We are often asked if we stock Hill's. It's a food that vets usually recommend because of its brand power.
Hill's is a very popular brand indeed. But is it any good nutritionally?
The answer is no. As usual we will be reviewing its ingredients in detail. Manufacturers cannot lie on the ingredients they use.
We looked at 6 different recipes but they are all essentially the same.
As you can see, most of these ingredients are cheap fillers that no animal can eat in the long run without running into health problems. This amount of high glycemic carbohydrates is bound to lead to obesity, insulin resistance, pancreatitis and will prevent your best friend from thriving.
Most of your hard earned money will be spent on maize & rice.
We could make more money selling Hill's as it's a very popular brand, but we would not have your pet's interest at heart. We only stock foods that are good for your furry friend.
So, what should you look out for in dog food?
1. Good quality, recognisable ingredients. Fresh turkey, fresh angus beef, raw herring, freshly prepared salmon...
2. Low glycemic carbohydrates. If you are feeding dry food, the very thing that glues all ingredients together is carbohydrates. So, to a certain extent, all dog foods will have carbs (otherwise you would be paying a lot of money for just meat, as meat is expensive). So, sweet potato, oats or vegetables are preferable.
3. Good quality minerals or amino acids (but not too many!). For example, taurine is present in meat, fish and eggs. It's an essential amino acid for cats and a highly recommended one for dogs. What we don't want is manufacturers to add these minerals and additives instead of good quality ingredients. But things like glucosamine are always a good one to have.
Your vet recommends Hill's, Purina & Royal Canin because they are all owned by the same group, and are not allowed to sell anything else contractually.
There are many better food alternatives. We could sell this and make more money, but won't out of principle.
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