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Why do vets recommend Science Diet and are grains bad for dogs?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 5 years and 4 months old | 17 lbs

Is science diet a high quality brand? Why do so many vets reccomend this food? Is wheat corn and soy bad for dogs? Why or why not?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 3rd, 2017

Science Diet is an excellent brand of food! It's recommended by so many vets because they have veterinary nutritionists on staff who help formulate the food to make the dog's nutritional needs are met. A veterinary nutritionist is the person with the most in-depth knowledge about a dog's needs nutritionally, and many other brands of food do not have veterinary nutritionists on staff. In addition, Science Diet owns their own factories, so there is strict quality control as to what goes into their food. This is in sharp contrast to other brands, such as Blue Buffalo, who do not own their own factories and simply hand a recipe over to make their food. That's why Blue Buffalo has gotten into trouble a number of times for their lack of quality control. Finally, wheat corn and soy isn't bad for dogs. They provide a source of energy for dogs, and should be part of their diet unless there is a proven grain allergy. Grain allergies in dogs are actually extremely rare. Only 10% of all dog allergies are food related, and the majority of those food allergies are due to protein not grains. Grain free food is a current fad that has no scientific basis as to its efficacy. I hope this helps!
Vote Icon10Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 10th, 2018

    Those brands (and I'd throw Hills in to round out my personal list) are recommended by vets because they do good quality control and have veterinary nutritionists on staff to make sure they are producing a nutritionally complete diet. Generally, foods are the grocery store are lower quality than pet stores, although many pet stores are now pushing fad diets (ie grain free, raw, etc) and tiny producers that veterinarians don't support (in regards to the fads) or can't comment on their quality (in regards to tiny producers - doesn't mean they aren't good, we just don't know yet). I will comment that Blue Buffalo is a diet I see many issues with in pets, mostly with skin issues and diarrhea. I hope that helps answer you question!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 13th, 2018

    We recommend Hill's because it's an excellent food. There are veterinary nutritionists on staff at Hill's to ensure that each kind of food is specifically formulated to meet a dog or cat's nutritional needs, or to meet the medical needs in terms to medical problems such as kidney disease. They have excellent quality control over their food because they own their own factories, unlike companies such as Blue Buffalo who do not own their own factories, give their recipes to someone else to make, and have publicly admitted to having poor quality control over their food being made. In addition, their recipes are based on scientific evidence, unlike companies who make grain free foods where there is no scientific evidence it's beneficial, and in fact studies are now coming out showing that grain free diets with lentils are actually detrimental to a dog's health long term (leading to taurine deficiency and subsequent heart disease from the taurine deficiency). It's a common misconception that vet's have no training in nutrition, which is often stated by people who have never attended veterinary school. We do have lots of veterinary nutritional training throughout our schooling, and take continuing education classes on nutrition when practicing vets to keep up to date with current research and recommendations. I hope this answers your question.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Food & Nutrition
Why do vets recommend Royal Canin despite corn and byproduct claims?
This is a great question! Dog food advisor is written by a human dentist who has absolutely no training in veterinary medicine or animal nutrition at all. In fact, you will see a disclaimer on the page that this person is not a veterinarian. I would never listen to the food recommendations of a person who has absolutely no training in animal nutrition or veterinary medicine. What you are seeing on that page is that person's opinion, with no science or fact to back it up. Vets recommend Royal Canin so highly because there is a veterinary nutritionist on staff who makes sure that the ingredients in the food are of high quality and the diet is nutritionally balanced to get the needs of the dog. Vets would much rather [recommend a food](https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food) that has a veterinary nutritionist on staff who has extensive training in animal nutrition than listen to a human dentist who has no idea what they are talking about because they have no training at all in the subject. It's also important to remember that byproducts aren't necessarily bad. They primarily include organ meat (e.g, liver, spleen, kidneys), bone meal, and other tissues, all of which are packed with nutrients. Corn also gets a bad rap and is filled with fiber and other nutrients, also important in a balanced diet. If you have further questions about your pup's diet, you can always consult with a [board certified veterinary nutritionist](https://acvn.org), who has gone through extensive residency training specifically in nutrition. I hope this helps :-)
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
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Are grains and byproducts in dog food just fillers? Is Hill's premium?
Basically, there is proponent of people in the media and in the "natural" food sector that would like to make everyone believe that grains are the devil and that dogs are wolves. This is, in fact, incorrect. Wheat and soy, grains, contain valuable nutrients including proteins that dogs can readily digest and utilize appropriately. While it is true that there are dogs that get GI upset from consumption of these, the same can be said about beef, chicken, and any other meat protein. Rice, oats, and potatoes are acceptable in small quantities, but do contain starches which are complex sugars, and are a little more difficult to digest. In terms of by-products, this is usually referring to any part of the animal that is not the flesh of the beast. Usually this includes certain organs, bones, blood, etc. These products can be ground up and made into a byproduct - meal of sorts. Obviously, the actual meat is going to contain more appropriate nutrients but if a dog were left to it, they would be happy to eat any and all pieces of an animal. As for specific brands of food, Hill's is the brand that I typically recommend to all my clients and which I feed to my own dogs and cats. I consider it to be very high quality. I can't speak much about the other brand you've named unfortunately as I have little knowledge about it. Hope this helped though!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
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Why is Science Diet low in meat? Is it a healthy dog food choice?
Dogs have evolved to eat a very mixed diet similar to ourselves as they have become domesticated, indeed wolves and wild dogs do not eat an entirely meat diet either. Many dogs do very well on a diet with a mixture of meat, cereals and vegetables - the true value is in the correct balance of digestible nutrients - protein/carbs/fibre as well as vitamins, minerals and supplements and not in the actual source they came from as long as they are prepared correctly. Bear in mind however some dogs have particular sensitivities or dietary conditions which require specialist or prescription diets
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Can I mix Wholehearted grain-free with Science Diet dog food safely?
I don't know what Science Diet formulation you are using but I would stick with that. Science Diet is an excellent company with a great reputation. All their diets are thoroughly balanced and tested. Wholehearted is grain-free and there is new evidence (scientific studies) that are showing a link between grain-free diets and heart disease in dogs. I would stay away from grain-free diets. Just my personal opinion. Best wishes.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My picky chihuahua prefers Royal Canin. Is grain-free food bad?
Great question! In my opinion, grain free diets are a current fad. There is actually no scientific evidence that grain free diets are beneficial to dogs at all. Grains are fine for dogs, they provide a source of fiber which helps fill them up and keeps them satisfied. It sounds like Koda is letting you know he likes grains if he's picking the Royal Canin over Blue. Also in my opinion, Blue is a terrible food and you will find many, many veterinarians agree with that opinion. It is not a well regarded food in the veterinary community. Many vets have seen terrible cases of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in dogs in Blue, as well as a lot of gas. In addition, they have been caught a number of times lying about what goes into their product, false advertising, and no quality control over how their food is made (they don't own their own factories, they send the recipe out to be made). Royal Canin is an excellent brand of food, and the best part of it is that they have veterinary nutritionists on staff. Blue, as far as I'm aware, does not. I would think a veterinary nutritionist would be best to know what a dog does and doesn't need in a diet. If Koda likes the Royal Canin, I recommend feeding that to him. Just be sure to switch his food over slowly so that he doesn't get GI upset from a quick change. I hope this helps!
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Food & Nutrition
Should I switch my dog and cat from Hill's Science Diet to Wellness?
In my opinion, Wellness is not as good a food as Hill's Science Diet and I agree with the recommendation of your vet's office to keep your dog and cat on Hill's. Hill's has better ingredients and is overall a better quality food. In addition, the truth is that grain free food is really a fad. Only about 5% of dogs have food allergies, and of these dogs, the major of the food allergies are protein. Grain allergies are actually extremely rare, and I only recommend feeding a pet a grain free food if they have a diagnosed grain allergy. I personally recommend keeping your pets on Hill's. I hope this helps!
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Best dog food for my overweight Pomsky? Why avoid grain-free diets?
Grain allergies are very rare in dogs. It's a myth that grains are bad for dogs. Vets are seeing an increase in dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy who are on grain free diets. The FDA is now investigating that link. I never recommend grain free diets. Brands of dog food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I would feed Willow one of those brands.
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