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Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food, 27.5-lb bag
Hill's Prescription Diet

Metabolic Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food, 27.5-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $4.87/lb

Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food, 27.5-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 54/100 (C) with Fair evidence. Zero controversial ingredients flagged. Primary concern: plant-protein-dominated formula. wheat as the #1 ingredient..

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.

CQI

AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for not stated.

ACF

Plant-protein-dominated formula. wheat as the #1 ingredient.

PQI

Controversial ingredients · 1

  • sodium selenite
    Synthetic 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 →

Guaranteed analysis
Protein
24%
min (as fed)
Fat
9%
min (as fed)
Fiber
15%
max (as fed)
Moisture
n/a
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

31 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    wheat

    Whole wheat. Fine for most dogs, though a portion are sensitive. Not a quality concern, just a fit-for-your-dog question.

  2. 2
    whole grain corn

    Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.

  3. 3
    chicken meal

    Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken.

  4. 4
    powdered cellulose

    Plant fiber, often from wood pulp. Cheap bulk filler. Not harmful, but a tell that the recipe is reaching for inexpensive bulk.

  5. 5
    soybean meal

    Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.

  6. 6
    corn gluten meal

    Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.

  7. 7
    dried 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.

  8. 8
    dried tomato pomace

    The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.

  9. 9
    hydrolyzed chicken flavor

    Hydrolyzed chicken used as a palatability enhancer. Real ingredient, tiny inclusion, no quality signal either way.

  10. 10
    chicken fat

    Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid.

  11. 11
    flaxseed

    Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.

  12. 12
    coconut oil

    Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.

  13. 13
    lactic acid

    Natural acid used as a mild preservative and pH adjuster. Found in fermented foods too. Safe at typical inclusion.

  14. 14
    dl-methionine

    Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.

  15. 15
    l-lysine

    Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.

  16. 16
    carrots

    Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.

  17. 17
    potassium chloride

    Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.

  18. 18
    salt

    Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.

  19. 19
    lipoic acid
  20. 20
    choline chloride

    Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.

  21. 21
    manganese sulfate

    Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.

  22. 22
    ferrous sulfate

    Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.

  23. 23
    zinc oxide

    Inorganic zinc. Cheapest mineral form on the market. Functional but less bioavailable than chelated alternatives.

  24. 24
    copper sulfate

    Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.

  25. 25
    calcium iodate

    Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.

Showing first 25 of 31. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.