Animal Welfare Policy

Hill’s employees around the world agree to abide by the Hill’s Animal Welfare Policy.

A young boy in a plaid shirt holds his white puppy.

We believe quality care for pets includes optimal nutrition, veterinary healthcare, daily exercise and an enriching environment with lots of love. All pets at Hill's Pet Nutrition live in such an environment. We only use compassionate, non-invasive methods necessary to develop nutritional technology so dogs and cats around the world live long, healthy lives. Our breakthroughs in pet nutrition are unmatched in the pet food industry and we've built our business and reputation on always practicing the highest ethical standards.

Every day we prove that quality scientific technology and compassionate animal care go hand-in-hand for the improvement of pets' healthy lives. This is why Hill's only supports and exercises the responsible, caring and humane treatment of dogs and cats. All studies conducted or supported by Hill's - whether at the Hill's Pet Nutrition Center or externally in consumers' homes, veterinary schools or elsewhere - must comply with the following stringent Hill's policies to ensure exceptional animal care:

Hill's does not participate in studies that jeopardize the health of dogs and cats. All Hill's-supported studies are designed to maintain and improve the animals' health. No study will be performed on dogs or cats that requires euthanasia.
When studying how a nutrient is absorbed, distributed, stored, used and released by a dog's or cat's body, we only use research methods that are the veterinary equivalent of human nutritional or medical studies. Hill's does not support or conduct studies that cause pain or hurt the dogs or cats. This is based on the belief that what is painful to humans is also painful to dogs and cats.
We only conduct studies if we have compelling evidence that we can improve the health and welfare of companion animals. These studies often result in breakthrough nutritional findings, improving the lives of millions of dogs and cats.
We continually strive to find ways to reduce dependence on animal research. A substantial number of dogs and cats participating in our feeding studies are involved in in-home tests. Our veterinarians and nutritionists are skilled at developing methods that simulate animal systems. For example, we have developed and published a mathematical formula, based on the nutrient profile of the food that accurately predicts the pH of feline or canine urine without animal testing.
To assure pet owners that our therapeutic foods are safe and effective, we support studies using pets with naturally occurring diseases or conditions. We do not participate in studies in which surgical or non-surgical methods are used to create or simulate disease conditions.
The Hill's Pet Nutrition Center and any external facility Hill's supports must meet or exceed all industry regulatory standards for animal care. For all studies conducted at external facilities, we appoint and fund pet advocates, responsible for ensuring each pet's compassionate care, which has the key components of providing exercise and a socially-enriched environment.
We publish the results of our studies to advance the knowledge of nutritional health care and to help prevent the unnecessary repetition of studies involving dogs and cats.
Hill's only uses data from animal studies that are in the public domain, either previously published or were conducted under this Global Animal Welfare Policy.

A young girl snuggles with her orange-haired cat.

See our Frequently Asked Questions

Hill’s employees around the world agree to abide by the Hill’s Animal Welfare Policy.

See our
Frequently Asked Questions