Metabolic Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food, 27.5-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food is a dry food with chicken as its primary protein.
This formula includes quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber, which can be good for gut health. It also has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation, meaning its nutritional adequacy has been tested.
The formula is plant-protein-dominated, with wheat as the first ingredient. This means the primary protein source isn't animal-based, which is often preferred for dogs.
Good fit for dogs needing quality carbohydrate sources and fermentable fiber. Less ideal if you prefer a formula with animal protein as the first ingredient.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Labrador Retriever, navigating weight management. At 257 kcal/cup this formula runs on the lean side, with crude fiber at 15% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). The landmark 14-year Purina Lifespan Study on 48 Labrador Retrievers demonstrated that dogs fed 25% fewer calories lived a median of 1.8 years longer and delayed the onset of chronic diseases. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention's 2023 survey, 59% of dogs in the United States were classified as overweight or obese by their veterinary healthcare professional, representing an estimated 55 million dogs (APOP, 2023) .
Looking at this for adult Labrador Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers with weight management ? We are building dedicated pages for these combinations.
Auto-matched from this product's measurements (ingredients, life stage, calorie density) to a breed archetype. Not a substitute for vet input on your specific dog.
Research informing this analysis
MethodologyThe Sniff System grades this product against 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- Brooks et al., 2014diagnostic · protocol · satiety· cited in 5 claims
- APOP, 2023prevalence
- Raffan et al., 2016genetics
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Sniff scored this formula 54/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+12 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The biggest detractor was protein quality (-16 points): Plant-protein-dominated formula. wheat as the #1 ingredient. To reach B-tier, this formula would need to gain about 6 points, most likely through protein quality.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for not stated.
Plant-protein-dominated formula. wheat as the #1 ingredient.
- Top 2% for crude fiber in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (16.7% DMB)
- Bottom 2% for caloric density in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (257 kcal/cup)
- Top quartile for DMB protein in Hill's Prescription Diet's lineup (26.7%)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
Similar dog foods worth considering
Three lenses on products with formulation profiles similar to this one.
Hill's Prescription Diet ONC Care Dry Dog Food, 15-lb bag
Scores 22 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Management Large Breed Chicken Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
$3.72/lb vs your seed's $4.87/lb (24% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1grainwheat
Whole wheat. Fine for most dogs, though a portion are sensitive. Not a quality concern, just a fit-for-your-dog question.
Position 1 grain: primary carbohydrate base. This is a grain-inclusive formula with wheat as the dominant carb.
- 2grainwhole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
Position 2: major carbohydrate source.
- 3protein animalchicken meal
Chicken with the water cooked out. Per pound, packs more protein than fresh chicken. See why →
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4fiberpowdered cellulose
Plant fiber, often from wood pulp. Cheap bulk filler. Not harmful, but a tell that the recipe is reaching for inexpensive bulk.
Position 4: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 5protein plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
Position 5: plant protein in the top 5. Stacked with animal protein, can inflate the crude protein number without matching the amino-acid quality of named animal sources.
- 6protein plantcorn gluten meal
Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 6: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 7fiberdried 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. See why →
Position 7: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 8dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 8: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 9hydrolyzed chicken flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken used as a palatability enhancer. Real ingredient, tiny inclusion, no quality signal either way.
- 10fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 10: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 11fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 11: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 12fatcoconut oil
Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.
Position 12: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 13lactic acid
Natural acid used as a mild preservative and pH adjuster. Found in fermented foods too. Safe at typical inclusion.
- 14supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 15supplementl-lysine
Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.
- 16vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 17mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 18mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 19lipoic acid
- 20supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 21mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 22mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 23zinc oxide
Inorganic zinc. Cheapest mineral form on the market. Functional but less bioavailable than chelated alternatives.
- 24mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 25mineralcalcium iodate
Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.
Showing first 25 of 31. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.