Your dog cannot tell you his stomach hurts. Your cat will not mention that her joints ache when she jumps onto the counter. So they tell you the only way they can: a soft stool on the lawn three mornings running, a coat that has lost its shine, a Labrador who has quietly become a coffee table, a Staffie who takes a beat longer to get up from the mat.
That is what "special care" nutrition is for. Not for sick pets, that is vet territory, but for the ones with a niggle: a sensitive gut, a slow metabolism, stiff hips, a food that does not agree with them. Hill's Science Plan Special Care is the range built for exactly those pets, and we sell more of it every year, mostly on the recommendation of vets.
This is a guide to which one solves which problem, what is actually inside the bag, and what it costs, written from the shop floor rather than the packaging.
What "Special Care" Actually Means
Hill's makes two families of food. Prescription Diet is the clinical range your vet dispenses for diagnosed conditions like kidney disease or urinary crystals. Science Plan is the everyday range you can buy off the shelf, and within it, Special Care is the group of recipes aimed at a specific need rather than a life stage.
The reason vets keep recommending it comes down to one thing Hill's does: they run feeding trials and publish the numbers. The weight-loss food has a study behind it. The digestion food has a stool-quality trial behind it.
Pick Your Problem
The range runs to nearly forty products across dogs and cats, which is a lot to scroll. Start with the symptom instead.
The dog with the unreliable stomach
This is the one built on Hill's ActivBiome+ technology, a blend of prebiotic fibres, whole oats and pumpkin that feeds the good bacteria already living in your dog's gut instead of trying to add new ones. The claim on the bag is healthy, consistent stools within seven days, and in our experience that is roughly what customers report back. It is the food we suggest first for the dog whose poo changes with the weather. Available for Small & Mini, Medium and Large Breed dogs, plus a wet can for mixing in. Cats get their own Perfect Digestion dry food and pouches.
The dog who scratches and the cat who vomits after breakfast
Where Perfect Digestion works on the lower gut, Sensitive Stomach & Skin is aimed at the upper gut and the skin at the same time, because in a lot of pets those two problems travel together. It is easy to digest, with omega-6 and vitamin E for the coat, and it is the best-selling recipe in the whole range. Small dogs get a Small & Mini bag, everyone else the standard Adult bag, and the feline version is the one we hand to people whose cat brings breakfast back up.
The dog whose itch is the food itself
Some dogs are not just sensitive, they react. For those, the Hypoallergenic recipe uses a single animal protein, salmon, with no chicken at all, so there is one fewer common trigger in the bowl. It is the most expensive bag in the range, so it is worth trying a small bag first before committing to the Large Breed bag. Also in Small & Mini, Medium and a wet can. If you want the full picture on food allergies, we wrote a separate guide on hypoallergenic dog food.
The dog who has quietly become round
This is the recipe with the study behind it: in Hill's own trial, over 70% of dogs lost weight within ten weeks on Perfect Weight, without the constant hunger that comes from just feeding less. The trick is high protein to hold lean muscle while calories come down. Comes in Small & Mini, Medium and Large Breed, plus a vegetable and chicken stew that makes a diet feel less like one. For cats, Feline Perfect Weight is the answer to the indoor cat who has discovered that the sofa is very comfortable.
The dog who is both round and stiff
Extra weight and sore joints feed each other: the heavier the dog, the more the joints hurt, the less he moves, the heavier he gets. This recipe tackles both in one bag, with the Perfect Weight formula plus EPA from fish oil for the joints. It is the one we recommend for the middle-aged Labrador or Golden who has slowed down. Available in Small & Mini, Medium and Large Breed.
The dog who is the right weight but creaks
For the dog whose waist is fine but whose hips are not, Healthy Mobility delivers EPA, glucosamine and chondroitin in the food itself, so you are not fighting a tablet into a Rottweiler every morning. Sizes for Small & Mini, Medium and Large Breed.
The pet who is getting on
Older pets need fewer calories but more of almost everything else: antioxidants, omega-3s, and protein that is easy to use. Senior Vitality is built around that, and the difference customers notice most is energy, a seven-year-old who starts asking for the walk again. Dogs start at 7+ in Small & Mini and Medium, and at 6+ for Large Breeds, because big dogs age faster. There is a chicken and vegetable stew for old dogs who have gone off dry food. Cats get Feline Senior Vitality dry and a 7+ stew in a small tin. Our senior dog food guide goes deeper on what changes with age.
The everyday cat problems
Three cat recipes solve three very specific things. Sterilised Adult and Mature Sterilised manage the weight gain that follows the snip, and the Sterilised Kitten bag is the cheapest way into the range. Oral Care uses a larger kibble with a fibre matrix that scrubs the teeth as the cat bites through it. Hairball & Perfect Coat does what it says, with fibre to move hair through rather than up. Dogs are not left out on the dental front: Adult Oral Care is in the range too.
What It Costs in South Africa
Standard online prices as at September 2026 for the most popular sizes. Prices move and we run Hill's promotions from time to time, so check the product page for the current price and the full range of bag sizes.
| Product | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitive Stomach & Skin Adult Dog | from 2.5kg | R479 |
| Sensitive Stomach & Skin Small & Mini | from 1.5kg | R285 |
| Perfect Weight Medium / Large Breed | 12kg | R1,665 |
| Perfect Weight & Active Mobility Medium / Large | 12kg | R1,835 |
| Healthy Mobility Medium / Large Breed | 12kg | R1,665 |
| Hypoallergenic Large Breed (Salmon) | 14kg | R2,139 |
| Senior Vitality 6+ Large Breed | 14kg | R1,945 |
| Feline Sensitive Stomach & Skin / Perfect Digestion / Senior | from 1.5kg | R369 |
| Feline Perfect Weight | from 1.5kg | R359 |
| Dog wet cans (Perfect Digestion, Hypoallergenic) | 363g | R54 |
| Cat stew tins (Perfect Weight, Senior 7+) | 82g | R30 |
Two things worth knowing. Special Care sits a step above the everyday Science Plan adult foods on price, and that gap is the cost of the extra fibre blends, fish oil and joint ingredients rather than marketing. And the large bags are always the better buy per kilo, so once you know a recipe works, size up. If a Hill's promotion is running, it will show on the specials page.
How to Switch Without a Mess
The fastest way to undo the benefit of a digestion food is to swap to it overnight. Go slowly:
- Days 1 to 3: 25% new food, 75% old.
- Days 4 to 6: half and half.
- Days 7 to 9: 75% new, 25% old.
- Day 10: fully across.
FAQs
Is Hill's Science Plan the same as Prescription Diet?
No. Prescription Diet is clinical nutrition for diagnosed conditions and is dispensed through a vet. Science Plan Special Care is available over the counter and is aimed at pets with a specific need but no diagnosis. If your vet has prescribed a Prescription Diet, stay on it.
Can I feed Special Care to a healthy pet?
Yes. Every recipe is a complete and balanced food. Plenty of customers feed Perfect Digestion or Sensitive Stomach & Skin simply because their dog does well on it.
Which one should I choose if my dog has more than one issue?
Pick the one that matches the most obvious symptom. Weight plus stiffness points to Perfect Weight & Active Mobility. Loose stools plus itching points to Sensitive Stomach & Skin. If in doubt, message us and describe the dog.
Is Hill's Science Plan a good food?
It is a well-researched, consistently made food that vets trust for a reason, and for a pet with a specific need it is often the fastest route to a fix. If you are after the highest meat content and grain-free recipes for a healthy pet, we would point you to Acana or Orijen instead. Different jobs, different bags.
Is delivery free?
Local orders over R550 in Johannesburg and Cape Town qualify for free delivery. Everywhere else, delivery is calculated at checkout.
