Hill's Science Plan Perfect Digestion Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food with Chicken & Brown Rice - 14kg

Perfect Digestion Large Breed Adult Dry Dog Food with Chicken & Brown Rice is a complete dry food for adult dogs of large breeds, over about 25kg when grown, made with chicken. The prebiotic blend is the point of this recipe, and Hill's have trial data behind the claim.

Key Features

• ActivBiome+: Hill's prebiotic fibre blend, which they say gives firmer, more regular stools in about a week.
• Gentle Carbohydrate: Brown rice rather than a heavier grain.
• Lean Muscle: High-quality protein.
• Skin And Coat: Omega-6 with vitamin E.
• Pack Size: A single 14kg bag.

About ActivBiome+

• ActivBiome+ is Hill's name for a blend of prebiotic fibres chosen to feed the useful bacteria a pet already has, rather than adding live bacteria. Hill's say it produces firmer, more regular stools within about a week, and that claim comes from their own trials.
• The gut microbiome is a genuinely active area of research rather than pure marketing, and prebiotic fibre is one of the better-supported dietary levers. Expect a difference in stool quality rather than a transformation in your pet.
• Where it earns its place is a pet whose stools are soft or inconsistent on an otherwise fine diet. It is not a treatment for diarrhoea.
• Persistent diarrhoea, blood or mucus in the stool, vomiting or a pet that is flat needs a vet, not a food change. In a puppy or kitten treat gut upset as urgent, because they dehydrate fast.

Why Breed Size Changes The Recipe

• A small dog has a far higher metabolic rate per kilo than a large one, so small-breed foods are more energy-dense and the kibble is made small enough to chew comfortably. Large-breed foods go the other way, with controlled energy and added joint support.
• Kibble size is not a detail. A dog that cannot comfortably pick up and chew its food either bolts it whole or eats less than it needs, and both cause problems.
• If your dog sits on a boundary between sizes, go by adult bodyweight rather than by how it looks: small and mini is up to about 10kg, medium about 11 to 25kg, and large breed 25kg and up.

Feeding, Storage And The Range

• How much: start from the chart on the pack by weight, then adjust to what you can feel. You should find the ribs easily under a thin layer of cover. Weigh the food rather than using a cup, and count treats towards the day's total.
• Changing over: move across gradually over about seven days. A sudden switch is the usual cause of a loose stool that then gets blamed on the food.
• Storage here: keep the bag sealed, cool and out of sunlight and use it within about six weeks of opening. UAE heat turns the fats in kibble stale faster than the packaging assumes, and that is the usual reason a pet goes off a food it used to like. Keep it in its own bag rather than tipping it into a bin.
• Who makes it: Hill's was founded by an American vet, Mark Morris Senior, who formulated a kidney diet for a guide dog in the 1940s. They run feeding trials on their recipes, which is why they can say clinically proven where most brands cannot, and the main reason the range costs what it does.
• Science Plan is not Prescription Diet: this is the everyday range for healthy pets. Prescription Diet is the separate therapeutic range for diagnosed conditions, sold on a vet's recommendation. The names overlap confusingly and they are not interchangeable, so if your vet has set a diet, ask them before changing it.

Good To Know

• This listing is the 14kg pack.
• Complete dry food. Nothing needs adding to a complete diet.
• Keep fresh water available at all times.
• Store sealed, cool and out of sunlight. Use an opened bag within about six weeks.
• Science Plan is a non-prescription everyday food, not a veterinary therapeutic diet.
• Made by Hill's Pet Nutrition, part of Colgate-Palmolive.