Rating: 
Hill’s Prescription Diet B/D dry dog food gets the Advisor’s below-average rating of 1 star.
Hill’s Prescription Diet B/D Canine Aging and Alertness dry dog food is designed to support cognitive function in older dogs and to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
Hill's Prescription Diet B/D Aging and Alertness
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), brewers rice, soybean mill run, soybean meal, flaxseed, fish meal, chicken liver flavor, dried egg product, dried carrots, dried spinach, dried grape pomace, dried tomato pomace, dried citrus pulp, soybean oil, potassium chloride, vitamin E supplement, oat fiber, choline chloride, vitamins (l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), vitamin E supplement, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin), l-lysine, iodized salt, calcium carbonate, l-tryptophan, taurine, minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), l-carnitine, preserved with mixed tocopherols & citric acid, alpha-lipoic acid, phosphoric acid, beta-carotene, rosemary extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.6%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.
The second item lists chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the prime cuts have been removed.
In a nutshell, chicken by-products are those unsavory leftovers usually considered “unfit for human consumption”.
In addition to organs (the nourishing part), this stuff can contain almost anything — feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs — anything except quality skeletal muscle (real meat).
On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third ingredient is pork fat. Commonly known as lard, pork fat can add significant flavor to any dog food. Though it can be high in saturated oils, in reasonable amounts, pork fat can be considered an acceptable ingredient.
The fourth ingredient is brewers rice. Brewers rice represents the small grain fragments left over after milling whole rice.
This is an inexpensive cereal grain by-product and not considered a quality ingredient.
The fifth ingredient is soybean mill run. Mill run is a by-product, mostly the hulls of soybeans remaining after processing the beans into meal. This is nothing more than a cheap, low-quality filler more commonly found in cattle feeds.
The sixth ingredient is soybean meal. Soybean meal is actually a useful by-product. It’s what remains of soybeans after all the oil has been removed.
Soybean meal contains 48% protein. However, compared to meat, this is an inferior plant-based protein. So, we must allow for this boosting effect as we judge the meat content of this food.
The seventh ingredient is flaxseed… one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
The eighth ingredient includes fish meal, another high protein meat concentrate.
Unfortunately, this particular item is anonymous. Because various fish contain different types of fats, we would have preferred to have known the source species.
Fish meal is commonly made from the by-products of commercial fish operations.
What’s more, the controversial chemical ethoxyquin is frequently used as a preservative in fish meals.
But because it’s usually added to the raw fish before processing, the chemical does not have to be reported to consumers.
We find no public assurances from the company this product is ethoxyquin-free.
Without knowing more, and based upon this fish meal’s location on the list of ingredients, we would expect to find only a trace of ethoxyquin in this product.
Grape and tomato pomace and citrus pulp are by-products of fruit and vegetable processing.
Many praise pomaces and pulps for their high fiber content while others scorn them as cheap pet food fillers.
Just the same (and this far down the list), there’s probably not enough of these items to make much of a difference.
Soybean oil is red flagged here only due to its suspected (yet unlikely) link to canine food allergies.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing.
And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.
Hill’s Prescription Diet B/D Dry Dog Food
The Bottom Line
Even though this is a prescription product, we continue to limit our judgment to the estimated meat content of the recipe as well as the apparent quality of its ingredients. And nothing else.
Our ratings have nothing to do with the accuracy of claims made by the manufacturer as to this product’s ability to effectively treat or cure a specific health condition.
So, to find out whether or not this dog food is appropriate for your particular pet, you must consult your veterinarian.
With that understanding…
Judging by its ingredients alone, Hill’s Prescription Diet B/D appears to be a below-average dog food.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 19%, a fat level of 15% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 58%.
Very low protein. Average fat. And high carbohydrates… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Yet when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the soybean meal, this is the profile of a kibble containing only a limited amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Hill’s Prescription Diet B/D dry dog food is a grain-based kibble using only a limited amount of chicken by-product meal as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand one star.
Not recommended.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
07/23/2010 Original review
11/12/2011 Updated, no changes noted
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.