Metabolic Weight Management Vegetable & Chicken Stew Wet Dog Food, 12.5-oz can, case of 12
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Prescription Diet Metabolic Weight Management Vegetable & Chicken Stew is a wet dog food primarily featuring pork liver.
Pork liver provides good protein quality with solid amino acid coverage. The formula also uses quality fat sources, including marine oil for EPA and DHA. Plus, it has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation, which is a strong indicator of nutritional adequacy.
The score is capped because of very low protein and fat content on a dry matter basis. It also contains guar gum, an emulsifier with emerging microbiome data, though canine clinical evidence is not yet available.
Good fit for dogs needing metabolic or weight management. Less ideal if you're looking for a higher protein or fat diet.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Golden Retriever, navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Pork liver anchors position 2, with one pulse (green peas at position 4), plus pork liver at position 2 (a natural taurine precursor). In its 2022 update on diet-associated DCM, the FDA identified Golden Retrievers as the most reported breed, with 121 cases out of 1,382 total canine reports (8.8%) received between January 1, 2014, and November 1, 2022 (FDA, 2022) .
Looking at this for adult Golden Retrievers or Golden Retrievers with diet-associated DCM concerns ? 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.
- FDA, 2022cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 47/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was protein quality (+14.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. pork liver delivers solid amino acid coverage. A hard cap of 49 also applied because the guaranteed analysis falls below AAFCO's minimum nutrient profile. If a formula update that meets AAFCO minimums were on the label, the cap would lift and this formula could clear the B-band threshold (60).
Reasonable protein quality. pork liver delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for not stated.
Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food..
- Lowest carb quality in Hill's Prescription Diet's lineup (7/16)
- Bottom 10% for overall Sniff Score in Hill's Prescription Diet's lineup (47/100)
- Bottom 10% for crude fiber in grain-inclusive wet foods (4.4% DMB)
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 i/d Digestive Care Chicken & Vegetable Stew Wet Dog Food, 12.5-oz, case of 12
Scores 12 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Digestion Chicken, Vegetable & Rice Stew Wet Dog Food, 12.8-oz can, case of 12
$5.61/lb vs your seed's $7.25/lb (23% 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.
- 1water
Just water. Counted on the label of any wet or fresh food. The number tells you the moisture content.
- 2protein animalpork liver
Organ meat. Dense in B vitamins, iron, and vitamin A. Among the most nutritious ingredients on any label.
Position 2. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 3vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 3: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 4legumegreen peas
Same as peas. Useful in small amounts. The concern is when pulses dominate the top of the ingredient list. See why →
Position 4. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 5grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6fiberpowdered cellulose
Plant fiber, often from wood pulp. Cheap bulk filler. Not harmful, but a tell that the recipe is reaching for inexpensive bulk.
Position 6: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 7corn starch
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8protein plantwheat gluten
Concentrated wheat protein. Like other plant gluten meals, it pads the protein number on the label without contributing meat-quality amino acids.
Position 8: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 9protein animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 9: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 10fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 10: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 11dried tomato pomace
The fiber-rich byproduct of tomato processing. Sometimes flagged unfairly. It's a real fiber source, not a filler shortcut.
Position 11: trace fiber inclusion.
- 12hydrolyzed chicken flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken used as a palatability enhancer. Real ingredient, tiny inclusion, no quality signal either way.
- 13fatcoconut oil
Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.
Position 13: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 14potassium alginate
- 15calcium chloride
- 16othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 17fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
- 18mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 19fiberguar gum
Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →
- 20lipoic acid
- 21calcium lactate
Calcium source from lactic acid fermentation. Functional, well-tolerated.
- 22calcium gluconate
- 23mineralsodium tripolyphosphate
Preservative and texture agent in wet food. Functional at small doses, not a major concern, but some brands avoid it.
- 24supplementl-lysine
Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.
- 25potassium citrate
Source of potassium. Sometimes added in urinary-support formulas to help manage urine pH.
Showing first 25 of 34. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
20 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.