Hill's Science Plan Small & Mini Senior Dog Food with Chicken
Dry Extruded complete Clear label
Is Hill's Science Plan Small & Mini Senior Dog Food with Chicken a good dog food?
We score it 50/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
This recipe achieves an overall score of 50 out of 100 based on several key factors. The overall quality of the ingredient list adds +3.5 points, while printing percentages on the label contributes +3.2 points. Conversely, the processing format takes away -7 points, and ingredients without printed percentages deduct -9.2 points from the total.
70% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.
- Recipe50
- Nutritionalhigh90
- Transparency60
- Safety100
- Evidencelimited33
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 senior dogs, with dehydrated chicken and turkey, poultry and chicken as the main ingredients.
Why you might choose it
- Prints ingredient percentages on the label.
- Declares energy content, which most labels omit.
- Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.
Why you might not
We found no significant drawbacks in the data we hold for this product.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
- Protein
- 20.60%
- Fat
- 16.20%
- Fibre
- 1.80%
- Ash
- 5.10%
- Moisture
- 8%
- Carbohydrates
- 48.30%
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- 1.10%
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- 3.19%
- Calcium
- 0.85%
- Phosphorus
- 0.61%
- Sodium
- 0.23%
Energy: 379 kcal/100g
Additives & feeding info
Nutritional additives
3b103 (Iron) 75.7mg/kg; 3b202 (Iodine) 1.9mg/kg; 3b405 (Copper) 7.5mg/kg; 3b502 (Manganese) 7.8mg/kg; 3b603 (Zinc) 133mg/kg; 3b801 (Selenium) 0.2mg/kg; Vitamin A 8,910 IU/kg; Vitamin D3 612 IU/kg; Vitamin E 970mg/kg; Vitamin C 107mg/kg; Beta-carotene 1.5mg/kg
Technological additives
Natural antioxidant
Storage
To prevent suffocation, keep the packaging out of the reach of pets and children.
Feeding guide
Feed the daily amount shown; adjust amount to maintain optimum weight. New to this food? Mix increasing amounts of the new food with decreasing amounts of the previous food over a 7 day period. Keep fresh water available at all times! Senior 11+ feeding table provided in grams (dry) and combinations with 200g cans and 370g cans by body weight.
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for senior dogs
- Labelling or feeding guide is aimed at small dogs
- Doesn't list beef, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists dehydrated chicken and turkey
- Your dog avoids turkey: the label lists dehydrated chicken and turkey
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists fish oil
- Your dog avoids grain: the label lists rice - white
- You want a single-protein recipe: this one lists more than one animal protein
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 (22)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicken and turkey meal | Dehydrated Chicken and Turkey | meat | good | - | 5.3 |
| 2 | total poultry 17% | Poultry | meat | medium | 17 | 17.0 |
| 3 | 11% chicken | Chicken | meat | medium | 11 | 11.0 |
| 4 | broken rice | Rice - white | carb | medium | - | 5.2 |
| 5 | wheat | Wheat | carb | poor | - | 5.0 |
| 6 | maize | Maize / Corn | carb | poor | - | 4.8 |
| 7 | animal fat | Unspecified Animal Fats and Oils | oil | poor | - | 4.7 |
| 8 | digest | Digest | meat | poor | - | 4.5 |
| 9 | barley | Barley | carb | medium | - | 4.4 |
| 10 | oats | Oats | carb | medium | - | 4.2 |
| 11 | dried beet pulp | Beet Pulp | fibre | medium | - | 4.1 |
| 12 | vegetable oil | Vegetable oil | oil | medium | - | 3.9 |
| 13 | fish oil (1.8%) | Fish Oil | oil | good | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| 14 | minerals | Vitamins and minerals | supplement | medium | - | 3.7 |
| 15 | flaxseed | Linseed | veg | good | - | 3.6 |
| 16 | oat bran | Oat bran | fibre | good | - | 3.4 |
| 17 | fructo-oligosaccharides | Fructo-oligosaccharides | supplement | good | - | 3.3 |
| 18 | dried tomato pomace | Tomato Pomace | fibre | medium | - | 3.1 |
| 19 | dried citrus pulp | Citrus Pulp | fibre | medium | - | 3.0 |
| 20 | spinach powder | Spinach | veg | good | - | 2.8 |
| 21 | Oat bran (0.6%) | Oat bran | fibre | good | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| 22 | fructo-oligosaccharides (0.6%) | Fructo-oligosaccharides | supplement | good | 0.6 | 0.6 |
Brand
- Website
- https://www.hillspet.co.uk/
- 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.
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.4 | 9.915 | +3.49 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 19.0% | 0.116 | +2.21 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 27.1% | -0.113 | -3.05 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 13.7% | -0.088 | -1.21 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 7.9% | -0.002 | -0.01 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 12.1% | -0.009 | -0.11 |
| Recipe graded poor | 17.6% | -0.045 | -0.79 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 4.2% | -0.182 | -0.76 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 4 | -0.868 | -3.47 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 4.6% | 0.056 | +0.26 |
| Undeclared quantities | 70.2% | -0.131 | -9.19 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | yes | 3.194 | +3.19 |
| Complete diet | yes | 1.703 | +1.70 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 19.0 | -0.073 | -1.40 |
| Additive penalty | -0.20 | 0.236 | -0.05 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.996 | -7.00 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.4 | 9.915 | +3.49 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 19.0% | 0.116 | +2.21 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 27.1% | -0.113 | -3.05 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 13.7% | -0.088 | -1.21 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 7.9% | -0.002 | -0.01 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.177 | +0.00 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 12.1% | -0.009 | -0.11 |
| Other share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.371 | +0.00 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.022 | +0.00 |
| Recipe graded poor | 17.6% | -0.045 | -0.79 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 4.2% | -0.182 | -0.76 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 4 | -0.868 | -3.47 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 4.6% | 0.056 | +0.26 |
| Undeclared quantities | 70.2% | -0.131 | -9.19 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | yes | 3.194 | +3.19 |
| Complete diet | yes | 1.703 | +1.70 |
| Frozen or chilled fresh | no | 11.440 | +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 meat | no | -1.250 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 19.0 | -0.073 | -1.40 |
| Meat share × fresh | 0.0 | -0.339 | +0.00 |
| Fresh × high meat | 0.0 | 16.475 | +0.00 |
| Additive penalty | -0.20 | 0.236 | -0.05 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Processing: Raw | no | 13.322 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Chilled | no | 7.712 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Frozen | no | 6.583 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Refrigerated | no | 4.857 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Shelf | no | 0.072 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Freeze Dried | no | 11.127 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Air Dried | no | 9.320 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Cold Pressed | no | 4.569 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Baked | no | -2.321 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.996 | -7.00 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.833 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.711 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | no | 2.935 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | 2.292 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- -0.01
- Additives declared on label
- +2 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 50.5
- Final score
- 50/100
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.
| Model | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| v2 | 50/100 | current |
| v1 | 28/100 | |
| v1.9 | 29/100 |
Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges
How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for adult dogs. 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.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 20.6 | 22.4 (band 18 to 40%) | 82 |
| Fat | 16.2 | 17.6 (band 5.5 to 20%) | 100 |
| Fibre | 1.8 | 2 (band 0.5 to 5%) | 89.4 |
| Calcium | 0.85 | 0.9 (band 0.5 to 2.5%) | 82.7 |
| Phosphorus | 0.61 | 0.7 (band 0.4 to 1.6%) | 83.2 |
| Calcium:phosphorus ratio | 1.4 | 1.4 (band 1 to 2%) | 93.6 |
| Omega fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3) | - | - | 100 |
| Energy (kcal/100g) | 379 | 412 | 100 |
Omega fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3): scored as the mean of its declared components (omega-6 100). The FEDIAF minimum for omega-6 is linoleic acid specifically.
Scored over 8 declared nutrients (combined weight 100); 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.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Ingredient list on the label (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Printed percentages on the label (29.8% of the recipe mass) (voluntary) | 6/20 |
| 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 file | 0/5 |
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.
| Claim | Type | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|
| ActivBiome + Multibenefit Technology, a blend of prebiotic fibers and antioxidants (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Supports heart, kidney & bladder health with balanced minerals (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| 100% healthy and balance nutrition (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
| Supports healthy joints and mobility with omega-3s from fish oil (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Supports healthy skin & a luxurious coat with nourishing omega-6s & Vitamin E blend (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE for quality, consistency & taste, or your money back (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
| VETERINARIAN RECOMMENDED (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
| Specially made with our smallest kibbles (on page) | Content | Manufacturer assertion |
| Hill's Science Plan SMALL & MINI SENIOR DOG FOOD with CHICKEN is a complete pet food for small breed dogs 11+ years old (on page) | Content | Manufacturer 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.
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