Science Diet

Hill's Science Diet
Type	Public
Founded	Raritan, New Jersey (1940s)
Headquarters	Raritan, New Jersey, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Industry	Pet food
Products	Dog food
Owner(s)	Colgate-Palmolive
Website	http://www.hillspet.com

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Science Diet is the brand name of cat and dog foods marketed by Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc.^[1] (a subsidiary of the Colgate-Palmolive Company). In the United Kingdom it is known as the Science Plan rather than Diet.

[edit] History

Science Diet was developed in the 1960s by Mark L. Morris, Jr. PhD DVM (February 3, 1934 - January 14, 2007). Morris Jr. is son of famed veterinarian Mark Morris Sr. DVM who pioneered the field of veterinary clinical nutrition when he was asked to create a specialized diet to assist the first ever seeing-eye dog, Buddy, a female German Shepherd with kidney problems. This led him and his son to create numerous other formulas to meet the particular needs in an animal's nutrition over the course of their lives, and potential varying states of health under the Prescription Diet and Science Diet brands.

Why is Science Diet recommended by veterinarians? The answer is simple and Tara Parker-Pope of the Wall Street Journal probably said it best in her article "Why Vets Recommend 'Designer' Chow" (reprinted here):

[1] [...] Borrowing a page from the pharmaceuticals companies, which routinely woo doctors to prescribe their drugs, Hill's has spent a generation cultivating its professional following. It spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year funding university research and nutrition courses at every one of the 27 U.S. veterinary colleges. Once in practice, vets who sell Science Diet and other premium foods directly from their offices pocket profits of as much as 40%. [...]

This is an example of their product.

[2] Dried Potato Product, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Potato Starch, Soybean Oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Calcium Sulfate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), DL-Methionine, Taurine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract

[3]This is an extremely low nutrient food relying on potato by-products to hold it together and hydrolyzed chicken liver/chicken as the primary source of nutrition. Soybean oil provides a small amount of additional low quality protein. We note however, that soy is one of the most common causes of food allergies in dogs and in this instance is preserved with a chemical (BHA) that is believed to be carcinogenic.

Powdered cellulose is filler - better known as sawdust. The food thankfully removed the carcinogenic ethoxyquin recently in favor of mixed tocopherols as a preservative.

Overall, this is a very low quality product. Sadly, it’s even a prescription food that does not have macronutrient content adequate for adult maintenance. For food allergies and intolerance, there are far superior mainstream products available - without the accompanying chemicals, and sawdust.