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Hill's · dry

Hill’s Science Plan Adult 1-6 Small & Mini with Chicken review

A weak dry food by the label. Just 21% declared meat content, and the label keeps too much vague. Feeding it costs about 81p a day for a typical adult dog - the breakdown below shows exactly what that buys.

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ODF Score 37/100 Poor
Our community ratingNo owner reviews yet - be the first.
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Top 85%scores higher than 15% of rated foodsacross all 3075 foods we've scored
Poorscore bandthe dot marks where it sits among every food we've rated
£0.81per day for a 10 kg dogcheaper than 31% of dry foods
21%declared meat content
United Statesbrand origin

Where the points went

The full breakdown, exactly as the algorithm scored it. How our rating works

Ingredient quality
Weighted ingredient quality 47/100 across 16 ingredients (declared percentages used for 1, position estimates for the rest). Named meat is only 21% of the recognised recipe, so the quality score is anchored down towards a plant-led food.
18.4 / 40
Label clarity
Vague category terms on the label (animal fats, dried citrus fruit pulp) - naming points withheld; no percentages declared at all - the recipe is unverifiable; meat sources named (+2); variable-composition wording - fixed-formula points withheld.
2 / 15
Additives
Declared additives below our neutral line, weakest being protein hydrolysate (-0.8).
9.3 / 10
Red flags
Animal fats at position 5 (-12).
-12 / 0
Meat content
Declared meat content 21%.
7.4 / 15
Nutritional balance
Estimated carbohydrate 53% dry matter (high); fat 15.5% DM in the healthy band; moisture not declared - 8% assumed for the dry-matter maths; fibre 1.4% DM (+1.8); ash 5.2% DM - sensible mineral load (+2); functional extras: omega-3 source, pre/probiotics (+2).
6.2 / 10
Processing
Assumed extruded kibble (standard high-heat process).
6 / 10
ODF Score
Algorithm v1.4.1 · scored August 19, 2026 · full methodology public
37 / 100

Our analysis

Breaking the 37 down: the biggest single loss is ingredient quality, where it takes 18.4 of a possible 40. Its strongest showing is additives at 9.3 of 10. On top of that, 12 points are deducted outright for red-flag ingredients - a penalty applied before anything else is counted, which is why the total lands where it does.

The label declares 21% meat, which is a low figure, and a declared low figure is still more honest than silence, and the ingredient list leans on vague groupings instead of naming what is actually in the bag.

At about 81p a day to feed a 10kg dog, the question is not whether it is cheap but whether the label justifies the price - and on our scoring, it does not.

Ingredients

Straight from the label, grouped by role - every ingredient is coloured by our published classification and links to its full page.

Meat & fish

Chicken and turkey mealchicken 13%animal fats

Carbs & grains

maizewheatbroken riceoat brandried citrus fruit pulp

Fruit & veg

spinach powderdried tomato pomace

Oils & fats

soybean oil

Supplements & extras

protein hydrolysatelinseedmineralsvitaminsfructooligosaccharidestrace elements and beta-carotene. With natural antioxidant mixed tocopherols
Good qualityAcceptable / watch the amountRed flagGeneric / neutralOutlined = first five on the label
Additives (as declared on the label)
Nutritional additives: Vitamin A (9909 IU), vitamin D3 (693 IU), vitamin E (967 IU), vitamin C (117 IU), iron (75.1mg), iodine (1.9mg), copper (7.4mg), manganese (7.8mg), zinc (132mg), selenium (0.2mg). With natural antioxidants.

Feeding & cost

What a bag actually costs to feed - worked out per dog, not per pack.

Pack sizeRRPPer kg
3 kg--
6 kg--
12 kg--

How heavy is your dog?

A typical 10 kg adult dog needs about 144 g a day = £0.81 / day, £24.62 / month.

How we work this out
  1. Energy: an adult dog at rest needs about 95 × weight0.75 kcal a day (the FEDIAF maintenance formula - a 10 kg dog works out near 534 kcal).
  2. Portion: divide that by this food's energy density, 372 kcal/100g, to get the grams above - a denser food needs fewer grams.
  3. Cost: multiply the grams by this food's price, £5.65 / kg, for the daily cost, then by 30.4 days for the month.

Estimates scale to your dog's weight and the food's calorie density - a denser food needs fewer grams. A rough guide; always follow the pack. Try the full feeding calculator

Nutrition

Declared analysis converted to a dry-matter basis, so wet and dry foods compare fairly.

Protein

25 % DM
Directory average: 28.2

Fat

15.5 % DM
Directory average: 14.8

Est. carbs

52.8 % DM
Directory average: 45.2

Fibre

1.4 % DM
Directory average: 3.6

Ash

5.2 % DM
Directory average: 7.9

Moisture isn't declared on this label - dry-matter figures assume 8% (typical for a dry food) and are marked estimated.

Carbohydrates are estimated: 100% minus protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture.

Similar foods that score higher

Same type and life stage, better ODF Score, comparable price per day.

More from Hill's

Other foods in this range, whatever they score - the full picture, not just the top of the list.

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This is label analysis, not veterinary advice - if your dog has a health condition, talk to your vet before switching foods.

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