Hills has a shelter partner program where they offer free food to feed sheltered animals. The shelter benefits as the animals in their care get a steady supply of the same food rather than the hit-and-miss mix of donated food that so many shelters must rely on.
http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/portal/shelterProPortal.hjsp
However, they must enter a contract to:
- exclusively feed and endorse Science Diet® pet foods
- give away a free 4 or 5 lb bag of Science Diet® and education materials to each adopter
- enter into a 2-year contractual agreement
- provide Hill’s with names and addresses of adopters within 1 month of adoption
The shelters understood that they would be getting the decent mid-range level of food that Hills sells: there are better foods (premium) and are lots of much worse foods out there.
Turns out that they are not getting what they thought they were getting and some shelters are reporting an up-swing in food allergy related issues with their pets.
Hmmmm – could be from all that corn?
It has now been made clear that the food that is donated as Hills food is not the same quality as the food that is sold to the public. It is much higher in corn (which is the grain most likely to cause allergic reactions in dogs and cats). In fact, corn is the first ingredient!
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/70400.htm
One the other end of the spectrum is a smallish locally owned pet food company supporting an open admission (or nearly so, well talk about that another day in another post) by donating their high grade dry product to fee all the shelter’s pets.
A round of applauses (and thank you notes, I’ve sent one myself) should go out to Castor and Pollux (http://www.castorpolluxpet.com) for their generosity to the Humane Society for
For Hills reply to questions about their corny donations, read their letter below:
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc.
Phone: 866-283-1217
E-mail: shelters@hillspet.com
Dear Shelter Partner,
Recently we have received several inquiries regarding the Hill’s® Science Diet® canine pet food (SKU 6960, 50-lb bag) that is provided through the feeding program partnership. This formula uses corn as the first ingredient instead of meat, which is different than Science Diet® products sold at retail.
Please be assured, the “corn first” formula adheres to the high standards of all Science Diet® pet foods and is made with the high-quality ingredients Hill’s Pet Nutrition is known for. In fact, there are only insignificant nutritional differences between the “corn first” and “meat first” products (see attached table for nutritional content). Both products are precisely balanced for the adult lifestage and have a clinically proven antioxidant blend to strengthen the immune system. The different foods simply deliver the nutritional content of protein and other essential nutrients through different ingredients.
Did You Know?
Corn contains:
Quality proteins for muscle and tissue growth
The highest digestibility of carbohydrates for energy compared to any other grain
Essential fatty acids for healthy skin and coat
Beta-carotene, Vitamin E and lutein–nature’s antioxidants
The “meat first” food was created in response to the consumer perception that a “meat first” product is superior, which is not the case. In addition, the “corn first” product can be produced more cost efficiently, which allows us to support a significantly higher number of shelters and has helped us to save nearly 1 million dogs and cats each year. We thank you for your continued partnership and for all you do to improve the lives of pets in your care. If you have any other questions regarding this pet food, please contact a team member at 1-866-283-1217.
Sincerely,
Your Hill’s Science Diet Shelter Nutrition Partnership Team
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