Adult Small Paws Chicken & Vegetables & Beef & Vegetables Variety Pack Wet Dog Food Trays, 3.5-oz, case of 12
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Science Diet Adult Small Paws Wet Dog Food Trays is a wet food for adult dogs, featuring beef and pork liver as primary proteins.
This formula offers reasonable protein quality, with beef providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber, and pork liver adds diverse, highly bioavailable protein.
There are a couple of things to note. It contains guar gum, an emulsifier with emerging microbiome data, and added sugar in the form of dextrose, which isn't nutritionally necessary for dogs.
Good fit for adult small dogs. Less ideal if you prefer foods without added sugars or emulsifiers.
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. Beef & vegetables: water anchors position 1, with one pulse (green peas at position 14), plus pork liver at position 3 (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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 62/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+19.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage. The biggest detractor was controversial-ingredient penalty (-5 points): Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food.
Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food..
Contains added sugar. Nutritionally unjustifiable in any complete dog diet..
- Bottom 3% for DMB protein in wet foods (22.2%)
- Top quartile for crude fiber in Hill's Science Diet's lineup (11.1% DMB)
- Bottom quartile for DMB fat in wet foods (13.9%)
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 13 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 $13.67/lb (67% 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 22%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1beef & vegetables: water
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalbeef
Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.
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.
- 4grainbrown rice
Whole grain that's easy to digest. Steady carb energy plus a little fiber.
Position 4: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 5vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 5: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 6modified rice starch
- 7wheat flour
Refined wheat, usually used as a binder. Cheap, not harmful, not a nutrition contributor.
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8potato starch
Refined potato. Pure carb energy, low on other nutrition. Often used as a binder in grain-free recipes.
- 9fiberdried 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 9: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.
- 10pork plasma
Position 10: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 11dextrose
- 12fatchicken fat
Despite the name, a high-quality energy source. Concentrated calories plus essential fatty acids like linoleic acid. See why →
Position 12: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 13vegetablepotato
Standard white potato. Steady carb source, common starch in grain-free recipes.
Position 13: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 14legumegreen peas
Same as peas. Useful in small amounts. The concern is when pulses dominate the top of the ingredient list. See why →
Position 14. Trace inclusion. Below the level associated with the FDA's DCM-pattern concerns.
- 15vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Position 15: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 16chicken liver flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken liver used as a flavor enhancer. Real ingredient, used in tiny amounts for palatability.
- 17mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 18fiberguar gum
Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →
- 19fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
- 20soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
- 21mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 22caramel color
Artificial coloring made by heating sugars. Cosmetic. Some forms contain trace 4-MEI, a compound the IARC lists as possibly carcinogenic.
- 23sodium pyrophosphate
- 24disodium phosphate
- 25sodium hexametaphosphate
Showing first 25 of 77. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
18 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
The Hill's Science Diet Adult Small Paws Savory Stew with Beef and vegetable dog food and Adult Small Paws Savory Stew with Chicken and vegetable dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance of adult dogs.