SCIENCE DIET DOG FOOD
Science Diet brand dog food is produced and marketed by Hill's Pet Nutrition. Hill's Pet Nutrition was founded in 1939, by a veterinarian named Dr. Mark. L. Morris Senior. Dr. Morris was inspired to enter the pet food industry when a blind friend asked him if he could create a food to save a guide dog named Buddy (who was suffering from kidney failure). This resulted in two separate lines of products: Hill's Prescription Diet and Hill's Science Diet. Hills Science Diet is actually credited to Dr. Morris' son, Mark L. Morris Jr. The Science Diet formulas were actually developed in the 1960's. Aside from producing pet food formulas, Hill's Pet Nutrition also manufactures pet treats.
SCIENCE DIET DOG FOOD REVIEW
Science diet has many different dry formulas, as well as several canned formulas for dogs. These formulas are designed to meet the specific needs of certain dog breeds, as well as dogs in certain life stages. Science diet's dog food formulas do contain corn, as well as powdered cellulose, which may not agree with all dogs. Some of Science Diet's dog food formulas are preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid (which may irritate the digestive system of some dogs).
SCIENCE DIET DOG FOOD FORMULAS
In all, Science Diet has 44 different dry dog food formulas, and 9 different canned dog food formulas. These formulas often have a protein source as the first ingredient, though the second ingredient is sometimes corn or another filler ingredient. Science diet formulas also contain wheat, soybean meal, corn gluten meal and other ingredients. Iodized salt is also sometimes present in some Science Diet food formulas.
SCIENCE DIET CONSUMER RATINGS
Though Science Diet seems to be fairly popular among many dog owners, it is subject to mostly negative reviews. Many of these negative reviews cited the belief that Science Diet is promoted by veterinarians, but only veterinarians that receive funding from Hill's Pet Nutrition (this is still subject to debate). Other dog owners did not like the fact that Science Diet is said to be developed by veterinarians, yet still contains a high amount of corn. Other dog owners stated that the price of Science Diet was comparable to some ultra premium brands (such as Orijen), even though it didn't have as many high quality ingredients.
The positive reviews about Science Diet mostly stated that it could be fed to some dogs without any problems. Some dog owners said that their dog experienced digestive problems when taken off of Science Diet and switched to a higher quality food. However, this could simply have been a symptom of the dog's digestive system adjusting to being fed a higher quality diet. Other pet owners cited the fact that Science Diet was recommended by their veterinarian, and that they hadn't experienced any ill effects from feeding it to their dogs. These positive reviews were relatively few, however, with most people giving Science Diet one or two stars out of five.
41 Responses to “SCIENCE DIET DOG FOOD”
I like to feed my dog Science Diet because it comes from a large, well known Company that has been around for a long time and has the financial resources to conduct feeding trials, nutrition research, and excellent quality control. I don’t worry about ingredients UNLESS there is something dangerous listed on the bag, like onions. I care more about overall nutrient profile. I like that Science Diet does not contain excesses, which can be as dangerous as deficiencies. I also like the fact that my dog’s stools on Science Diet are perfect. The cleanup is incredible in that nothing sticks to the grass leaves. It’s the cleanest pickup I’ve ever encountered in 39 years of dog ownership! I’ve tried other brands before I discovered Science Diet. One well loved holistic brand left my dog with “cow pie” poops and room clearing gas. I’ll never feed anything else but Science Diet.
Veterinarians are in bed with Science Diet. I brought my Bassett puppy to the vet and the tech and the vet were pushing it on me. Telling me it would be free with the mail in rebate. Same rebate has their practice name on it. We use Taste of the wild.
A taste of the wild makes perfect sense for a bassett! They look and act so much like those wild animals on the bag!
I am a new puppy owner and my vet did recommend SD and also gave me a free sample bag. I adopted my dog from our local Humane Society who also gave us a free bag of SD. They have a program that when you adopt an animal they give you a list of vets that will do a first check up for free. After visiting my vet I called about 5 other vets on the list and asked about dog food. They all recommended SD. I assume that is why they are in partner ship with the Humane Society. My puppy did OK on the food but after reading about ingredients and ratings (on more than one or two websites) I decided to change her food. Mostly due to the first couple ingredients being Corn meal, Chicken by product, and corn meal. I am in no way an expert but I do want to feed her food that does not have by product in them. Not that its BAD but there are way better ingredients. I never tried it yet but have read that the Kirkland brand is rated pretty high and it list Chicken and chicken meal as the top ingredients. Obviously the cheap price scares me but kirkland altogether is a pretty good brand. I will have to do more research.
My vet said Kirkland or Nutra Nuggets is a great dog food. We had a golden retriever and she ate this her whole life and had no problems at all. We have since lost her due to old age and now have a new pup. She is on SD but seems to itch alot. I am looking forward to when my baby is old enough to put her on Kirkland brand food. Not to mention it’s 1/2 the price.
I don’t know whether there is any correlation between Science diet and melenoma, but I fed my dog this food for years. I will never feed this food to any other dog. That’s a promise that I am sure to keep!
I think the post above from LM hit the nail on the head most of us look at labels (ingredients) and tend to foresake the bigger picture which is total nutrition. It’s very similar in human foods, I mean high fructose corn syrup is catching a bad reputation and the human body doesn’t discriminate sugar from corn from any other sugar it only recognizes that it’s sugar. Corn isn’t highly desired in pet foods mostly b/c of marketing since the major recall over bad corn a few years ago. Also I’m sure most don’t realize the corn used in Science Diet is actually human grade they proudly display this information on the science diet website. I think as a pet owner we have to find what works for our pets as all pets will not tolerate the same foods just as people don’t tolerate the cultural diets of each other well all the time.
My dogs have always been on Hills Science and I have never had any issues. I lost a dog last September (lab mix) who was 14. My 16 year old lab/husky is still doing ok for her age. She has a great coat, arthritic issues didn’t appear until about 18mos ago and she has maintained her zest for life. She is having age related issues but these have come upon her in the last year. I recently got a puppy and as a new “mom” again have been overly concerned about what I am feeding her. I have strayed from Hills (probably because of the amazing marketing out there) but I question myself when I see that this or that great & natural & grain free product seems to be causing loose stools. I am thinking now of going back to Hills (or just saying to heck with the whole marketing scam) or finding a good nutritious way to feed her from my own kitchen. Not sure what I will do right now as I write this (I am not an expert) but one of my own observations has been that my all two of my previous dogs had good longevity without health issues. Could be good genes, but to me it says something positive about Hills.
The problem with pet foods in general is that there are, of course, multiple ways to make it and then there’s a lot of hype about “what not to feed!”, same as the hype of “what not to give your kids!”
When it all boils down, a lot of the public – including most of the people commenting on this list – are ill-informed and going right along with that hype.
Let me say, first and foremost, there is NO food for EVERY pet. I think everyone can realize that every individual animal is going to react to foods, no matter who makes it or what it’s made from, differently.
That said, ask yourselves a question: What’s more important? The ingredients in food, or the nutrition the food provides? Yes, to a point they are both important but how important is it to keep certain ingredients out of a diet when – like it or not – those “ingredients” might be best at providing certain nutrients?
The whole corn issue is skewed because people don’t actually know WHY to not include corn. It was stated above that corn is one of the highest allergic ingredients in pet food and that is incorrect. The 3 top allergens in pet food as identified by AAFCO are – ready for this – Beef, chicken and wheat. Corn provides a VITAL source of fats and fiber so long as it’s 1) good quality corn and 2) processed in a way that can be digested by the animals. THAT is why corn gets a bad rap – because most companies don’t do that. They process cheap corn as cheaply as possible. Therefore, the companies touting “No Corn!” to you have simply found a way to appeal to the consumer’s ignorance and in doing so the consumer has given them the go-ahead to charge a LOT more money for their food.
Another point – Science Diet is NOT recommended by vets who are getting a kickback. I have worked for 3 vets over my lifetime and not one has ever gotten a kickback, but yet every one of them have recommended the foods. Why? Because they’re good NUTRITION for your pet. Their diets are actually feed trial tested (not ‘formulated, like most, which is only a guess that the recipie is going to meet your pet’s requirements), they are made with all human-grade products that are grown in the US and grown specifically for Hill’s and put it this way – the prescription diet line has saved and prolonged thousands and thousands of lives – if it wasn’t good food, would that be happening?
This is not to say some of the other diets are not good foods, too, but by and large, if you research beyond the bag label and actually ask educated questions to the reps that sell these foods, they are not always as complete, they are sometimes too rich, and they cost the consumer about 1/3 more than they need to be spending on pet food for the same “quality” product. Also… those foods that say they are “organic” or “holistic”? Unless a product has a 100% organic label on it, it’s not. “Holistic” foods, there is no such thing – it’s another ploy to get more money from the consumer. A food made with free-range chicken or with pesticide-free grains can be labeled as being holistic. You still might be paying a premium price for sub-quality ingredients, however.
Bottom line is that before you believe all the hype, get some actual, dependable information from someone who knows what they’re talking about and not just the person at PetSmart there to say whatever they can to convince you of the many ways their food is superior to everything else. There is NO such thing. Pet foods are going to suit different pets differently.
In the realm of healthy, complete nutrition that is not likely to lead to any “ingredient overload” issues (like the foods that actually cause bladder stones, and there are a FEW of them out there that do), Science Diet is a very good food and Hill’s creates a very good product. There are occasional pets that don’t like it or get the itchies on certain diets, but again, that’s an individual reaction. On the whole, it’s one of the best and most economical foods out there.
At the vet practice where I work, 2/3 of us feed Science Diet to our non-RX diet requiring animals. Yes, we can buy our food at cost to the hospital, but we can buy Royal Canin at cost as well, and ANY Purina diet, Waltham, etc… We can pretty much get whatever we want. And most of us feed Science Diet and would still feed it if we had to buy it retail, from the store – because it’s simply a good food to feed for most pets.
Don’t believe everything bad you read about pet food. There is definitely more bad than good out there, but every pet owner who has an interest in their pet’s well being through diet should become educated to not only what is being said, but why, and then determine whether those reasons are actually valid or not.
meat by-products are not human grade–they are waste products humans dont eat! fat from whatever grade corn is not as digestible as animmal fat. the quality of the actual ingredients is just as important.
In response to what will help your beloved pet with ARTHRITIS. My dog, Bud, tore his knee ligament and I prayed about it and chose not to have an operation. Started him on “Recovery” (from health food stores and at some pet stores) and within 1 1/2 weeks he was FINE!! The swelling, etc. was gone and he started eating and playing like nothing happened. I did continue with the Recovery and I stop it every once in awhile.
Bud was diagnosed with BLADDER STONES and has been on S/D Canine. He kept throwing up and so I started giving him smaller amounts and more often and that did help. I am leary though because of the ingredients in this food? I’ll be going back to Sunshine Pet Supplies to ask about other options for food. But for now he suggested “Cranimals” (cranberry)which will help to dissolve the stones. He is also on “Z LIFE” (Zeolite) which if from the health food store. This product is incredible!! 4 years ago Bud (9 yrs. old at the time) was diagnosed with CANCER, ENLARGED SPLEEN, etc., stopped eating, drinking, barking, lost fur,…..and was given a little over a week to live. I prayed about it and went online and came across this product. Along with a lot of TLC he came back to his old self. My vet calls him a miracle dog. I pray this may help someone elses beloved pet!! Our pets give us so much in return!! They are a true blessing; so full of LOVE!
For the person who gave their dog so many foods to try. That is the problem right there. You just switched and switched and they had no time to adjust. Not to mention you are supposed to gradually switch. Like half of the old and half of the new for a few weeks til they get the hang of it. You cant expect dogs to just eat all types of dog foods and dyes and expect it to work right away.
I own 4 dogs and 3 cats.. so as you can see Im an animal lover and of course I want the best for my animals. All of my animals at one time were on SD and did very well on it, nice coats, stools, bright eyes, energy etc, “UNTILL I jumped on the oh my god how awful the ingredients are and must feed something better band wagon”
Ive tried…Blue buffalo…dogs didnt eat it for long and 1 puked often
Natural Balance…my beagles coat turned orange, other dogs wouldnt touch it
EVO..made 2 dogs sick and had to be put on prescript. food for a couple of weeks
Innova..made my dogs eyes tear terrible and itch like mad
TOTW..good food, but my dogs shedded a ton and pooped like horses, and the gas was awful
nature’s variety.. another good food, however my dogs teared terrible and started itching on it
California Natural…dogs wouldnt touch it
Merricks…dogs loved it, but they turned red from all the so called “no dyes” in thier formula not to mention the recalls are outrages for a “premium food”
Evangers canned, smelled awful and the consistency was never the same..
so after 2 YEARS of trying high quality foods I went back to SD, they love it, they are doing well and I will never switch again.. oh and not to mention they have 2 corn free formula’s now, Ideal Balance and Natures Best, both decent foods that my dogs devour…so all you CORN haters.. shouldnt really bash SD anymore…
Your story is my story…..exactly…….except that I am still searching. Have steered clear of SD because of the corn and other additives you would not expect to see in “quality food”. Your post has given me thought to give SD a try. I am not having luck with the more expensive big name foods. Thanks for your input.
I am floored that anyone who reads the ingredients would every feed this to their pets. Not with much healthier options available at better prices. My Vet did recommend Science Diet to me. I urged him to look at the ingredients.
He’ll never recommend it again.
It’s not only about the ingredients; it’s about nutrition. I’d find a new vet if I were you!
My lab is on SD. He loves it. He used to eat natural balance, which we had to stand there and tell him to eat. He also used to have seizures about once a week, from unknown causes. We had all kinda of tests done on him, all came back normal. He runs much easier than he used to (he has bad hips due to careless breeding). He has kept a healthy weight all his life, regardless of the brand of food we feed him, so I can’t comment on the whole “it makes your pet fat” claim.
My two cats also eat SD, the healthy longevity formula. Since switching to this food, they eat much less often, shed less, and have been losing weight (they’re both fatties and have been since they were young). The only thing they had to adjust to was the size of the kibble, because it was bigger and harder than what they were used to. But now that they’re eating it, their teeth are also cleaner.
In conclusion, I would just say if you’re interested in the food to try it. People complain much louder and more often than they praise. For some pets it works, for others it doesn’t. Isn’t that like every food? Can all people eat the same food? No. Why would all animals be able to eat the same food.
Ignore the hype. Try it if you want. Don’t try it if you don’t want to. For my pets it works, for yours it may not.
This food so awful to my poor shih tzu mix ): Just after of one day of trying this food out, he vomitted twice & has wet stool. Good thing we switched to Wellness dog food, he loves it & licks it to the end of the bowl, & it’s healthy. I would most def, not recommend SD at all.
If you did an abrupt switch to a new food this is likely to happen with any brand, unless the new brand has very similar ingredients to the previous one. Always change over slowly over several days, with gradually increasing amounts of the new food.
My puppy has been eating taste of the wild since we got her. Last night we ran out and recently one of our local pet stores on the island closed down so I was stuck trying to find another brand. I resorted to a sample pack of Science Diet that my vet gave me just to hold her off until I could find something else. Boy was that a mistake. She ate this morning around 8am. She usually eats again around 1pm but this afternoon she wouldnt touch her dish bowl. It is now 5pm and only now did she vomit up her breakfast. What is worse is that her vomit looks as if she didnt digest the Science Diet very well. I will never give her this again.
Switching any dog food abruptly can cause digestive upset. It is very important when a dog has been regularly eating one type to change over by adding increasing proportions of the new food over at least 4 to 5 days. I’m not saying the SD didn’t upset her system, but this is likely to have happened with any dog food with an overnight changeover.
Your problem is that you did not transition from one food to the other gradually, not that SD caused it. Switching from any dog food to another cold turkey can cause all sorts of problems including diarrhea, vomit, upset stomach etc.
When we first got our Bichon Frise’s we tried a number of different dog foods but SD Sensitive Skin formula was the only thing that helped them with their skin allergies and after only a week they stopped licking/chewing on themselves. We now feed our Great Danes SD Large Breed and he does great. No digestive problems and maintains an excellent weight for his size and joint health.
One thing we all have to remember, every animal is unique. Studies have shown for the most part that dogs do not do well with wheat, corn, soy and other ingredients. With that said, you will find dogs that will do well and thrive on these ingredients. (sorta like the 100 year old geezer that drinks and smokes and there is not a thing wrong with him :>)) What everyone has to do is figure out what will work for their animal.
While the ingredients may cause problems downline, i.e.,the prescription diet for J/D may be the only one at this moment in time that can help and give a better quality of life. Given the choice, i am sure most of us would say, i want my animal to live and feel better, if this is what is going to do it, then i will feed it to him.
What is great about being to post all our comments, the positive, the not so positive is that it educates all of us, so we become empowered and make the best decision for the highest good for our animals.
linda
My lab had bad skin allergies until I switched her from this food to Blue Buffalo and she’s doing so much better, it’s really remarkable. My 6 month old pup did fine on SD (he was a rescue and that was what he had been fed). I also switched him to Blue Buffalo and he’s fine on that too, but he is actually quite gassy now. Aside from the gas though I couldn’t tell any difference between SD and Blue Buffalo for the pup. I would switch him back to Science Diet since he seemed like he was doing so well and didn’t have any gas problems, but my lab loves the taste of SD and since she’s allergic, I’d rather not have her sneaking bites of it from the puppy.
When i adopted my 3 year old lab mix the shelter had her already started on science diet. She loved it but after doing some research and found out the amount of corn and other frowned upon ingredients we switched do a different brand. But like most labs they have an iron stomach and will eat anything. SD is over priced and i wouldnt recommend it to a dog owner
Never had any problems with Hills. I love this dog food, and so do my dogs. (And my cats love it too.) I will continue to feed this to my furry kids. We gave my dads dog the Healthy Mobility (or whatever it’s called, don’t quite remember the name off the top of my head right now) and he is like a puppy. I swear.. this food is amazing. Love seeing him jump around and getting up and down the stairs. Love love love this food. Highly suggest this food.
My boys (2 beagle mixes) were getting bacterial infections in their colon/ intestines 4-5 times a year. About 2 years ago I switched them off of Science Diet…we haven’t had that problem since. Another thing I noticed concerns my one dogs love for feces…since switching he no longer eats poop.
Overpriced for the ingredients included… though our cocker loves it! We used to buy SD as it was recommended by the breeder but after doing some research, we switched to another brand.
My purebread lab is on Perscription diet J/D to help her arthretis in her knee and it surpassed my expectations immensly. Through this brand I had the opportunity to avoid surgery that would only help her become 80% anyways. Thank You Hills for developing such a wonderfull food and for giving my pal a chance to be herself again!!!!
One WORD (CORN)= Bad for your dog. SD is junk food for your dog.
Where did you get the information that corn was bad for your dog?
Corn is not digestible for dogs, or any other mammal for that matter.
Corn actually has great proteins for muscle and tissue growth and cause less food born allergies then most grains, but ya whatever you say.
Corn is a nutritious staple food in many countries. Much of the digestibility depends on the quality, and how it is processed.
Corn is a nutritious food and if cooked and ground it is highly digestible for dogs. It actually produces fewer allergies than lamb and beef. Too many people parrot things they have heard or read without checking into the science of the “offending” item. Cellulose is a food grade product used in RX dog foods, just as it is used in ice cream, yogurt and many other people foods we eat regularly.
My dogs eat Hills Prescription diet (d/d) and I can tell you, this is the best dog food ever. Congratulations and thank you for taking care of our best friends.
Did you honestly say Science Diet was the best dog food ever? Do you not read ingredients? I can gaurantee you, take a random bag of science diet. If the first three ingredients do not contain some form of by-product I will buy you 10 free bags. The worst is when it says Meat By-Product or Poultry By-Product. They make the food and they don’t even know what type of meat or poultry they use. If they did, they would put the source of the protien. Ie, Chicken By Product or Beef By Product.
It’s bad enough that there’s by-product in their food, but to not even know what TYPE of protien is in their own food? that’s just gross, and you’re saying it’s the “BEST” dog food ever? Please, I’m glad I’m not your dog.
If McDonalds listed in their big macs, Meat By-Product would you eat it? Exactly.
Science Diet Ideal Balance does not have by-products listed in the ingredients.
I’m ready to collect the 10 bags you will buy me!
My dog loves this food and I do notice a difference since I switched. To each their own!
I find it interesting that so many people now a days are so frightened by the word “by-products” All of the by-products used in dog food must be human food grade, sadly because there are some folks who will dip in to a can for themselves on occasion. While I am not necessarily going to dip in to the lower grade portions of the chicken or cow unless I am on a budget, I assure you these are not harmful, although perhaps a little tougher unless ground up, or maybe not as attractive as a nice Prime Rib Roast. They are still nutritious and delicious for dogs, and in the right proportions, very healthy.
I agree. Not knowing what b-product is in YOUR dogs food is bad, and I wouldn’t eat it! But my dog has been on science diet for 7 years, and he was supposed to die about 3 years ago. He is old and living on! It’s amazing to compare these brands to purina, which kills many dogs a year. It is true that science diet isn’t the BEST, but these days, what is?