Dog News

Science Diet Dog Food

by Lilly

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Science Diet is a dog food brand made by the company, Hill’s. The pet foods that Hill’s provides for cats and dogs are available in 86 countries today, and they’ve been around since 1948. Science Diet is just one of the brands made by Hill’s. The other brands made by them include Hill’s Prescription Diet, Hill’s Ideal Balance, and Hill’s Healthy advantage. Every one of these brands, including Science Diet, have been widely recommended by veterinarians.

The company, as a whole, has over 220 Veterinarians, Ph.D. Nutritionists and food scientists working under them to produce healthy and high-quality pet food to be put on shelves for customers. Their food has a well-balanced amount of vitamins and nutrients. You can rest assured that a vast amount of research and experience goes into the making of their foods.

Choosing the Correct Dog Food Formula

The dog foods included in the Science Diet brand are made for all breed types, sizes and ages of dogs. There are food options for puppies aged one-year-old and younger, adult dogs aged between 1 to 7 years and for older dogs aged 7 and above. The recipes for each of the Science Diet formulas are different from each other because of how when puppies grow up; they need different types of vitamins and minerals.

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When a dog is a puppy, a balanced diet is important to help promote healthy growth into adulthood. The main nutrients puppies need are proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and other basic vitamins and minerals. Look for these ingredients on the bag of dog food you’re looking at; it’s typically listed in the nutrition facts box on the back of the bag.

Like puppies, adult dogs also need a balanced diet, but there are a few things they need a little more of. To help keep up your dog’s energy level, find a dog food with lots of protein and carbs. Sometimes as dogs get older, they begin to be less motivated, which can ultimately deteriorate their health and shorten their lifespan. Fiber is crucial too, to aid in digestion. Science Diet has dog foods that are labeled for puppies or adults; there are several other options as well; pick the one most appropriate for your dog.

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Another thing to take into consideration is quantity. If you think about it, newborn puppies don’t require nearly as much food as adult dogs do because puppies’ stomachs can’t hold as much. Puppies eat much more often than adults, but in smaller amounts. Puppies who are 2 to 3 months old should eat around four meals a day, 3- to 6-month-olds should eat around 3 and puppies who are 6 to 12 months should eat two meals a day. Four meals a day is a lot compared to adult dogs, who usually do okay on just one full meal.

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To accommodate your dog’s feeding needs, Science Diet dog food comes in multiple size options. The Science Diet Adult Large Breed dog food comes in a 15- or 35-pound bag, as do the other adult dog food formulas they offer. The Science Diet Puppy food, on the other hand, comes in a bag as small as 4.5 lbs. and then also a 15.5 lb. bag or a 30 lb. bag.

Not only does the age of your dog determine the kind of dog food you need, but health conditions or problems can be a determining factor as well if your dog has any. Some of the aspects of dog health that Science Diet creates food formulas to help with are:

  • Weight management
  • Joint and mobility
  • Healthy skin and coat
  • Healthy digestion
  • Dental and oral care
  • Energy and mental wellbeing

One of the health concerns listed is weight management. If you’re having trouble keeping your dog in a healthy weight range, try the Perfect Weight formula dry dog food. It helps to promote safe and effective weight loss with visible results within 10 weeks.

Joint and mobility issues can be treated with the Healthy Mobility dry dog food, Oral Care formula for dental problems, Youth Vitality for energy and mental wellbeing and the Sensitive Stomach and Skin formula to help digestion and skin.

Pricing

Type of Dog FoodBag Size(in pounds)Price (Chewy.com)
Sensitive Stomach and Skin – Chicken Recipe30 lbs.$52.99
Large Breed35 lbs.$47.99
Perfect Weight – Chicken Recipe28.5 lbs.$52.99
Advanced Fitness Small Bites35 lbs.$47.99
Light Small Bites with Chicken Meal & Barley30 lbs.$47.99
Healthy Mobility Large Breed30 lbs.$52.99
Toy Breed Perfect Weight15 lbs.$34.99
Oral Care28.5 lbs.$52.99
Youthful Vitality21.5 lbs.$49.99

Customer Reviews

The reviews made by customers who tried giving their dog Science Diet dog food gave very mixed feedback, both positive and negative. Most of the dog food review websites out there gave this brand around 3 out of 5 stars. This is partly because some of the ingredients in their dog foods are questionable, like cheap fillers, byproducts or artificial ingredients.

Although, in recent years, Hill’s changed some of the ingredients used in their dog food, making chicken be listed as the first ingredient in most of the Science Diet dog foods. It is still a very healthy and nutritious dog food, but it may not be as all-natural as you hoped it would be even though most of the ingredients used aren’t processed.

Some of the more positive reviews that were given commented on how quickly Science Diet dog food cleared up their dog’s skin and allergy problems, sometimes even better than antibiotics helped. Customers were happy that Science Diet dog food continued to help over long-term use and that they didn’t have to keep trying different dog food brands.

Kidney issues were also successfully alleviated in many dogs along with other more serious health problems such as urinary issues, liver issues, and glucose management. Science Diet may be only three stars, but for the price, it is one of the better brands of dog food to use.