Hill's Science Plan

Hill's Science Plan Mature Adult 7+ Medium review

Name: Hill's Science Plan Mature Adult 7+ Medium
Brand: Hill's Science Plan

38.2/100Average

DryAdultSenior

The straight-down-the-middle member of Hill's mature line, in our Average band: no calorie control, no small kibble, an everyday bowl for a medium dog in its later years. Maize and wheat come first. The band reflects that cereal share more than the care taken over the recipe.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Medium dogs of seven and over with nothing in particular to fix
Trying a bag before committing, with 2.5kg up to 18kg on offer
Joints starting to tell, from the pork cartilage and shell hydrolysate
An unenthusiastic appetite. Digest is sprayed on to make kibble worth eating
Trace minerals given as doses, zinc at 134 mg per kilo

Worth watching

Carbohydrate at 59.3% of dry matter against 46.2% typical
A modest meat share, poultry at 12%
Animal fat and digest name no animal, so one protein cannot be pinned down

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

38.2/100Average

Protein and processingPoor

Nutritional balancePoor

TransparencyGood

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for medium adults and seniors. Hill's gives 205 grams a day for a 15kg dog; start there and let the waistline decide.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult, Senior

Breed size

Medium

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Hill's Science Plan Mature Adult 7+ Medium 38.2

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

The cereal share sets the band; what a score cannot capture is consistency, the same kibble and analysis bag after bag.

What's in it

MaizeLess often behind food reactions than wheat.
Wheat
Chicken and turkey meal12% poultry, 7% chickenDried before inclusion, so it gives more protein than the figure suggests.
Animal fatThe main energy source. No animal named.
DigestSprayed on for palatability; source not given.
Vegetable oil, flaxseedFlaxseed for plant omega 3.
Dried beet pulp, mineralsA fermentable fibre most guts get on with.
Oat bran, fructo-oligosaccharides (ActivBiome+)0.6%
Pork cartilage, crustacean shell hydrolysateChondroitin and glucosamine sources, no dose printed.

Zinc at 134 mg and iron at 76.4 mg per kilo lead a dosed trace-mineral panel with selenium.

Crude fibre is low at 1.9%, little help to a dog that needs bulk to stay regular.

Named ingredients

Maize, wheat, chicken and turkey meal (chicken 7%; total poultry 12%), animal fat, digest, vegetable oil, flaxseed, dried beet pulp, minerals, oat bran, fructo-oligosaccharides, pork cartilage (source of chondroitin sulphate), crustacean shell hydrolysate (source of glucosamine). ActivBiome+ Multi Benefit prebiotic blend (0.6%): Oat bran, fructo-oligosaccharides.

Against the range

Maize and wheat lead, and one combined chicken and turkey meal carries the animal protein at 12% total poultry, 7% of it chicken. Animal fat, digest and vegetable oil name no source. Chondroitin and glucosamine come from pork cartilage and crustacean shell, with no dose printed.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

363.8 kcal/100g

Protein

17.5%

Fat

13.3%

Fibre

1.9%

Ash

4.7%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

19%

Fat

14.5%

Fibre

2.1%

Ash

5.1%

Carbs

59.3%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

23.4%

Carbs

66.7%

Oils

7.5%

Other

2.4%

Pricing & size