Hill's Prescription Diet

Hill's Prescription Diet is a line of pet food products manufactured by Hills Pet Nutrition Inc. The company also produces pet foods marketed as Science Diet, which is available in higher-end pet supply stores. Hill's Prescription Diet, however, is only available from a veterinarian. The diet consists of various formulations of pet food for cats and dogs at different stages of life. The products are also engineered to address different conditions in pets, such as obesity and kidney stones.

Background

The company's website says veterinarian Mark L. Morris Sr. founded Hill's Diet in 1939. Morris believed disease in pets could be prevented and managed through targeted nutrition, a view somewhat unconventional in veterinary practice at the time. The first formulation in the line of Hill's prescription pet foods was created in response to a request from a blind man named Morris Frank, whose guide dog was suffering from kidney disease. This formula, known as Hill's Prescription Diet k/d, is still produced today.

Feline Prescription Formulas

The line of Hill's Prescription Diet food for cats includes several canned varieties of wet food, such as a/d Canine/Feline Critical Care to provide support for cats recovering from a serious illness, surgery or other trauma. The canned d/d Feline Skin Support Duck Formula and c/d Multicare Feline Bladder Health with Seafood are intended to improve skin and bladder conditions, respectively.

Canine Prescription Formulas

The Prescription Diet foods for dogs includes z/d Canine Ultra Allergen-Free, which is formulated to address food allergies and sensitivities to protein and other agents and is available canned or as dry kibble. Other canine products are formulated to nutritionally target mobility issues, obesity and heart conditions.

Quality

Colgate-Palmolive acquired the parent company, Science Diet, in 1976. Although the Hill's Prescription Diet remained under the direction of Mark Morris Associates, the group was reorganized into an independent entity in the mid-1980s and Colgate-Palmolive began implementing changes in the company's marketing strategy, according to veterinarian Shawn Messonnier, author of "The Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats." At this time, Messonnier said, "meal" and meat byproducts began to appear among the ingredients in the Prescription Diet formulas, allegedly due to allergy issues in some animals. However, Messonnier believes the quality of the Prescription Diet has been compromised as a result.

The company maintains that more than 150 veterinarians and food scientists develop the Prescription Diet formulas and that each ingredient is subjected to stringent quality control measures to ensure safety and adherence with current Good Manufacturing Practices. The company also offers a 100 percent guarantee on its products.

Recalls

In March 2007, the largest pet food recall in U.S. history forced Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. to voluntarily recall Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food from the market because Menu Foods, the company that packaged the food, was using wheat gluten contaminated with melamine, a chemical used in the plastics industry, according to the company website.