Hill's Small & Mini Puppy Food
Dry Extruded · completeHigh meatClear label
Our verdict
Is Hill's Small & Mini Puppy Food a good dog food?
We score it 52/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Complete extruded dry food for puppies, with dehydrated chicken and turkey, poultry and chicken as the main ingredients.
51% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
- 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. Find foods that fit your dog.
Nutrition and feedingProtein 27.70% · Fat 18.10%
Typical analysis (as fed)
| Nutrient | As fed |
|---|---|
| Protein | 27.70% |
| Fat | 18.10% |
| Fibre | 1.30% |
| Ash | 7% |
| Moisture | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 37.90% |
| Omega-3 fatty acids | 0.98% |
| Omega-6 fatty acids | 2.64% |
| Calcium | 1.34% |
| Phosphorus | 1.03% |
| Sodium | 0.48% |
Energy: 383 kcal/100g
Additives & feeding info
Feeding and storage
Storage
To prevent suffocation, keep the packaging out of the reach of pets and children.
Feeding guide
Feed the daily amount shown; adjust to maintain optimum weight. 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.
Additives declared on the label
Nutritional additives
3b103 (Iron) 86.7 mg/kg; 3b202 (Iodine) 3.1 mg/kg; 3b405 (Copper) 9.4 mg/kg; 3b502 (Manganese) 9.0 mg/kg; 3b603 (Zinc) 142 mg/kg; 3b801 (Selenium) 0.1 mg/kg; with natural antioxidant
Technological additives
natural antioxidant
Ingredients (19)51% of the recipe is estimated
Estimated composition
- meat 55.6%
- carb 14.7%
- fibre 10.8%
- oil 8.1%
- supplement 5.7%
- veg 5.2%
| # | As declared | Matched | Label reading | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicken and turkey meal | Dehydrated Chicken and Turkey | meat · medium | - | 4.1 |
| 2 | total poultry 29% | Poultry | meat · medium | 29 | 29.0 |
| 3 | chicken 19% | Chicken | meat · medium | 19 | 19.0 |
| 4 | broken rice | Rice - white | carb · medium | - | 4.0 |
| 5 | wheat | Wheat | carb · poor | - | 3.9 |
| 6 | animal fat | Unspecified Animal Fats and Oils | oil · poor | - | 3.7 |
| 7 | maize | Maize / Corn | carb · medium | - | 3.6 |
| 8 | digest | Digest | meat · poor | - | 3.5 |
| 9 | dried beet pulp | Beet Pulp | fibre · medium | - | 3.3 |
| 10 | maize protein meal | Maize gluten | carb · poor | - | 3.2 |
| 11 | minerals | Vitamins and minerals | supplement · medium | - | 3.1 |
| 12 | flaxseed | Linseed | veg · good | - | 3.0 |
| 13 | fish oil (1.5%) | Fish Oil | oil · good | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 14 | vegetable oil | Vegetable oil | oil · medium | - | 2.8 |
| 15 | oat bran | Oat bran | fibre · good | - | 2.7 |
| 16 | fructo-oligosaccharides | Fructo-oligosaccharides | supplement · good | - | 2.6 |
| 17 | dried tomato pomace | Tomato Pomace | fibre · medium | - | 2.4 |
| 18 | dried citrus pulp | Citrus Pulp | fibre · medium | - | 2.3 |
| 19 | spinach powder. | Spinach | veg · good | - | 2.2 |
- 1. Chicken and turkey meal4.1% estimated
- 2. total poultry 29%29% declared29.0% estimated
- 3. chicken 19%19% declared19.0% estimated
- 4. broken rice4.0% estimated
- 5. wheat3.9% estimated
- 6. animal fat3.7% estimated
- 7. maize3.6% estimated
- 8. digest3.5% estimated
- 9. dried beet pulp3.3% estimated
- 10. maize protein meal3.2% estimated
- 11. minerals3.1% estimated
- 12. flaxseed3.0% estimated
- 13. fish oil (1.5%)1.5% declared1.5% estimated
- 14. vegetable oil2.8% estimated
- 15. oat bran2.7% estimated
- 16. fructo-oligosaccharides2.6% estimated
- 17. dried tomato pomace2.4% estimated
- 18. dried citrus pulp2.3% estimated
- 19. spinach powder.2.2% estimated
Trust and sourceNo recalls recorded in our database · checked 2026-09-15
Brand and contact: Hill's
- 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 v3 (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.
Score details and methodologyCalculations, history and evidence
Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated
Why this score?
This recipe achieves an overall rating of 52 out of 100 based on several key factors. The overall quality of the ingredient list adds +2.8 points to the total. However, the processing format subtracts -6.7 points, and ingredients without printed percentages deduct -5.3 points. Additionally, the carbohydrate content contributes -2.5 points to the final assessment.
Scored with model v3 on 2026-10-25. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.3 | 9.191 | +2.76 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 22.9% | 0.096 | +2.20 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 22.1% | -0.115 | -2.54 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 13.6% | -0.092 | -1.25 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 7.9% | -0.005 | -0.04 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 8.9% | -0.012 | -0.11 |
| Recipe graded poor | 14.3% | -0.065 | -0.93 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 3.5% | -0.179 | -0.62 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 4 | -0.876 | -3.50 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 3.9% | 0.060 | +0.23 |
| Undeclared quantities | 50.5% | -0.106 | -5.33 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| Additive penalty | -0.17 | 0.222 | -0.04 |
| Processing multiplier | 0.98 | 33.786 | +33.11 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.713 | -6.71 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.3 | 9.191 | +2.76 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 22.9% | 0.096 | +2.20 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 22.1% | -0.115 | -2.54 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 13.6% | -0.092 | -1.25 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 7.9% | -0.005 | -0.04 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.163 | +0.00 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 8.9% | -0.012 | -0.11 |
| Other share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.375 | +0.00 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.027 | +0.00 |
| Recipe graded poor | 14.3% | -0.065 | -0.93 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 3.5% | -0.179 | -0.62 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 4 | -0.876 | -3.50 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 3.9% | 0.060 | +0.23 |
| Undeclared quantities | 50.5% | -0.106 | -5.33 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| Frozen or chilled fresh | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| High meat (30%+ of dry matter) | no | 0.707 | +0.00 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | no | -3.158 | +0.00 |
| High carb and low meat | no | -1.180 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × fresh | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Fresh × high meat | 0.0 | 11.084 | +0.00 |
| Additive penalty | -0.17 | 0.222 | -0.04 |
| Processing multiplier | 0.98 | 33.786 | +33.11 |
| Processing: Raw | no | -0.054 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Chilled | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Frozen | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Refrigerated | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Shelf | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Freeze Dried | no | 6.629 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Air Dried | no | 6.331 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Cold Pressed | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Baked | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.713 | -6.71 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.174 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.146 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- +0.02
- Additives declared on label
- +2 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 52.4
- Final score
- 52/100
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.
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.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 27.7 | 30.1 | 100 |
| Fat | 18.1 | 19.7 | 100 |
| Calcium | 1.34 | 1.5 | 100 |
| Phosphorus | 1.03 | 1.1 | 100 |
| Sodium | 0.48 | 0.5 (band 0.22896739130434782+%) | 100 |
| Calcium:phosphorus ratio | 1.3 | 1.3 | 100 |
| Omega fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3) | - | - | 100 |
| Energy (kcal/100g) | 383 | 416.3 | 100 |
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 8 declared nutrients (combined weight 95); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score.
Declared fortification: 7 nutritional additives on the label
- 3b103 (Iron) 86.7 mg/kg
- 3b202 (Iodine) 3.1 mg/kg
- 3b405 (Copper) 9.4 mg/kg
- 3b502 (Manganese) 9.0 mg/kg
- 3b603 (Zinc) 142 mg/kg
- 3b801 (Selenium) 0.1 mg/kg
- with natural antioxidant
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 (49.5% of the recipe mass) (voluntary) | 9.9/20 |
| 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 claims made on the pack and product page, checked against the declared label. We record claims as stated; "consistent" means our stored label data supports the claim, "contradicted" means it conflicts with it. Functional claims are recorded but never scored.
Claims on file; none we can check against the label
| Claim | Type | Check | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|---|
| VETERINARIAN RECOMMENDED (on pack) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| complete pet food (on pack) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| with Chicken (on pack) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Supports healthy brain & eye development with DHA from fish oil (on pack) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Supports strong bones & teeth with balanced minerals (on pack) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Science-based nutrition to support long, healthy lives (on pack) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| High-quality protein for building lean muscles (on pack) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| specially made with our smallest kibble (on pack) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| specially formulated with ActivBiome+ Multi-Benefit Technology (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| 100% balanced nutrition to support optimal growth & the immune system (on pack) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.
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