Most dogs that end up on a novel-protein diet get there after months of itching or stomach trouble on something else. The one exception is a puppy, where an owner or breeder gets to choose the protein before any of that has had the chance to happen.

This is Burns' grain-free puppy recipe, built around duck as the sole animal protein with potato and buckwheat replacing cereal grain, and salmon oil and a prebiotic chicory extract added for a developing gut. It's a complete food formulated for growth rather than maintenance, so protein and fat sit above the adult sensitive recipes.

• Complete grain-free food for puppies and juniors
• Composition: Potato 47%, Dried Duck 28%, Buckwheat 12%, Duck Fat, Peas, Sunflower Oil, Seaweed, Minerals, Salmon Oil, Chicory Extract (Prebiotic FOS 0.1%)
• Protein 24%, Fat 12%, Fibre 2%, Ash 8%
• Calcium 1.2%, Phosphorus 0.9%
• Omega-6 3%, Omega-3 0.5%
• Sold in more than one bag size - check the size selected before ordering

On choosing this over the standard puppy recipe. Burns also sell a non-grain-free chicken puppy food; this one only makes sense if you specifically want to keep grain and a mainstream protein out of a puppy's diet from the start, whether that's on a breeder's advice, a littermate's history of sensitivity, or your own preference. Burns don't publish guidance on which puppies specifically need this over their standard range, so that decision rests with you or a vet.

Who it's for: puppies and juniors being started on a single novel protein and a grain-free base from the outset, particularly where a sibling or parent has a known food sensitivity.