Rating: 
Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D Canine canned dog food receives the Advisor’s below-average rating of 2.5 stars.
The Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D Gastrointestinal Health product line includes one canned recipe… which the company claims has been “especially formulated to help manage dogs with digestive health problems”.
Since we could not locate an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for this product on the Hill’s website, we’re unable to report life stage recommendations.
Hill's Prescription Diet I/D Canine
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Water, turkey, egg product, pork liver, rice, whole grain corn, rice starch, powdered cellulose, dried beet pulp, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, caramel color, flaxseed, calcium carbonate, iodized salt, choline chloride, l-threonine, dl-methionine, vitamin E supplement, l-tryptophan, taurine, iron oxide, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, cysteine, magnesium oxide, beta-carotene, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin, vitamin D3 supplement, calcium iodate, riboflavin, folic acid, sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 28% | 14% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 28% | 14% | 50% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 25% | 31% | 44% |
The first ingredient in this dog food is water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The second ingredient is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.1
Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The third ingredient is dried egg product… a wet or dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries… from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The fourth ingredient is pork liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, pork liver is a beneficial component.
The fifth ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.
The sixth ingredient includes corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
What’s more, corn is commonly linked to canine food allergies2.
For these reasons, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.
The seventh ingredient is rice starch… a starchy powder extracted from rice and most likely used here as a thickening agent.
The eighth item is powdered cellulose… a non-digestible plant fiber usually made from the by-products of vegetable processing. Cellulose is sometimes added to dilute the number of calories per serving and to give the feeling of fullness when it is eaten.
Except for the usual benefits of fiber, powdered cellulose provides no nutritional value to a dog.
The ninth ingredient is beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient… a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.
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’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any dog food.
The caramel coloring present here is used to make the product more appealing to you… not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his kibble is?
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 I/D Canine Canned 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 I/D looks to be an average canned 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 28%, a fat level of 14% and estimated carbohydrates of about 50%.
Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet dog food containing only a modest amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Hill’s Prescription Diet I/D is a grain-based canned dog food using only a modest amount of turkey and eggs as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand 2.5 stars.
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
03/29/2011 Original review
03/29/2011 Last Update
- Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for chicken published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Official Publication, 2008 Edition ↩
- White, S., “Update on food allergy in the dog and cat”, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vancouver, 2001 ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.
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