Hill's · Barcelona

Hill's has product families with different purposes: Science Plan for everyday feeding, Prescription Diet for clinical needs and Vet Essentials within the manufacturer's catalogue. We analyse one named product to avoid attributing its ingredients to every Hill's food: Science Plan Adult Large Breed with Chicken, a dry food for adult large-breed dogs. The Spanish manufacturer page was checked on 23 September 2026. Always compare its composition with the pack in hand because a range can contain other sizes, life stages or updated formulas.

The first declared ingredients are corn, wheat, dried chicken and turkey protein —the label specifies 10% chicken and 15% total poultry—, animal fat, broken rice, protein hydrolysate and dried corn protein. Soy flour, vegetable oil, dried beet pulp, flaxseed, oat bran and others follow. “With chicken” does not mean fresh chicken is the first ingredient or that all protein comes from chicken. A diet excluding chicken or turkey requires a veterinary plan and a review of the full ingredient list.

Corn and wheat precede dried poultry protein in this particular recipe. That order alone does not prove the food is unsuitable: nutritional quality cannot be settled from one ranking without understanding the overall formulation. Nor is the recipe grain free, since corn, wheat, rice and oats are included. Our grain-free comparison guide helps separate a label claim from an automatic judgement about quality. For a confirmed food allergy, identify the actual allergens instead of choosing by the colour of a bag.

The manufacturer's analysis gives protein at 22.8%, fat 14.3%, fibre 1.6%, calcium 0.88% and phosphorus 0.72%. Hill's also lists amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate per kilogram, but their presence is no promise to cure joint disease. A large dog with lameness or pain needs veterinary assessment. This formula is intended for adults; a growing large-breed puppy needs a growth-appropriate diet, while an older animal may require review based on weight and health.

The Hill's feeding table provides an example: for an active adult dog of 30 kg eating this dry food alone it lists 390 g a day; for 40 kg it lists 485 g. These are manufacturer's starting figures, not personalised prescriptions. Actual weight, body condition, activity and treats all matter. If wet food is also fed, a different table applies; do not add a full wet serving on top of the full dry ration without calculating total intake. Our apartment dog feeding guide gives a way to monitor body condition over time.

Hill's suggests a gradual seven-day introduction when using this food for the first time and recommends fresh drinking water at all times. Persistent vomiting, diarrhoea, appetite loss or a meaningful weight change call for veterinary advice rather than repeated product switching. Seven days is the manufacturer's suggestion, not a guarantee that every dog tolerates the same pace. Photograph the old and new packs to check range and ingredient differences if a problem develops.