Is Burns puppy food good for puppies

Puppy Original

Give your puppy the best start in life with Burns. Made with a handful of simple, natural ingredients our puppy food contains all of the nutrients a young pup needs for healthy development.

Healthy puppies need to grow at a gradual rate to avoid skeletal problems later in life. Our Puppy Original Chicken & Rice diet contains a controlled level of protein and fat, ensuring your puppy follows a healthy, slow and steady growth pattern.

Chicken supplies your puppy with calcium and phosphorus for optimum bone and muscle development while highly digestible rice and oats give your puppy energy to play. All Burns diets avoid the use of ingredients that commonly cause intolerance such as beef, wheat, soya and dairy. We also dont use any artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives.

The Burns puppy diets are suitable for both puppies and juniors. Please see our feeding guide as we recommend different daily amounts for puppies (up to 6 months old) and juniors (from 6 months to adult). Most puppies are ready to move to adult food at around 9 months old but if you are unsure please contact our nutrition team.

Have you seen our Puppy Club?

Burns Dog Food (Dry)

Burns Dog Food (Dry)

By Mike Sagman

Updated: March 20, 2024

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Unrated

Confirmed by the Company

Burns Dog Food receives the Advisors below-average tier rating of 2.5 stars.

The Burns Dog Food product line includes three dry dog foods, two claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance and one for all life stages.

The following is a list of recipes available at the time of this review.

• Burns Mini Bites (3 stars)
• Burns Holistic Brown Rice and Chicken
• Burns Holistic Brown Rice and Ocean Fish

Burns Holistic Brown Rice and Chicken was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.

Burns Holistic Brown Rice and Chicken

Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content

Whole grain brown rice, chicken meal, peas, oats, chicken fat, sunflower oil, seaweed, calcium carbonate, niacin supplement, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E supplement), d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D supplement, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, cobalt proteinate, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, sodium selenite, potassium chloride

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2.2%

Red denotes any controversial items

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food lists brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The third ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, theyre rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The fourth ingredient is oats. Oats are rich in B-vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The fifth ingredient lists chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesnt sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The sixth ingredient is sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3s, theyre considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.

Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.

There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, its impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.

The seventh ingredient is seaweed. Seaweed is rich in vitamins and minerals.

The eighth ingredient is calcium carbonate, likely used here as a dietary mineral supplement.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With two notable exceptions

First, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Judging by its ingredients alone, Burns Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the products meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 20%, a fat level of 8% and estimated carbohydrates of about 63%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 22% and a mean fat level of 10%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 61% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 44%.

Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a limited amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Burns Dog Food is a plant-based kibble using a limited amount of chicken or ocean fish meals as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 2.5 stars.

Not recommended.

Please note certain recipes are sometimes given a higher or lower rating based upon our estimate of their total meat content.

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A Final Word

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Natural Nutrition for Healthy Pets

Burns has always believed in the positive impact a healthy diet can have on our beloved pets. Since we were founded by veterinary surgeon John Burns in 1993, weve only ever used a selection of real ingredients, like tasty chicken, brown rice and veggies, to create simple and wholesome recipes that pets love.Over 30 years later, weve won numerous awards, sold over 3 billion bowls of wholesome pet food to date and helped generations of pets live the healthiest and happiest lives possible. Together with Assisi Pet Care, we still follow that same simple philosophy, to create healthy and wholesome recipes that pets love, and to put pets, people, and the planet at the heart of everything we do.

Burns Dog Food Reviewed