadest local clinical range.
Price is PremieR's main advantage. Cobasi lists PremieR Nutricao Clinica Renal for early-stage kidney disease in cats at BRL 109.99 for 1.5 kg, about BRL 73 a kilo, roughly a quarter less than Royal Canin's renal diet per kilo. Italy's Farmina is another locally produced option, selling its Vet Life clinical line from its plant in Braganca Paulista.
What a year on a therapeutic diet costs
A cat on a renal diet eating about 60 g a day uses roughly 22 kg a year. At the shelf prices above, that costs about BRL 1,600 with PremieR and about BRL 2,200 with Royal Canin, or USD 290 to 390 at the 2025 average exchange rate of BRL 5.59 per dollar. Programmed-purchase discounts of 10% or more are common at Brazilian pet retailers, so the gap narrows for owners who subscribe. Many therapeutic diets are fed for life, which is why the per-kilo price matters more than the price of a single bag.
How to choose between them
- Start with the diagnosis. All four brands cover kidney, urinary, digestive, weight and allergy conditions; for rarer needs, such as cardiac, diabetes or neurological care, check which range carries a formula for that condition.
- Check availability where you live. Royal Canin and PremieR are widely stocked in Brazilian drugstores and pet chains; in Chile and Colombia availability depends on imports, and Purina's new Brazilian capacity is aimed at those markets.
- Compare price per kilo, not per bag. Pack sizes differ between brands, and long-term feeding makes small per-kilo differences add up.
- Do not switch without the vet. Therapeutic formulas within the same condition differ in protein, phosphorus and mineral levels, so a switch between brands should be supervised.
Diets are only part of the picture. Supplements make up the second-largest product type, and joint actives and vitamins and minerals are the largest ingredient groups at 19% each. Readers comparing wider categories can see the Growth Market Reports veterinary diets market and pet supplements market reports, as well as the South America pet food market study. The full country, segment and company data for the region is in the South America pet food nutraceutical market report.
Segment, regional and company data for 2023 to 2034, with a free sample.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Hill's, Royal Canin or Purina prescription diets?
None is better for every case. All three cover kidney, urinary, digestive, weight and allergy conditions in Brazil. Royal Canin is the most widely stocked, Purina is expanding fastest in the region, and Hill's has a broad clinical portfolio. A veterinarian should choose by diagnosis.
Which veterinary diet is cheapest in Brazil?
Among the renal diets checked, PremieR Nutricao Clinica Renal for cats lists at BRL 109.99 for 1.5 kg at Cobasi, about BRL 73 a kilo, against BRL 148.66 for Royal Canin's feline renal diet at Drogasil, about BRL 99 a kilo.
Are Royal Canin and Purina veterinary diets made in Brazil?
Royal Canin runs a pet food plant registered with the Ministry of Agriculture in Descalvado, Sao Paulo. Purina makes food in Ribeirao Preto and opened a BRL 2.5 billion wet food plant in Vargeao, Santa Catarina, in March 2026. PremieRpet produces in Dourado and Porto Amazonas.
How big is the South America pet food nutraceutical market?
Growth Market Reports values it at USD 990 million in 2025, rising to USD 1.71 billion by 2034 at a 6.3% CAGR. Medicinal foods, the veterinary therapeutic diets compared here, are the largest product type with 41% of sales.
Can I switch my pet from Hill's to Royal Canin or Purina?
Only with your veterinarian's approval. Therapeutic formulas for the same condition differ in protein, phosphorus and mineral levels, so a vet should confirm the replacement diet matches the treatment plan and supervise a gradual transition.
Sources
- Brazil Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), "Dados de Mercado Setor Pet: projecao do faturamento em 2025 (44a reuniao ordinaria)", 2025-10-30
- Brazil Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) / Abempet, "Balanco Abempet 2025: setor pet faturara R$ 77,96 bilhoes em 2025 (45a reuniao ordinaria)", 2026-02
- Colgate-Palmolive (SEC Form 10-K), "Annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025", 2026-02
- Hill's Pet Nutrition Brasil, "Hill's Pet Nutrition Brasil: Prescription Diet e Science Diet", 2026
- MAPA, "Portaria SDA/MAPA no 1.412, de 3 de outubro de 2025: limites maximos de micotoxinas em alimentos para caes e gatos", 2025-10-03
- MAPA, "Lista de estabelecimentos da alimentacao animal com certificacao suspensa (Royal Canin do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda, Descalvado, SP)", 2021-02
- Royal Canin Brasil, "Royal Canin Brasil: dietas veterinarias para caes e gatos", 2026
- Drogasil, "Racao Royal Canin Dieta Veterinaria Renal para Gatos com Doencas Renais 1,5Kg", 2026
- Nestle, "Full-year results 2025 and strategic update", 2026-02
- Purina Brasil, "Pro Plan Veterinary Diets: formula canina", 2026
- Nestle Brasil, "Nestle Purina inaugura fabrica de racao umida em Vargeao (SC) e reforca estrategia de expansao no Brasil e exportacao", 2026-03-03
- Nestle Brasil, "Nestle Purina relanca Pro Plan no Brasil e pretende dobrar o market share nos proximos dois anos", 2026-04-02
- Nestle Brasil, "Nestle Purina destaca avancos em inovacao e tecnologia no setor pet no WSAVA 2025", 2025-09-29
- PremieRpet, "Confira sobre as fabricas da PremieRpet pelo Brasil", 2026
- Governo do Parana (AEN), "Com investimentos de R$ 1,1 bilhao, fabrica de alimentos para pets entra em producao no Parana", 2022-06-30
- PremieRpet, "PremieR Nutricao Clinica", 2026
- Cobasi, "Racao PremieR Nutricao Clinica Renal Estagios Iniciais Gatos Adultos", 2026
- Farmina Pet Foods Brasil, "Vet Life", 2026
- Banco Central do Brasil (SGS series 3698), "Taxa de cambio livre, dolar americano (venda), media mensal, 2025", 2026-01