Hill's premium food is a popular brand among dog owners. Animals happily eat dry and wet diets, and owners enjoy the variety of daily and medicinal lines.
Hill's is often preferred because of the big name and reputation of the company (Hill's Pet Nutrition). It has been on the zoological goods market since 1939 (in Russia - since 1995). The products are manufactured by the American company at its own factories in the USA, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. And it has representative offices in 86 countries. Diets are created and tested by over 200 veterinarians, technicians and nutritionists. But is Hill's really that good?
In the review: we will consider the types of daily and veterinary Hills lines, we will analyze in detail the composition of the feed, the pros and cons. At the end of the article you will find customer reviews, a list of analogues with prices and find out my opinion about these diets.
Science Plan Dog Food Review
Hill's Science Plan dry and wet food for dogs is produced in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands by Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc.. Official website - (for Russia), it contains such important information about food as compositions and norms feeding.
This food belongs to the premium class. In addition to dog food, Science Plan food for cats is also available. There are other lines of Hill's food - Prescription Diet (veterinary food), Ideal Balance.
Science Plan food composition
Let's look at the composition of Hill's Science Plan food using the example of the option “for adult dogs of small breeds, lamb with rice.”
Photo of the composition from the packaging.
The first four ingredients are corn, brown rice, milled rice, wheat, and further down barley and oats are sources of carbohydrates. Corn gluten meal and lamb meal are sources of protein. Protein hydrolyzate is a flavoring additive (natural).
Probably the main part of the protein in the food is of plant origin, since corn gluten comes before lamb flour in the composition.
In some other formulas, the meat ingredient comes first. However, due to the missing percentages of ingredients, it is also difficult to say how much animal protein is in the food and how much is plant protein.
Animal fat and vegetable oil are sources of fats and fatty acids. It is not specified what animal fat and what plant oils are used. Soybean flour is also rich in carbohydrates and protein.
Flax seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and fiber. The sources of the latter are dry tomato pomace, citrus pomace, and chopped spinach.
Dietary supplements say “with a natural antioxidant,” but what exactly this antioxidant is is not specified.
Advantages and disadvantages
The benefits of Hill's Science Plan food include:
- wide range, in addition to dry food there is canned food;
- good vitamin and mineral supplement;
- very common, sold in most pet stores.
Disadvantages can be considered:
- corn, wheat, corn gluten are used (this is typical for premium class);
- It is not clear how much animal protein is in the food and how much is plant protein (plant proteins are less digestible and have a lower amino acid composition).
Hill's History
s Packing, a manufacturer and packer of agricultural feed, and veterinarian M. Morris. In 1948, Mr. Morris approached Hill's Packing with a proposal to mass produce canned dog food.
This doctor had his own recipe for a diet for dogs with kidney disease, developed for the guide dog of one of Mark Morris's acquaintances. Under the name Hills Prescription Diet k/d, this food was the first to appear on the market and became the predecessor of all other Hills products.
For several decades, the company produced canned and dry dog diets based on the recipes of Dr. Morris, and later his son. In 1968, the first Hills cat food appeared.
According to representatives of Hill's Pet Nutrition, proper nutrition should become the basis of modern veterinary medicine. Therefore, many Hills canned and dry food for cats and dogs are positioned as therapeutic, dietary and preventive.
Hill's Pet Nutrition employs more than 200 veterinarians and nutritionists. The company's Pet Nutrition Center houses nearly 1,000 dogs and cats whose "job" is to test under the supervision of Hills Feed Center staff.
Science Plan dog food - reviews
Hill's Science Plan dry dog food has been sold in Russia for a very long time, and is actively advertised. Therefore, there are hundreds of reviews about this food on the Internet. We have shared some of them below.
Customer Reviews
Julia writes:
For my dog, I selected Hill's Science Plan Adult Small & Miniature dry food for animals with sensitive skin. The weight of the package I purchased is 1.5 kg. There are packages of 300 g and 6 kg. 1.5 kg seems to me the most convenient in terms of volume and price.
On the back there is a description of Hill's Science Plan Adult Small & Miniature food and its composition. The composition of corn and oats is a little confusing; allergies to them are very common. So be careful. In addition to meat and grains, the food contains various vitamins and minerals that provide the pet with everything it needs.
The packaging has a very convenient clasp. This is not a standard zip fastener, which quickly becomes clogged with food and stops working. This wide Velcro-like fastener does not become clogged with food and functions until the end of the food in the package.
The food granules are very small, the size can be seen in the photo. A very good size for miniature breeds. The food smells quite pleasant, somewhat reminiscent of dried meat. At the very beginning, the dog ate this food very actively, but after about 2 weeks it began to lose interest in it. He eats his daily allowance, but doesn’t ask for it yet. I had to buy food from the same line, but with a different taste - lamb. The dog liked this food much more, for the sake of it she is even ready to follow commands.
In general, Hill's Science Plan Adult Small & Miniature food with chicken is not bad, but the dog eats it without enthusiasm, and the corn and oats in the composition are also confusing. I am planning to switch my dog to Hill's Science Plan Adult with lamb.
Marina writes:
I buy Science Plan Advanced Fitness Adult 1-6. Overall the food is good. My allergic dog eats all the time - there are no complaints, everything is fine with his health. But the composition contains a small percentage of meat, the dog does not eat enough, he constantly walks around hungry on the street, always trying to eat something.
Svetlana writes:
I liked the food for: good composition, zip packaging - easy to store (no need for an airtight container), small fraction of the food. My baby didn’t attack it, but he eats better than Royal Canin dry food)) Let’s see how it goes.
Where is the feed produced?
The headquarters of Hill's Pet Nutrition is located in the American city of Topeka, Kansas. The company has been operating since 1907 and over more than a century of history has expanded to incredible sizes. Today its products can be bought in 86 countries, and factories are located in the USA, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and France.
Thanks to this approach, people who change countries or travel frequently with their pets do not have to carry supplies of their favorite Hill's food or introduce their pet to new foods. In their new place of residence, they can always buy familiar food for their four-legged friend.
Price and where to buy
Hill's Science Plan dry and wet food can be purchased at many stores, such as:
- "Yandex Market" ():
- Packaging 0.3 kg - from 199 rubles;
- Packaging 1.5 kg - from 731 rubles;
- Packaging 2.5 kg - from 1190 rubles;
- Packaging 6 kg - from 2499 rubles;
- Packaging 12 kg - from 3750 rub.
The above prices are indicative, relevant in mid-September 2022, may differ depending on the option and change significantly over time. For the exact cost, see the pet store websites using the links above.
Daily feed requirements
On the packaging, the manufacturer indicated approximate serving sizes. The owner should take into account that all animals are different. The dosage of food is selected individually, based on the condition and needs of the pet.
| Weight, kg | Portion, g |
| 2 | 30-40 |
| 3 | 40-55 |
| 4 | 50-70 |
| 5 | 60-80 |
| 6 | 65-90 |
| 7 or more | 90 and further for each kg of weight add 12 g of feed |
What food to choose
With such a variety of diets, it is very important to choose the right food that will saturate your dog’s body and help restore its health. First of all, you should take into account weight, age and the presence of any diseases, and also do not forget about the pet’s taste preferences. We have compiled a list of Hills products for daily nutrition, based on the size of the animal.
For small breeds
For dogs weighing up to 10 kg, the Science Plan series includes the following diets:
- Hills Science Plan Puppy Healthy Development Mini. It comes in two flavors - lamb with rice and chicken.
- Hills Science Plan Canine Small Adult and Miniature. Available in poultry flavor.
For medium breeds
If your dog weighs from 10 to 25 kg, then you can choose the right diet from the following diets: Hills Science Plan Canine Adult Advanced Fitness. Your choice of flavors is tuna with rice, chicken.
For large breeds
If you are the happy owner of a large breed dog weighing more than 25 kg, then choose the following food for it:
- Hills Science Plan Canine Adult Advanced Fitness Large Breed. Available in lamb with rice and chicken flavors.
The largest dogs include such breeds as: St. Bernard, Spanish and Tibetan Mastiff, African Boerboel, Newfoundland, Great Dane, Leonberger and Moscow Watchdog.
Compound
Hill's is the first manufacturer to introduce food to the world market for dogs and cats of all ages, since a puppy's growing body has special nutritional needs, and the diet should help in the proper formation of muscle structures and skeleton. Foods for adult dogs take into account activity level, while food for older dogs takes into account their tendency to become obese and less active (metabolic).
As a rule, the main component of Hill's dog food is meat. It could be chicken, veal. Hill's wet food contains rabbit and turkey meat. Its content is approximately 38–40%.
Almost the entire Hill's line of food contains fatty acids that keep the coat and skin of pets in perfect condition. An optimal balance of phosphorus, calcium, and other minerals contributes to the normal development of bones and teeth, and protein is necessary for the normal condition of muscle structures. Hills dry food is enriched with beta-carotene and taurine. This amino acid normalizes metabolic processes and saturates the body with energy.
Hills canned food for dogs
Hill's dog food is enriched with amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Contains magnesium, iodine, sulfur, manganese, iron.
Hill's dog food may contain chicken meal, for example. This is not a good indicator. In addition, this ingredient may indicate that the food contains low quality meat.
Some feeds include corn, corn gluten, wheat gluten, and soybean grinding. These ingredients may cause allergic reactions in dogs with sensitive digestive systems.
A significant disadvantage of Hills feed is the presence of synthetic components (flavors, preservatives, stabilizers, taste enhancers). These components are used to reduce the cost of finished products.
The animal fat indicated in the recipe (chicken, beef, pork) is also of controversial origin.
Hill's medicated food for food allergies
Benefits of Hills for dogs
Hill's produces an extensive line of dog food. Among them you can choose a diet for animals of any age and activity. In specialized stores it is easy to choose food for therapeutic nutrition or the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, etc.
In production, they do not use artificial dyes and preservatives, which many manufacturers of famous brands are guilty of. There are no flavors, potassium sorbate, or antioxidants.
Despite the fact that the manufacturer does not clearly state the composition of the product on the label and does not always specify information about the ingredients, most of it contains meat and offal. Food from this company can be found in almost any pet store or in the “Pet Products” departments. The price of the food is budget-friendly and will not hurt your wallet when switching to regular feeding with products of this brand.
conclusions
I do not recommend feeding your dog Hills Science Plan.
The basis of the diet of predators is meat, not plant components. And the dry food is full of the latter, and also allergenic: wheat and corn. Even if the animal is in good health now, nutritional allergies may appear after 3-5 years, when toxins accumulate in the liver. And certainly such diets will provoke inflammation, obesity or diabetes in the future. Another thing is the Prescription Diet line. Diets in this series help stabilize the animal’s condition. Use them until the dog gets better. And then switch to higher quality brands: with a high proportion of meat, without wheat and corn.
Below is a list of foods similar in class, price and composition.
| Name | The better | Price per kg |
| Royal Canin | Variety of everyday and veterinary species. There are diets for specific breeds. They also contain wheat and corn, but in smaller quantities. | Everyday rations - 400-600 rubles, veterinary diets - 800-1,000 rubles. |
| Pro Plan | Higher meat content, fewer components of plant origin, although wheat and corn are still used. Not a bad veterinary line. | 450-550 rub. |
| Eukanuba | It contains at least 25% meat and contains useful additives - fish oil, glucosamine, cartilage hydrolysate. | 600 rub. |
| Bosch | Meat content – 20-35%. Includes beneficial supplements: colostrum, mussel extract, herbal extracts, etc. No wheat. | 500 rub. |
| Biomill Swiss | There is no wheat or corn, the content of meat products is 20-25%. | 500 rub. |
| Pro Balance | Better composition: includes more meat ingredients, no allergenic wheat and corn. It is produced in the Russian Federation, so there are no import surcharges, and the cost is cheaper than similar feeds. | 200 rub. |
| Fitmin | A variety of lines: from grain-free to those containing small quantities of wheat and corn. Each type contains a lot of meat components: 50-70%. | 300-550 rub. |
If you are thinking about replacing Hills, choose Eukanuba or Bosch: their composition is similar, but the latter two foods have a higher meat content. And if you want to exclude wheat and corn from your pet’s diet, take Pro Balance, Biomill Swiss or grain-free Fitmin varieties: their quality is an order of magnitude higher than that of Hill’s.
