Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Food is a veterinarian-recommended formula designed to deliver optimal nutrition. With extra-small kibble that makes picking and chewing easy for small breed pups.
This puppy food also provides a balanced set of minerals, as well as DHA from fish oil for healthy brain and eye development in puppies.
Contents
Chicken Meal
Although not the primary ingredient, chicken meal does make up a substantial part of this pet food’s ingredients list. Chicken meal is an important source of protein for pet foods and can help increase overall protein levels seen on its ingredient list.
Problematically, chicken meal does not consist of clean and whole pieces of meat like what might be found in fresh chicken breast or even parts of roasted bird. Instead, this ingredient consists of various parts not meant for human consumption including feet, heads, livers and lungs – sometimes even parts from animals deemed 4D which may raise concerns over excessive pharmaceutical drug levels in their meat.
Meat meals (such as chicken meal) are a common source of protein for dry dog food and are produced by grinding whole meats into a fine powder to add concentrated proteins and minerals to kibble products. While chicken meal can provide some additional nutrition benefits, fresh, whole meat sources should always be the priority when choosing pet food products with this ingredient.
Chicken Fat
Fat is essential to the health and vitality of both puppies and adult dogs alike, providing energy while also supporting skin and coat health and regulating body temperature. Puppies require an optimal mix of animal-sourced proteins; look for food products with two or more animal sources of protein listed among its top five ingredients.
Fish oil provides essential EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids while also contributing to food consistency in terms of color and flavor. Beet pulp, an inexpensive filler made of high fiber content from sugar beet processing, has become increasingly popular as some pet owners tout its intestinal health and blood sugar regulation properties.
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Small Bites dry dog food has been carefully designed to support your puppy’s developmental needs. Packed with DHA from fish oil for brain and eye development and balanced minerals for strong bones and teeth. Ideal for puppies aged 1 year or under; also suitable for pregnant or nursing dogs.
Corn Gluten Meal
Corn gluten meal is the byproduct of wet milling corn to create starch for feed, offering medium protein and energy levels for ruminants while providing B vitamins, phosphorus and digestible fiber for their diets. Furthermore, this source of protein may be added into foods to boost total protein levels at an affordable cost compared with meat products.
Pork fat, a rendering product used for flavoring dog food while providing essential fatty acids like linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and others, is the fourth ingredient. Additionally, this material provides moisture retention properties and thickens up kibble.
Corn gluten meal is a rubbery residue left after whole grain corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed away, often mixed with wheat gluten that is also often present in pet foods and was recently renamed to avoid using the word “gluten.” Unfortunately, this food may not be suitable for dogs that suffer from allergies or sensitivities to grains.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed meal is a plant-based food derived by grinding whole flax seeds. It’s packed full of omega-3 fatty acid precursor alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which when consumed is converted to non-inflammatory omega-3s when digested. Plus it provides fiber for good gastrointestinal health that may reduce constipation and cholesterol levels – however be wary because linseed is known to contain antinutrients known as cyanogenic glycosides that can be broken down by intestinal b-glycosidase into hydrogen cyanide that acts as respiratory inhibitory substance.
Hill’s Science Diet Small Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food has been specially formulated to meet the developmental needs of small breed puppies, including DHA from fish oil for brain and eye development, high quality protein for lean muscle growth, and its small kibble size that fits easily in small puppy mouths. In addition, its vitamin E and omega-6 content promote healthy skin and coat. Plus, this food’s nutrient profile has been approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials as All Life Stage food!
