Rating: 
Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D canned dog food receives the Advisor’s below-average rating of 1.5 stars.
Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D Canine Mobility canned dog food meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.
Hill's Prescription Diet J/D Canine
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Water, rice, liver, meat by-products, whole grain corn, lamb, rice flour, flaxseed, fish oil, cracked pearled barley, soybean meal, egg product, powdered cellulose, soybean oil, chicken liver flavor, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, iron oxide, l-lysine, iodized salt, vitamin E supplement, choline chloride, glucosamine hydrochloride, l-tryptophan, taurine, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), l-carnitine, l-arginine, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, chondroitin sulfate, beta-carotene, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, niacin, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin, vitamin D3 supplement, riboflavin, calcium iodate, folic acid, sodium selenite
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.1%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The second ingredient is lamb liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal. So long as it’s not over-weighted in a dog food, lamb liver is a beneficial component.
The third ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s difficult to judge the quality of this particular item.
The next item includes pork by-products, slaughterhouse waste. This is what’s left of a slaughtered pig after all the prime cuts have been removed.
Basically, pork by-products are the unsavory leftovers of slaughter operations deemed “unfit for human consumption”.
Though it does contain all ten essential amino acids a dog needs for life, we do not consider pork by-products a quality ingredient.
The fifth ingredient 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 sixth ingredient is lamb. Lamb is considered “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered” lamb and associated with skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
Lamb is considered a quality meat.
The seventh ingredient is rice flour. Rice flour is made from either white or brown rice and is considered a good gluten-free substitute for wheat flour.
The eighth ingredient is dried egg product, a 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 ninth ingredient is dried whey. Whey is a by-product of the cheese industry. This particular form of whey is high in the milk sugar, lactose (about 70%) but low in protein.
It’s used in canned dog foods as a gelling agent and is an item with little nutritional value to a dog.
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 have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.
With four notable exceptions…
First, 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.
Next, 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. Soybean oil has been red flagged here only due to its controversial (yet unlikely) link to canine food allergies.
And finally, we note this food contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D 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 Diet J/D canned dog food appears to be a below-average wet product.
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 20%, a fat level of 19% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 53%.
Low protein. Below-average fat. And high carbohydrates… when compared to a typical canned dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein concentrates, this appears to be the profile of a wet food containing only a limited amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Hill’s Prescription Diet J/D canned dog food is a grain-based wet product using only a modest amount of lamb liver as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand 1.5 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
07/26/2010 Original review
11/12/2011 Review updated, no changes
- Adapted by the Dog Food Advisor and based upon the official definition for beef published by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, 2008 Edition ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.