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Hill's Prescription Diet z/d Low Fat Hydrolyzed Soy Recipe Food Sensitivities Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag
Hill's Prescription Diet

z/d Low Fat Hydrolyzed Soy Recipe Food Sensitivities Dry Dog Food, 25-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $5.60/lb

Graded by The Sniff System

In plain English

Hill's Prescription Diet z/d Low Fat Hydrolyzed Soy Recipe Food Sensitivities Dry Dog Food is a dry formula for dogs with food sensitivities, built around hydrolyzed soy protein.

This formula includes quality fat sources like soybean oil and coconut oil, and it also has marine oil for EPA and DHA. It's also backed by AAFCO feeding trial substantiation, which is a strong indicator of nutritional adequacy.

Nothing concerning in the deck.

Good fit for dogs with food sensitivities who need a low-fat diet. Nothing serious working against it.

Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.

Who this is for

Strong fit for adult Labrador Retrievers navigating weight management. At 317 kcal/cup this formula runs on the lean side, with crude fiber at 4.5% (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

Methodology

The Sniff System grades this product against 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.

Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.

Why this score

Sniff scored this formula 53/100, landing in C-tier (acceptable-with-notes). The biggest contributor was fat quality (+12 points): Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source). Also adding to the lift: AAFCO compliance (+8). AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for not stated. The 7-point gap to B-tier sits mostly in protein quality (11.5 of 27 possible). Full protein quality requires named-species named-cut proteins in the top of the deck (e.g., "deboned chicken" rather than "chicken meal" or "poultry meal").

What lifted the score

Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).

FQI

AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for not stated.

ACF
What pulled it down

No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.

What sets this apart
  • Bottom 5% for DMB fat in grain-inclusive dry kibbles (8.2%)
  • Top 10% for DMB protein in Hill's Prescription Diet's lineup (30.0%)
  • Bottom 10% for caloric density in dry kibbles (317 kcal/cup)

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.

Better match
Higher score, similar formulation
Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag
Hill's Science Diet

Hill's Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Sensitive Skin Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food, 30-lb bag

75

Scores 22 points higher with a similar formulation profile.

Best value
Lower price, comparable score
Hill's Prescription Diet r/d Weight Reduction/Management Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food, 27.5-lb bag
Hill's Prescription Diet

Hill's Prescription Diet r/d Weight Reduction/Management Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food, 27.5-lb bag

55

$4.65/lb vs your seed's $5.60/lb (17% less) at a comparable score.

Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.

Guaranteed analysis
Protein
27%
min (as fed)
Fat
7.4%
min (as fed)
Fiber
4.5%
max (as fed)
Moisture
n/a
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

34 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    corn starch

    Position 1 grain: primary carbohydrate base. This is a grain-inclusive formula with corn starch as the dominant carb.

  2. 2
    hydrolyzed soy protein
  3. 3
    powdered cellulose

    Plant fiber, often from wood pulp. Cheap bulk filler. Not harmful, but a tell that the recipe is reaching for inexpensive bulk.

    Position 3: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.

  4. 4
    dicalcium phosphate

    Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.

  5. 5
    soybean oil

    Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.

    Position 5: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.

  6. 6
    hydrolyzed chicken flavor

    Hydrolyzed chicken used as a palatability enhancer. Real ingredient, tiny inclusion, no quality signal either way.

  7. 7
    ground pecan shells
  8. 8
    coconut oil

    Saturated fat with medium-chain triglycerides. Mostly marketing in the doses kibble uses, but harmless.

    Position 8: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.

  9. 9
    lactic acid

    Natural acid used as a mild preservative and pH adjuster. Found in fermented foods too. Safe at typical inclusion.

  10. 10
    potassium chloride

    Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.

  11. 11
    flaxseed

    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.

  12. 12
    glyceryl monostearate
  13. 13
    dried 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 13: trace fiber inclusion.

  14. 14
    dried citrus pulp
  15. 15
    dl-methionine

    Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.

  16. 16
    fish oil

    Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.

  17. 17
    choline chloride

    Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.

  18. 18
    calcium sulfate

    Source of calcium. Functional, required for AAFCO-complete formulas.

  19. 19
    pressed cranberries
  20. 20
    calcium carbonate

    Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.

  21. 21
    salt

    Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.

  22. 22
    taurine

    Amino acid critical for heart health. Especially important in grain-free or pulse-heavy formulas where natural taurine precursors run thin.

  23. 23
    magnesium oxide

    Inorganic magnesium. Functional at AAFCO doses, less efficiently absorbed than chelated forms.

  24. 24
    ferrous sulfate

    Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.

  25. 25
    zinc oxide

    Inorganic zinc. Cheapest mineral form on the market. Functional but less bioavailable than chelated alternatives.

Showing first 25 of 34. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.