Hill's Science Plan

Hill's Science Plan Medium Mature Adult Dog Food with Lamb and Rice review

Name: Hill's Science Plan Medium Mature Adult Dog Food with Lamb and Rice
Brand: Hill's Science Plan

36.1/100Average

DryAdultSenior

The mature medium formula with a red meat in place of the bird, which makes it the obvious pick in the range for a dog that has gone off poultry. It sits in our Average band, shaped by how much cereal and plant protein the recipe uses. Lamb meal is declared at 8%, behind maize, wheat and broken rice.

See it on eBay

Affiliate link. Off the Leash may earn a commission from purchases on eBay, at no cost to you.

Our view

Likely to suit

Medium breed dogs in their mature years that have lost interest in chicken and turkey
Lamb as the named meat, declared at 8% in its dried meal form
Older joints: pork cartilage supplies chondroitin and a crustacean shell hydrolysate supplies glucosamine
Trace minerals as printed doses, zinc at 158 mg and iron at 90.3 mg per kilo
Dogs that eat better when the kibble tastes of something, with digest sprayed on for exactly that

Worth watching

Lamb led, not lamb only: animal fat, digest and pork cartilage are animal ingredients too
Soybean meal and maize protein meal lifting the protein figure without adding meat
Carbohydrate at an estimated 59.0% of dry matter against 46.2% typical, better for a steady dog than a hard working one

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

How this scores

How we score

36.1/100Average

Protein and processingPoor

Nutritional balancePoor

TransparencyGood

ValueAverage

The details

Dog fit

Listed for medium breed adults and seniors. Hill's table asks 205 grams a day for a 15kg dog; start there and let the waistline settle the rest.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult, Senior

Breed size

Medium

Main protein

Lamb

The score, in context

Hill's Science Plan Medium Mature Adult Dog Food with Lamb and Rice 36.1

All one Average. Typical dry food: Good.

Limited named meat, two plant protein contributors and a heavy cereal share account for the score; nothing is wrong with the lamb.

What's in it

Maize, wheatCereal is the base of this bowl.
Broken rice12%The fragments milling leaves behind; it behaves exactly as whole rice does.
Lamb meal8%Rendered and dried, so more protein per gram than fresh lamb at the same percentage.
Soybean mealConcentrated plant protein, and one of the more common triggers in dogs that react to food.
Animal fat, digestNo species attached to either.
Flaxseed, vegetable oilPlant omega 3 from the flax.
Maize protein mealPlant protein again.
Dried beet pulp, minerals, oat bran, fructo-oligosaccharides0.6% (ActivBiome+ blend)
Pork cartilage, crustacean shell hydrolysateChondroitin and glucosamine. The cartilage brings pork into the bowl.

Iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc and selenium dosed per kilo, zinc the largest at 158 mg.

Named ingredients

Maize, wheat, broken rice (12%), lamb meal (8%), soybean meal, animal fat, flaxseed, digest, vegetable oil, maize protein meal, 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

One recipe: the mature medium formula with lamb meal at 8% as its named meat. Maize, wheat and broken rice lead, soybean meal and maize protein meal add plant protein, and pork cartilage and a crustacean shell hydrolysate bring chondroitin and glucosamine.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

363.3 kcal/100g

Protein

17.2%

Fat

13.5%

Fibre

2.2%

Ash

4.8%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

18.7%

Fat

14.7%

Fibre

2.4%

Ash

5.2%

Carbs

59%

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

12.1%

Carbs

71.3%

Oils

5.9%

Other

10.7%

Pricing & size