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Public ReviewGrade DKibble (Extruded)Manufacturing: Kibble (Extruded)

Hill's

Hill's Adult Light Small Bites Chicken Meal & Barley Recipe Dog Food | Hill's Science Diet

2.0★Public ScoreManufacturer-independentPublic-data basedIngredients · nutrition · safety

Key points

Protein source

Moderate caution

Processed plant protein after the top 3

Top 3: Chicken Meal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Wheat

The protein number includes processed plant protein support.

Even when it appears later, the protein number is read more conservatively.

Ingredient guide

Included support ingredients

Nutrient guide
FOSGut support ingredientTaurineHeart support ingredientL-carnitineHeart and weight support ingredientOmega-3Skin and joint support ingredientOmega-6Skin and coat support ingredientVitamin EAntioxidant and skin support ingredient
Needs context

Ingredient grade

C

Grade C

Top ingredient profile

Chicken Meal
Cracked Pearled Barley
Whole Grain Wheat
Meal-basedPlant booster present
Crude protein25.3%
Crude protein25.3%
Crude fat8.1%
Other 67%

Protein position, fat position, and calorie density position are relative to foods in the same processing type cohort.

biotechProtein position
Typical
query_statsFat position
Lower
local_fire_departmentCalorie density
Lower

This food suits weight-management priorities better than higher-energy feeding.

Calorie density is lower, crude fat does not run high, and protein does not collapse. That makes this easier to keep in a weight-management shortlist.

Nutritional strengths

  • Crude protein does not drop into a clearly low band.
  • Crude fat does not run high, which helps the weight-management read.
  • Top ingredients do not show a prominent FDA-investigated non-hereditary DCM ingredient profile.

What still needs work

  • Processed plant protein appears after the top 3, so some protein support is still built into the label number.
  • Calcium:Phosphorus Ratio sits near the upper end of the preferred range, so a more conservative read makes sense.
  • If higher energy density matters more, another option may fit better.

Brand context

Brand background availableRecall history confirmed

Founded in 1907 in the United States. This brand has a confirmed recall history. The most recent public recall noted here was the 2019 vitamin D incident.

Ingredient analysis

The top ingredients are still usable, but this is the part to inspect more carefully before calling the recipe a clear strength.

restaurantIngredient Quality Analysis

C3/6
Ingredient Grade
Mixed
1Chicken Meal
Named Meal · Upper
2Cracked Pearled Barley
Semi-Refined Grain · Mid
3Whole Grain Wheat
Whole Grain · Upper

Ingredient Analysis Comments

  • •Chicken Meal is a species-named animal meal ingredient. It is rendered rather than fresh, but the species source is still clearly identified. It reads as an upper-tier protein source.
  • •Cracked Pearled Barley is disclosed, but its role is not explicit enough to count as a strong quality signal. It reads as an mid-tier carb source.
  • •Whole Grain Wheat is a whole or coarse grain ingredient. It usually plays more of a carbohydrate and fiber role than a core protein role. It reads as an upper-tier carb and fiber source.
restaurantIngredient Grade CMixed

Full collected ingredient list

28 ingredients
Chicken MealCracked Pearled BarleyWhole Grain WheatWhole Grain CornCorn Protein MealPowdered CelluloseBrewers RicePea FiberSoybean OilChicken Liver FlavorDried Beet PulpFlaxseedLactic AcidPork Liver FlavorPotassium ChlorideCalcium CarbonateIodized SaltL-LysineWhole Grain OatsFructooligosaccharides (FOS)vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement)Choline ChlorideTaurineminerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite)Mixed Tocopherols for freshnessNatural FlavorsL-CarnitineBeta-Carotene.
Primary positive ingredients
Support positive ingredients
Neutral ingredients
Caution ingredients
High-caution ingredients

Why processed plant proteins are reviewed cautiously

Ingredient lists are ordered by input weight, not protein contribution. Fresh meat 100g and Soybean Meal 50g can both contribute about 20g of protein, and Pea Protein can deliver a similar amount at around 30g. So these ingredients can materially lift crude protein even outside the top three. The review treats processed plant-protein boosters cautiously because they can weaken the animal-protein-centered profile most guardians expect from a high-protein food.

Why did the base review land here?

Ingredient qualityNutrient disclosure levelManufacturing & trust

This review score combines ingredient composition, nutrient disclosure, manufacturing trust, and core nutrient caution signals.

Nutrient disclosure

Partial disclosure

Core guaranteed analysis is usable, but deeper rows still need a more cautious read.

Safety verification

1 warnings

There is no immediate hard stop here, but a few caution rows are still worth checking.

Public data trust (ETF)

C1 tier

There is a usable disclosure baseline, but the public record is still fairly thin.

Where it sits in the same processing cohort

Kibble (Extruded) cohortCompare-first

Within the Kibble (Extruded) cohort, this recipe sits in the compare-first band.

Final word

Treat this review as an early screen. If the food stays interesting, verify it again with your dog-specific context before acting.

Back to all foods

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Joint criteria

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Label basics

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