Healthy Cuisine Variety Pack Adult Wet Dog Food, 13-oz can, case of 12
Graded by The Sniff System
Hill's Science Diet Healthy Cuisine Variety Pack Adult Wet Dog Food is a wet food featuring chicken and pork liver, formulated for adult dogs.
This food offers good protein quality, with roasted chicken providing solid amino acid coverage. It also includes quality fat sources, like marine oil, which is a good source of EPA and DHA. Plus, it has AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for adult maintenance.
The formula contains guar gum, an emulsifier that has some emerging microbiome data, though there's no canine clinical evidence yet. This is a minor watch item for canned foods.
Good fit for adult dogs of any size. Less ideal if you prefer foods without emulsifiers like guar gum.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Roasted chicken anchors position 1, with one pulse (green peas at position 7), plus pork liver at position 4 (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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 67/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+19.5 points): Reasonable protein quality. roasted chicken 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. To reach A-tier, this formula would need to gain about 8 points, most likely through controversial-ingredient penalty.
Reasonable protein quality. roasted chicken delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Quality fat sources: named fat with marine oil (EPA and DHA source).
AAFCO feeding trial substantiation for adult maintenance.
Contains guar gum. Emerging microbiome data on emulsifiers; no canine clinical evidence. Minor penalty in canned food..
- Top 4% for crude fiber in grain-inclusive wet foods (16.7% DMB)
- Bottom 10% for DMB protein in wet foods (26.7%)
- Top 4% for overall Sniff Score in grain-inclusive wet foods (67/100)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Hill's Science Diet Variety Pack Adult Wet Dog Food, 13-oz, case of 12
Scores 8 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 $5.03/lb (10% 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 27%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1roasted chicken
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2carrots & spinach stew: chicken broth
- 3protein animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 3: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 4protein animalpork liver
Organ meat. Dense in B vitamins, iron, and vitamin A. Among the most nutritious ingredients on any label.
Position 4. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 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.
- 6grainrice
Generic rice. Could be white or brown, the label doesn't say. Brown rice would be specified if it were.
Position 6: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 7legumegreen peas
Same as peas. Useful in small amounts. The concern is when pulses dominate the top of the ingredient list. See why →
Position 7. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 8rice starch
Position 8: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 9vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Position 9: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 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.
- 11chicken liver flavor
Hydrolyzed chicken liver used as a flavor enhancer. Real ingredient, used in tiny amounts for palatability.
Position 11. Small organ inclusion. Functional but not a primary contributor to the protein profile.
- 12fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 12: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.
- 13potassium alginate
- 14fiberpowdered cellulose
Plant fiber, often from wood pulp. Cheap bulk filler. Not harmful, but a tell that the recipe is reaching for inexpensive bulk.
Position 14: trace fiber inclusion.
- 15protein 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 15: trace plant protein.
- 16calcium chloride
- 17fiberguar gum
Thickener common in wet food. Emerging research on emulsifiers and the gut microbiome, but no smoking gun in dogs yet. See why →
- 18mineraldicalcium phosphate
Calcium and phosphorus combined. Required source of both minerals, especially in formulas without much bone content.
- 19calcium lactate
Calcium source from lactic acid fermentation. Functional, well-tolerated.
- 20calcium gluconate
- 21mineralsodium tripolyphosphate
Preservative and texture agent in wet food. Functional at small doses, not a major concern, but some brands avoid it.
- 22fatfish oil
Concentrated omega-3s. The reason 'EPA' and 'DHA' get to show up on the bag.
- 23supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 24supplementl-lysine
Essential amino acid. Plant-protein-heavy formulas sometimes add it to round out the amino acid profile.
- 25mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
Showing first 25 of 61. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
19 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.