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Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Dog Food Review (Canned)

Hills Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Hearty Vegetable and Chicken Stew Dog Food

Rating:

Which Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight Wet Recipes Get
Our Best Ratings?

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight canned dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.

The Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight product line includes the 2 canned dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Product Rating AAFCO
Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Chicken and Vegetable Entree 3 M
Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Hearty Vegetable and Chicken Stew 3 M

Recipe and Label Analysis

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Hearty Vegetable and Chicken Stew was selected to represent both products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.


Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Hearty Vegetable and Chicken Stew

Canned Dog Food

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Protein = 29% | Fat = 12% | Carbs = 51%

Ingredients: Chicken broth, pork liver, carrots, green peas, powdered cellulose, rice starch, chicken, rice, spinach, wheat gluten, dried tomato pomace, flaxseed, chicken liver flavor, coconut oil, potassium alginate, fish oil, calcium chloride, natural flavor, guar gum, dicalcium phosphate, lipoic acid, calcium lactate, calcium gluconate, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K), biotin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), sodium tripolyphosphate, potassium citrate, taurine, iodized salt, l-lysine, minerals (zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate), l-carnitine, beta-carotene

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 11.9%

Red denotes controversial item

Estimated Nutrient Content
MethodProteinFatCarbs
Guaranteed Analysis29%12%NA
Dry Matter Basis29%12%51%
Calorie Weighted Basis27%27%47%
Protein = 27% | Fat = 27% | Carbs = 47%

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The second ingredient is pork liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The third ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The fourth ingredient lists peas, which are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The next ingredient is powdered cellulose, a non-digestible plant fiber usually made from the by-products of vegetable processing. Except for the usual benefits of fiber, powdered cellulose provides no nutritional value to a dog.

The sixth ingredient is rice starch, a starchy powder extracted from rice and most likely used here as a thickening agent.

The seventh item is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1

Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The eighth item 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 ninth ingredient is spinach. Due to its exceptional vitamin and mineral content, spinach exhibits a remarkably high nutrient Completeness Score2 of 91.

The tenth ingredient is wheat gluten. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once wheat has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.

Although wheat gluten contains 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

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 6 notable exceptions

First, we find 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.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

Next, tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.

Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.

Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.

In addition, this recipe contains coconut oil, a natural oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids.

Medium-chain triglycerides have been shown to improve cognitive function in older dogs.3

Because of its proven safety4 as well as its potential to help in the treatment of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and chronic skin disorders, MCT can be considered a positive addition to this recipe.

Next, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

Additionally, we note the use of taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

Since taurine deficiency appears to be more common in pets consuming grain-free diets, we view its presence in this recipe as a positive addition.

And lastly, this recipe contains menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isn’t required by AAFCO in either of its dog food nutrient profiles, we question the use of this substance in any canine formulation.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight canned dog food looks like an average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 12% and estimated carbohydrates of about 51%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29% and a mean fat level of 12%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 51% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 43%.

Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.

When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas, wheat gluten and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a wet product containing a moderate amount of meat.

Our Rating of Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Canned Dog Food

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight is a grain-inclusive canned dog food using a moderate amount of named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus receiving 3 stars.

Recommended.

Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight
Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Hill’s through March 2024.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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More Hill’s Brand Reviews

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References

  1. Association of American Feed Control Officials
  2. Completeness Score is a measure of a food’s relative nutrient content and is computed by NutritionData.com from the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
  3. Pan Y et al, Dietary supplementation with medium-chain TAG has long-lasting cognition-enhancing effects in aged dogs, British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 103, Issue 12, June 2010, pp 1746-1754
  4. Matulka RA et al, Lack of toxicity by medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in canines during a 90-day feeding study,Food Chem Toxicol, Jan 2009, 47(1) 35-9.
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