Hill's Derm Complete Puppy Dry Dog Food

Dry Extruded complete

Derm Complete Puppy Dry Dog Food
Poor
our rating

Is Hill's Derm Complete Puppy Dry Dog Food a good dog food?

We score it 30/100 (Poor). The main reasons are set out in "Why you might not" below, and every step of the calculation is shown under "How we calculated this score".

How we score

Why this score?

This recipe achieves a total rating of 30 out of 100 based on our analysis. The presence of ingredients without printed percentages contributed -13.1 points to the overall assessment. Additionally, the processing format added -7 points, while the carbohydrate content accounted for -5.3 points. Finally, the overall quality of the ingredient list contributed -2.6 points.

100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.

The Recipe score measures how attractive and transparent the declared ingredient list is. It is not, by itself, proof that the food is nutritionally appropriate for long-term feeding. The Nutritional and Evidence scores measure what we can verify towards that stronger claim.

Complete extruded dry food for puppies, with cereals, egg and vegetable protein extracts as the main ingredients.

Why you might choose it

  • Declares energy content, which most labels omit.
  • Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.

Why you might not

  • 6 poor-graded ingredients make up about 58% of the recipe.
  • 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.

View the source page

Estimated composition

carb36.4%
meat27.3%
oil10.2%
supplement9.6%
veg8.6%
other8.0%

Typical analysis (as fed)

Protein
23.40%
Fat
16.20%
Fibre
1.30%
Ash
7.10%
Moisture
8%
Carbohydrates
43.70%
Omega-3 fatty acids
1.80%
Omega-6 fatty acids
3.60%
Calcium
1.13%
Phosphorus
0.94%
Sodium
0.49%

Energy: 372 kcal/100g

Additives & feeding info

Nutritional additives

3b103 (Iron) 93.0mg; 3b202 (Iodine) 4.1mg; 3b405 (Copper) 10.9mg; 3b502 (Manganese) 9.6mg; 3b603 (Zinc) 144mg; with natural antioxidant

Technological additives

natural antioxidant

Feeding guide

Feed only this food. Feed the correct daily amount shown according to dog's size. Adjust amount to maintain optimum weight; the amount may be divided into 2+ meals/day. Recommended time of use: support of skin function in cases of dermatosis and excessive loss of hair initially up to 2 months; reduction of ingredient and nutrient intolerances 3 to 8 weeks; if signs of intolerance disappear, this feed can be used initially up to one year. Switch to Hill's PRESCRIPTION DIET Derm Complete Dog Food at 12 months old. Fresh water should be available at all times.

Who is this food for?

Suits

  • Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
  • Doesn't list chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, fish, venison, pork, duck as ingredients

Consider something else if:

  • Your dog avoids grain: the label lists cereals

These points are derived from declared ingredients and analysis, not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, food choice is a medical nutrition decision: speak to your vet. Use the homepage filter to find foods that fit your dog.

Ingredients (11)

#As declaredMatchedCategoryTierDeclared %Est. %
1CerealsCerealscarbpoor-11.8
2eggs and egg derivativesEggmeatgood-11.2
3vegetable protein extractsVegetable protein extractscarbpoor-10.7
4oils and fatsOils and Fatsoilpoor-10.2
5mineralsVitamins and mineralssupplementmedium-9.6
6meat and animal derivativesMeat and Animal Derivativesmeatpoor-9.1
7seedsSeedsvegpoor-8.6
8derivatives of vegetable originVegetable By-Productsotherpoor-8.0
9broken riceRice - whitecarbmedium-7.5
10dried whole eggsDried Whole Eggmeatgood-7.0
11rice protein concentrateRice Proteincarbmedium-6.4

Brand

Hill's logo
Address
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Goldsworth Place 1 Forge End Woking GU21 6DB
Contact page
www.hillspet.co.uk

Trust and provenance

Recall history
No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked
2026-09-15
Scored with
Model v2 (methodology)
Product page
www.hillspet.co.uk

Recall history is presentation-only and never affects the score. Dates are when we recorded the data, not when the manufacturer last changed the recipe.

Spotted a mistake in this listing? Report it here and we'll take a look.

Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated

Scored with model v2 on 2026-09-22. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.

ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-32.336+32.34
Average ingredient quality-0.39.915-2.55
Meat share of dry matter17.7%0.116+2.05
Carb share of dry matter46.9%-0.113-5.28
Oil share of dry matter14.7%-0.088-1.30
Supplement share of dry matter13.0%-0.009-0.12
Other share of dry matter5.9%-0.371-2.18
Recipe graded poor58.3%-0.045-2.61
Poor-quality meat in recipe9.1%-0.182-1.65
Number of poor ingredients6-0.868-5.21
Largest single poor ingredient11.8%0.056+0.66
Undeclared quantities100.0%-0.131-13.09
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
Additive penalty-1.370.236-0.32
Processing multiplier1.0032.336+32.34
Processing: Dry Extrudedyes-6.996-7.00
Show all 40 components
ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-32.336+32.34
Average ingredient quality-0.39.915-2.55
Meat share of dry matter17.7%0.116+2.05
Carb share of dry matter46.9%-0.113-5.28
Oil share of dry matter14.7%-0.088-1.30
Vegetable share of dry matter1.9%-0.002-0.00
Additive share of dry matter0.0%0.177+0.00
Supplement share of dry matter13.0%-0.009-0.12
Other share of dry matter5.9%-0.371-2.18
Unrecognised share of dry matter0.0%-0.022+0.00
Recipe graded poor58.3%-0.045-2.61
Poor-quality meat in recipe9.1%-0.182-1.65
Number of poor ingredients6-0.868-5.21
Largest single poor ingredient11.8%0.056+0.66
Undeclared quantities100.0%-0.131-13.09
Prints ingredient percentagesno3.194+0.00
Complete dietyes1.703+1.70
Frozen or chilled freshno11.440+0.00
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)no-0.506+0.00
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)no-1.988+0.00
High carb and low meatno-1.250+0.00
Meat share × printed percentages0.0-0.073+0.00
Meat share × fresh0.0-0.339+0.00
Fresh × high meat0.016.475+0.00
Additive penalty-1.370.236-0.32
Processing multiplier1.0032.336+32.34
Processing: Rawno13.322+0.00
Processing: Fresh Chilledno7.712+0.00
Processing: Fresh Frozenno6.583+0.00
Processing: Fresh Refrigeratedno4.857+0.00
Processing: Fresh Shelfno0.072+0.00
Processing: Dry Freeze Driedno11.127+0.00
Processing: Dry Air Driedno9.320+0.00
Processing: Dry Cold Pressedno4.569+0.00
Processing: Dry Bakedno-2.321+0.00
Processing: Dry Extrudedyes-6.996-7.00
Processing: Dry Semi Moistno-6.833+0.00
Processing: Dry Mueslino-10.711+0.00
Processing: Wet Pateno2.935+0.00
Processing: Wet Chunksno2.292+0.00
Processing-type offset
-0.01
Additives declared on label
+2 transparency bonus
Subtotal
29.8
Final score
30/100

Contributions are rounded to two decimals, so they may not sum exactly to the subtotal. The full coefficient table is published on the methodology page.

Score history across model versions

The score shown above is always computed with the latest published model. Earlier scores are kept for the record and are never edited or deleted; a scoring change ships as a new model version with a public write-up on the methodology page.

ModelScore
v230/100current
v128/100
v1.930/100
Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges

How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for puppies and growth. The label prints as-fed values; we convert to a dry-matter basis before scoring, and the bands are dry-matter ranges. Scores rise to 100 at the band midpoint: the reference is adequacy, not maximisation. Nutrients with a published upper limit taper again above it; fat is policed through calorie density rather than a direct penalty.

Scored against FEDIAF growth minima; puppy scoring is under review.

NutrientAs fed (label)Dry matter (scored)Score
Protein23.425.4100
Fat16.217.6100
Calcium1.131.2100
Phosphorus0.941100
Calcium:phosphorus ratio1.21.2100
Omega fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3)--100
Energy (kcal/100g)372404.3100

Omega fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3): scored as the mean of its declared components (omega-6 100, omega-3 100). The FEDIAF minimum for omega-6 is linoleic acid specifically.

Scored over 7 declared nutrients (combined weight 90); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score.

High confidence: full analysis plus minerals or omegas and declared energy.

This measures agreement with published reference ranges, not suitability for an individual dog. For medical conditions, follow veterinary guidance.

Transparency: what the label discloses

How much the manufacturer discloses, measured against the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice and Regulation 767/2009. Mandatory items dominate the weighting.

ItemPoints
Ingredient list on the label (mandatory)10/10
Printed percentages on the label (voluntary) - not on file0/20
Analytical constituents declared (mandatory)15/15
Additives declared (mandatory)10/10
Energy value declared (voluntary)5/5
Complete/complementary designation (mandatory)5/5
Feeding guidance given (mandatory)10/10
Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory)10/10
Country of manufacture stated (voluntary)10/10
Batch and date labelling (mandatory) - not on file0/5

Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Batch and date labelling).

Safety: recall history

Recall and safety-notice history, time-decayed. This dimension is shown alongside the score and never feeds the headline number.

No recalls recorded in our database.

See all current recalls we track.

Evidence: what the brand claims, and what supports it

The marketing claims made on the pack and product page, and how much evidence sits behind them. We record the claims as stated; we do not assess whether they are true.

ClaimTypeSubstantiation
complete dietetic pet food for support of skin function in case of dermatosis and excessive loss of hair and for reduction of ingredient and nutrient intolerances in puppies (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Single novel intact protein to help avoid adverse reactions to food (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Breakthrough formula with bioactives and phytonutrients to support healthy immune response (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
With omega-3 and omega-6 to help support skin health (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Nutrition formulated to help avoid adverse food reactions and promote overall skin health in puppies (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Formulated to manage scratching due to environmental sensitivities and promote puppy's overall development (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Supports the skin barrier against environmental irritants year-round (on page)FunctionalManufacturer assertion
Made with 100% cage-free eggs or egg derivatives (on page)ContentManufacturer assertion
contains high levels of linoleic acid (LA) and of a sum of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as well as a selected and limited number of protein and carbohydrate sources (on page)NutrientManufacturer assertion

Limited: at least one claim rests on manufacturer assertion alone.

The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.

Other products from Hill's

Alternatives to Derm Complete Puppy Dry Dog Food

Foods in our database that are similar on ingredients, protein, format or price. Scores and figures are from the same deterministic model used everywhere on the site.

See all alternatives

Community

Owners' verdict
0 votes

Comments (0)

No comments yet. Be the first to share how this went down with your dog.

Comments are reviewed before they appear.