Hills Dog Food Dog Food Reviews

Hill’s Science Diet has 9 lines of dog food. There are 6 lines of dry dog food with 73 recipes, and 3 lines of canned dog food with 61 recipes. The dry dog foods score very low in ingredient quality and safety. We consider them very high risk by our criteria. The scores for the 4 lines of canned food are slightly better so they’re considered high risk dog foods.

Hill’s describes all its foods as “vet-recommended.” The Hill’s website speaks in broad terms about biology-based nutrition. They use these to address a range of life stages and health conditions. Hill’s Prescription Diet is by veterinary prescription. It’s for specific health conditions Hill’s has outlined. Hill’s Science Diet is for overall nutrition. The company formulated Healthy Advantage to address 5 common health concerns. 

The FDA practices “enforcement discretion.” It has not reviewed or verified the health claims on veterinary diets. There’s a different approach to non-prescription pet store dog food. They might have a health claim such as weight management or joint support. That means they are subject to FDA regulations and enforcement. Not all veterinary brands meet AAFCO standards. There’s concern about long-term use. It’s due to potential lack of enough nutrition. This is despite the intention to manage disease.

The ingredients and guaranteed analyses appear to be similar throughout all lines. These foods have similar concerns to other high-carb, dry and wet dog foods in the marketplace. 

It’s worth explaining about ingredient splitting early in this review. This is a technique of manipulating the ingredient list. It moves certain ingredients higher or lower on the list. Most of these recipes split ingredients. Many split them in the first 5. You’ll see various forms of potato, rice, or corn. If combined, they push the protein lower and the starches higher. This is notable in the very high level of carbs in all these recipes. Starchy ingredients include soybean, oats, pea fiber, wheat and sorghum. They are often found in the top 5-8 ingredients.

More than half of the dry recipes are half carbohydrates. They vary from 42 to 55% carbs as calculated. The canned foods also have excessive levels of carbs. They average 52% as calculated. This equals and exceeds many of the dry foods. This is unusual for canned food. They are often lower in starches and grains. They aren’t required for the extrusion process used to make dry foods. 

Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate. High carbohydrate is an indicator of poor food quality. It can reduce manufacturing costs. Foods that are high in carbohydrate can raise insulin and cause obesity. In fact, dogs have only one hormone to reduce excess glucose from carbs. But, they have 8 hormones to raise glucose in times of famine. Studies also show that dogs fed a high carbohydrate diet have changes to their gut bacteria.

Hill’s Prescription Diet dog foods are available by veterinary prescription. There are 2 lines of dog food. There are dry dog foods with 27 recipes, and canned dog foods with 32 recipes. These recipes address various ailments. However, the ingredients are similar. There is water, broth and several starches listed in the top 5 ingredients. All include a lengthy list of synthetic vitamins and minerals.The average score of wet recipes is 2.8/10. There is a huge disparity in protein from 8% protein to 44%. They promote the belief that dogs with urinary or kidney issues need a low protein diet. In fact, it’s been show, a diet with quality protein is beneficial. The dry foods have a score of 1.6/10. The ingredient lists are also top heavy with grains and starches.  

Similar to the Prescription Diets, Science Diet has 5 separate lines. They address Aging, Oral Health, Digestive Care, Mobility and Weight Control. But, as noted, their ingredients are similar. Many ingredients are of concern. They include grains, high-herbicide crops, processed seed oils and chicken products. They lead to inflammation. They aren’t good for dogs with digestive issues or inflammation. Chicken and soy are common allergens. They’re found in many of the recipes. They can lead to allergic reactions, food sensitivities and inflammation. 

Hill’s Healthy Advantage has 2 lines of dog foods. The dry line has 6 recipes and the canned line has 3 recipes. The company formulated these dog foods to provide 5 health benefits. Each dry recipe has similar ingredients. They have the same concerns as other Hill’s products. Both canned recipes are also similar. One is for adult dogs and one for puppies. Healthy Advantage foods are only available through a veterinarian.

All lines of dry and wet foods lack whole food ingredients like fruits and vegetables. The first 10-12 ingredients are mainly grains. They’re followed by sugar, cellulose and some protein. A lengthy list of synthetic vitamins, minerals and amino acids follow. Peas, carrots, cranberries, apples, broccoli and zucchini are glam ingredients in some recipes. They’re found so low on the list that they contribute no nutritional value. Whole food ingredients like fruits and vegetables would provide much-needed antioxidants. They would provide natural vitamins and minerals. These are better for dogs than synthetic ones, which are harder to digest. 

Fruits and vegetables would also provide soluble fiber. This would replace powdered cellulose, an insoluble fiber made from wood pulp. It’s the least expensive and least functional form of fiber since it’s very poorly fermented. Ground pecan shells are also listed in some foods. They’re a waste product of the food industry. Manufacturers will include them as a cheap form of fiber.

Most recipes also have added amino acids. This indicates there’s less animal protein and often more plant protein in the recipes. Other quality concerns include added color and sugar that dogs don’t need. They have heavily processed, inflammatory seed oils like soybean oil.

These are ultra processed, with several stages of heating that causes a loss of nutrients. Canned foods are less processed but still involve several stages of heating.

Hill’s doesn’t state whether its fish products or fish oil is from farmed or wild caught sources. Wild caught fish is more nutritious. It has a better fatty acid balance providing healthy omega-3s. Hill’s doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their recipes. While this is true of most companies, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Hill’s makes its dog foods in their own facilities in Topeka, Kansas. Ingredients are from North America, Europe and New Zealand. Detailed sourcing information does not appear to be on the website.

We have listed the average score of Hill’s Science Diet foods and each sub-brand below. Click on any line to view the individual foods and scores.