Adult Small Breed & Mini Breed Chicken & Barley Entree Wet Dog Food, 5.8-oz can, 24 count
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Science Diet Adult Small Breed & Mini Breed Chicken & Barley Entree Wet Dog Food is a wet food featuring chicken and pork liver, designed for adult small and mini breed dogs.
This formula offers reasonable protein quality, with chicken providing good amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources that declare their fiber content. Plus, it has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for adult maintenance, which is a strong indicator of nutritional adequacy.
The main thing to note is the lack of a declared omega-3 source. Ingredients like fish oil, salmon oil, or algae oil are all absent from the list.
Good fit for adult small and mini breed dogs. Less ideal if you prioritize a declared omega-3 source in your dog's diet.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for moderately active toy breeds like Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, and Shih Tzus navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Chicken anchors position 2, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus pork liver at position 3 (a natural taurine precursor). The FDA's 2019 investigation update on diet-associated DCM included 13 reported cases in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, making them one of the top 15 most frequently reported breeds at that time (FDA, 2019) .
Looking at this for adult Cavalier King Charles Spaniels or Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 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, 2022epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 4 claims
- FDA, 2019cardiac · diet composition· cited in 3 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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 64/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+18 points): Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage. The biggest detractor was fat quality (-8 points): No declared omega-3 source. Fish oil, salmon oil, and algae oil all absent. To reach A-tier, this formula would need to gain about 11 points, most likely through fat quality.
Reasonable protein quality. chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with declared fiber.
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for adult maintenance.
No declared omega-3 source. Fish oil, salmon oil, and algae oil all absent.
- Lowest fat quality in Hill's Science Diet's lineup (4/16)
- Top 10% for overall Sniff Score in grain-inclusive wet foods (64/100)
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in grain-inclusive wet foods (23.6%)
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 Science Diet Adult Small Breed & Mini Breed Chicken & Beef Variety Pack Wet Dog Food, 5.8-oz can, case of 12
Scores 11 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Hill's Science Diet Adult Chicken & Barley Entree Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
$4.54/lb vs your seed's $6.87/lb (34% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 24%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
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 animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein animalpork liver
Organ meat. Dense in B vitamins, iron, and vitamin A. Among the most nutritious ingredients on any label.
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4grainwhole grain corn
Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5cracked pearled barley
Pre-cracked pearled barley for better digestibility. Same whole-grain story.
Position 5. Within the FDA's top-5 DCM-pattern threshold. Especially notable if multiple pulses stack here.
- 6beef by-products
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7protein plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
Position 7: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 8chicken liver flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken liver used as a flavor enhancer. Real ingredient, used in tiny amounts for palatability.
Position 8. Functional organ inclusion. Adds amino acids and micronutrients even at smaller weight.
- 9dried whey
- 10soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
Position 10: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 11mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 12mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 13mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 14supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 15zinc oxide
Inorganic zinc. Cheapest mineral form on the market. Functional but less bioavailable than chelated alternatives.
- 16mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 17mineralmanganese sulfate
Inorganic manganese. Functional but less well-absorbed than the chelated proteinate form.
- 18mineralcopper sulfate
Inorganic copper. Standard, effective at small doses. Premium formulas tend to use copper proteinate instead.
- 19mineralcalcium iodate
Source of iodine for thyroid function. Functional, required in complete formulas.
- 20mineralmagnesium oxide
Inorganic magnesium. Functional at AAFCO doses, less efficiently absorbed than chelated forms.
- 21beta-carotene
18 of 21 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.