Most pet owners don’t think twice about picking up their pet’s food from the vet clinic — until it becomes a problem. Maybe your dog is on a kidney diet that can’t just be swapped for a store brand. Maybe your cat needs a specific gastrointestinal formula and the clinic is 40 minutes away. That’s the situation where a lot of pet owners first hear about Hill’s to Home, usually from their vet during a routine visit.
It’s a straightforward service, but there’s enough to it that going in without a clear picture can lead to confusion — especially around things like vet approval, login access, and how autoship actually works.
Snippet-Ready Definition
Hill’s to Home is a vet-partnered home delivery service from Hill’s Pet Nutrition that lets pet owners order Prescription Diet and Science Diet food online, with free shipping and autoship discounts available through registered veterinary clinics.
Mission Statement
At Dwellify Home, we help homeowners make practical, well-informed decisions about their living spaces — from interior choices to everyday home routines. Our goal is straightforward, useful content that respects your time and your home.
What Is Hill’s to Home?
Hill’s to Home is a home delivery program offered by Hill’s Pet Nutrition that allows pet owners to order their pet’s food directly online and have it shipped to their door. The orders are fulfilled through a pet’s registered veterinary clinic, which means the service isn’t open to just anyone — it runs through vet partnerships.
How It Connects Pet Owners, Vets, and Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Think of it as a three-way relationship. Hill’s provides the products and the platform. The vet clinic acts as the approving authority — particularly for prescription diets. You, as the pet owner, place and manage your orders online. The clinic doesn’t handle shipping or stock; Hill’s does that directly. The vet’s role is simply to ensure the right food is being ordered for the right pet.
This setup matters because it keeps prescription nutrition properly supervised, which protects the pet.
Key Benefits at a Glance
- Free shipping on every order with no minimum purchase required
- Up to 35% off your first autoship order, 5% off all orders after that
- Vet-approved prescription diets managed through your registered clinic
- 24/7 account access to manage delivery schedules and preferences
- 100% satisfaction guarantee backed directly by Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Quick Comparison: Hill’s to Home vs. Clinic Pickup
| Feature | Hill’s to Home | Clinic Pickup |
| Pricing | Discounted via autoship | Standard retail pricing |
| Convenience | Delivered to your door | Requires an in-person trip |
| Prescription approval | Handled online through vet portal | Handled in person |
| Availability | 24/7 online ordering | Clinic hours only |
| Best for | Long-term, stable dietary plans | Urgent needs or new diagnoses |
What Products Can You Order Through Hill’s to Home?
The product range is broader than most people expect. It’s not limited to prescription food.
Prescription Diet
This is the main reason most people sign up. Hill’s Prescription Diet formulas are developed for specific health conditions — kidney disease, urinary issues, liver problems, weight management, digestive sensitivity, and more. These require vet approval before you can add them to your cart.
Science Diet
Science Diet products are available without vet approval. They cover everyday nutrition across life stages — puppy, adult, senior — for both dogs and cats. You can order these simply by having a registered account linked to a participating clinic.
Healthy Advantage and Bioactive Recipe
These are Hill’s newer lines that fall somewhere between mainstream and clinical nutrition. Healthy Advantage focuses on whole-body health maintenance, while Bioactive Recipe uses ingredients that support natural biological functions. Neither requires a prescription, though discussing them with your vet before switching is always a reasonable step.
Which Pets Actually Benefit from a Prescription Diet?
This is something a lot of people gloss over, but it’s worth taking seriously. Prescription diets aren’t just premium food with a fancy label — they’re clinically formulated to address specific conditions, and the wrong formula can make things worse.
Pets that commonly benefit include those dealing with chronic kidney disease, struvite or calcium oxalate bladder stones, food allergies or skin sensitivities, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, liver conditions, and mobility issues related to joint disease. Post-surgical recovery is another common time vets recommend a prescription diet temporarily.
If your pet has been diagnosed with any of these conditions, there’s a good chance your vet has already mentioned or prescribed a Hill’s formula. That’s often the starting point for most Hill’s to Home users.
How Hill’s to Home Works — A Simple Step-by-Step
The process is simpler than it sounds, but the vet approval step trips people up if they don’t know it’s coming.
Step 1 — Talk to Your Vet First
Before you create an account, confirm that your vet’s clinic is a participating Hill’s to Home partner. Not every clinic is enrolled. A quick call or mention at your next appointment is all it takes.
Step 2 — Create Your Account at hillstohome.com
Go to hillstohome.com and register. You’ll need basic information — your name, your pet’s details, and the participating clinic you’re connected to. The sign-up itself is quick.
Step 3 — Vet Approval for Prescription Diets
After registration, your clinic receives a notification. A vet or vet tech then logs into their portal and approves which prescription products are appropriate for your pet based on their records. Science Diet and other non-prescription items are available immediately without this step.
Step 4 — Place Your Order and Schedule Delivery
Once approved, you can browse the products available for your pet, add them to your order, and choose one-time or recurring delivery. Shipping is free, and there’s no minimum order requirement.
Key Benefits of Using Hill’s to Home
Free Shipping with No Minimum Order
Every order ships free. There’s no threshold to hit, which matters when you’re ordering a small bag of a specialized formula. The exception is Alaska and Hawaii, where a small per-item surcharge applies.
Save Up to 35% with Autoship
The first autoship order typically comes with a 35% discount. Ongoing autoship orders after that carry a 5% discount. For pets on long-term prescription diets, that adds up considerably over a year.
24/7 Account Access from Any Device
The platform is mobile-friendly. You can log in, check your order history, update your delivery schedule, or change your shipping address at any time without needing to call the clinic.
A 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Hill’s backs every order with a satisfaction guarantee. If there’s a problem with your order, you can contact Hill’s directly at 1-800-235-6877 or reach out by email at hillstohome@hillspet.com for a resolution.
Setting Up and Managing Your Autoship
Autoship is the most practical feature for pets on ongoing dietary plans. You choose how often you want delivery — every 2 weeks, monthly, every 6 weeks — based on how quickly your pet goes through their food. Hill’s provides a consumption calendar to help estimate this.
Once it’s running, you can pause a shipment, skip a delivery, change the frequency, or cancel entirely from your account page. There’s no penalty for adjusting. The key thing most people miss is that you should update your schedule before the next order processes, not after — once an order is confirmed, it ships quickly.
How to Log In to Your Hill’s to Home Account
Pet Owner Login
Go to hillstohome.com and use your registered email and password. If you registered through a specific clinic’s link, the login process is the same — you’re always on the same platform.
Vet Portal and Clinic Login (vet.hillstohome.com)
Veterinarians and clinic staff access a separate portal at vet.hillstohome.com. This is where they approve prescription diets, create nutritional plans for patients, and manage their enrolled clients. Pet owners don’t need this portal — it’s only for the veterinary healthcare team.
Hill’s to Home vs. Picking Up from Your Vet Clinic
Ordering through Hill’s to Home is almost always cheaper than buying at the clinic counter, primarily because of the autoship discount. Clinics typically sell at retail pricing with little flexibility.
That said, clinic pickup still makes sense in certain situations — if your pet has just been diagnosed and the vet wants to monitor their response to a new diet before committing to a large order, or if you need food urgently and can’t wait for shipping. For long-term, stable dietary management though, home delivery is the more practical and cost-effective route.
Is Hill’s to Home Available in Your Area?
The service is available across the contiguous United States. Delivery to Alaska and Hawaii is possible but comes with a small surcharge. The main limitation isn’t geography — it’s vet participation. The service is only accessible through registered partner clinics, so if your vet isn’t enrolled, you won’t be able to sign up through them.
If your clinic isn’t yet a participant, it’s worth asking them about it. Enrollment for veterinary practices is handled through vet.hillstohome.com, and many clinics simply haven’t set it up yet.
Common Questions About Hill’s to Home
Do I need a vet prescription to order?
For Prescription Diet products, yes — your vet must approve the specific diet for your pet. For Science Diet and other non-prescription lines, no approval is needed beyond having a registered account.
Can I order Science Diet without vet approval?
Yes. Science Diet products are available for purchase as soon as your account is active and linked to a participating clinic.
Can I still pick up food from my clinic if I prefer?
Absolutely. Hill’s to Home is an option, not a replacement. Your clinic will continue to stock Hill’s products for in-person pickup if that’s your preference.
What if I’m not satisfied with my order?
Hill’s offers a 100% money-back guarantee. Contact their support team at 1-800-235-6877 or email hillstohome@hillspet.com directly.
How do I contact Hill’s to Home support?
Phone: 1-800-235-6877. Email: hillstohome@hillspet.com. Both channels are handled by Hill’s directly, not by your vet clinic.
Is Hill’s to Home cheaper than buying from your vet clinic?
In most cases, yes. Clinic pricing is typically standard retail. Hill’s to Home offers 35% off your first autoship order and 5% off every recurring order after that. For pets on long-term prescription diets, the savings over a full year are meaningful.
What does Oprah Winfrey feed her dogs?
Oprah has spoken publicly about feeding her dogs a home-cooked diet that includes vegetables, chicken, and brown rice — prepared by her personal chef. Her dogs are not on a commercial prescription diet. This has no connection to Hill’s to Home, which is a vet-recommended service for pets with specific clinical dietary needs.
What is the total cost to feed a dog using Hill’s to Home for 30 days?
It varies based on the dog’s size, the specific formula, and whether you use autoship. A medium-sized dog on a standard Hill’s Prescription Diet formula might cost roughly $60 to $100 per month after autoship discounts. Larger dogs or those on specialty formulas will cost more. Hill’s provides a consumption calendar on their site to help estimate monthly usage before you commit to an order size.
What is the Hill’s pet food lawsuit?
In 2019, Hill’s Pet Nutrition issued a major voluntary recall of canned dog food products after elevated vitamin D levels were detected — amounts high enough to potentially cause serious health issues including kidney failure. A class action lawsuit followed, resulting in a settlement. The recalled products were specific canned varieties, not the dry Prescription Diet or Science Diet lines that Hill’s to Home primarily delivers. Hill’s has since updated its manufacturing and quality control processes.
Conclusion
Hill’s to Home solves a real, practical problem — keeping pets on vet-recommended nutrition without the hassle of clinic visits for every reorder. For pets managing chronic conditions, it’s particularly valuable because consistency in diet genuinely matters to their health outcomes.
The service works best when you understand how the vet approval step fits in, how to set up autoship correctly, and how to manage your account when your pet’s needs change. Once those pieces are in place, it mostly runs itself.
If your vet’s clinic is enrolled, it’s worth setting up. If they’re not, it’s worth asking them about it. Either way, start the conversation at your next visit.
Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is for general educational purposes only. Always consult your veterinarian before changing or starting your pet’s diet, particularly for prescription formulas. Dwellify Home is not affiliated with Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
