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Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Lamb Meal & Rice Dry Dog Food, 17.6-lb bag
Hill's Prescription Diet

Metabolic Lamb Meal & Rice Dry Dog Food, 17.6-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $5.68/lb

Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Lamb Meal & Rice Dry Dog Food, 17.6-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 63/100 (B) with Fair evidence. Zero controversial ingredients flagged. Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber..

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.

CQI

AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for not stated.

ACF

Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.

STACK

Controversial ingredients · 1

  • sodium selenite
    Synthetic selenium source. Selenium is essential, but sodium selenite has a narrower safety margin than organic alternatives like selenium yeast. Better-formulated foods use the organic form.

Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →

Guaranteed analysis
Protein
23%
min (as fed)
Fat
9%
min (as fed)
Fiber
15%
max (as fed)
Moisture
n/a
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

34 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    lamb meal

    Lamb cooked down to a dry concentrate. Per pound, more protein than fresh lamb.

  2. 2
    brewers rice

    Broken rice kernels left over from milling, usually destined for human beer-making. Cheaper than whole or even white rice. Same carbs, less nutrition than the brown version.

  3. 3
    sorghum

    Whole grain with a low glycemic index. Gluten-free, well-tolerated, decent fiber content.

  4. 4
    corn gluten meal

    Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.

  5. 5
    powdered cellulose

    Plant fiber, often from wood pulp. Cheap bulk filler. Not harmful, but a tell that the recipe is reaching for inexpensive bulk.

  6. 6
    wheat

    Whole wheat. Fine for most dogs, though a portion are sensitive. Not a quality concern, just a fit-for-your-dog question.

  7. 7
    soybean meal

    Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.

  8. 8
    dried tomato pomace

    The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.

  9. 9
    flaxseed

    Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.

  10. 10
    dried beet pulp

    Soluble fiber from sugar-beet processing. Sometimes treated as a filler, but it's actually one of the better fiber sources in kibble.

  11. 11
    coconut oil

    Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.

  12. 12
    chicken liver flavor

    Hydrolyzed chicken liver used as a flavor enhancer. Real ingredient, used in tiny amounts for palatability.

  13. 13
    lactic acid

    Natural acid used as a mild preservative and pH adjuster. Found in fermented foods too. Safe at typical inclusion.

  14. 14
    chicken fat

    Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid.

  15. 15
    pork liver flavor

    Hydrolyzed pork liver used as a flavor enhancer. Same role as chicken liver flavor.

  16. 16
    l-lysine

    Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.

  17. 17
    potassium chloride

    Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.

  18. 18
    dl-methionine

    Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.

  19. 19
    soybean oil

    Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.

  20. 20
    carrots

    Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.

  21. 21
    salt

    Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.

  22. 22
    lipoic acid
  23. 23
    taurine

    Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.

  24. 24
    choline chloride

    Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.

  25. 25
    manganese sulfate

    Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.

Showing first 25 of 34. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.