k/d Kidney Care with Lamb Dry Dog Food, 8.5-lb bag
Hill's Prescription Diet k/d Kidney Care with Lamb Dry Dog Food, 8.5-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 49/100 (C) with Limited evidence. Zero controversial ingredients flagged. Score capped at 49 due to CP_DM=13.3%, CF_DM=20.0%.
Graded by The Sniff System
Reasonable protein quality. brown rice delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
Controversial ingredients · 1
- sodium seleniteSynthetic selenium source. Selenium is essential, but sodium selenite has a narrower safety margin than organic alternatives like selenium yeast. Better-formulated foods use the organic form.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
- 2brewers rice
Broken rice kernels left over from milling, usually destined for human beer-making. Cheaper than whole or even white rice. Same carbs, less nutrition than the brown version.
- 3fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid.
- 4protein animallamb
Real meat. Often used for dogs with chicken or beef sensitivities. Slightly higher fat content than chicken.
- 5protein plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
- 6cracked pearled barley
Pre-cracked pearled barley for better digestibility. Same whole-grain story.
- 7fiberdried beet pulp
Soluble fiber from sugar-beet processing. Sometimes treated as a filler, but it's actually one of the better fiber sources in kibble.
- 8protein animalegg product
Processed whole eggs. Same nutritional profile as fresh eggs, just shelf-stable.
- 9hydrolyzed chicken flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken used as a palatability enhancer. Real ingredient, tiny inclusion, no quality signal either way.
- 10fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
- 11soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
- 12pork liver flavor
Hydrolyzed pork liver used as a flavor enhancer. Same role as chicken liver flavor.
- 13lactic acid
Natural acid used as a mild preservative and pH adjuster. Found in fermented foods too. Safe at typical inclusion.
- 14supplementl-lysine
Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.
- 15mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 16calcium sulfate
Source of calcium. Functional, required for AAFCO-complete formulas.
- 17potassium citrate
Source of potassium. Sometimes added in urinary-support formulas to help manage urine pH.
- 18betaine
- 19grainoats
Whole grain. Steady energy, soluble fiber, and well-tolerated by most dogs.
- 20supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 21mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 22fiberfructooligosaccharides
Prebiotic fiber, often called FOS. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria, similar in function to inulin.
- 23supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 24l-threonine
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added when plant proteins dominate, since threonine is naturally lower in plants than meat.
- 25mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
Showing first 25 of 38. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.