My Pet Says Grain Free Puppy: Salmon & Haddock with Sweet Potato & Asparagus review

Both recipes land in our Excellent band, a step up from the middle of the puppy dry field, which settles in our Good band. Value reads Excellent on both of them, transparency reads Outstanding on both, and protein and processing and nutritional balance read Good. What earns that is a label doing the hard work for you: a 60% animal share split out ingredient by ingredient, calcium declared on both, and every supplement given with its dose.

Ingredients, as declared: Salmon, Haddock & White Fish 60% (Freshly Prepared Salmon 21%, Dried Salmon 16%, Freshly Prepared Haddock 11%, Freshly Prepared White Fish 10% & Salmon Stock 2%), Sweet Potato (20%), Potato, Beet Pulp, Peas (6%), Linseed, Omega 3 Supplement, Minerals, Asparagus (0.1%), Glucosamine (170 mg/kg), Methylsulfonylmethane (170 mg/kg), Chondroitin Sulphate (125 mg/kg), Nucleotides, Fructooligosaccharides (FOS, 96 mg/kg), Mannanoligosaccharides (MOS, 24 mg/kg). Vitamins: Vitamin A 15,000 IU, Vitamin D3 2,000 IU, Vitamin E 95 IU. Trace Elements: Zinc (Zinc Sulphate Monohydrate) 50mg, Iron (Iron (II) Sulphate Monohydrate) 50mg, Manganese (Manganous Sulphate Monohydrate) 35mg, Copper (Copper (II) Sulphate Pentahydrate) 10mg, Iodine (Calcium Iodate Anhydrous/Potassium Iodide) 1.7 mg.

Both recipes open on 60% animal content and then show their working, entry by entry. That level of itemisation is the difference between a headline you take on trust and one you can check for yourself, and it is the main reason this range reads so well.

Sweet potato heads the plant side in each recipe, potato comes next, and there is no cereal in either. Beet pulp brings a gentle fibre. The fats are looked after by linseed and an omega 3 supplement. Carbohydrate converts to an estimated 41.9% of dry matter in the poultry recipe, 42.0% in the fish one, both a shade above the 39.0% puppy typical. That is the usual trade for a grain free bag.

Both declare calcium: 1.3% of dry matter in the poultry recipe, 1.41% in the fish one. Each sits where a growing skeleton needs it. Getting calcium right is the single most important part of feeding a puppy, so having it printed and in range on both counts for a great deal.

Both bags carry the same supplement tail. Glucosamine and methylsulfonylmethane are at 170 mg/kg each, chondroitin sulphate at 125 mg/kg. Nucleotides follow, with the prebiotic pairing of FOS at 96 mg/kg and MOS at 24 mg/kg. Vitamin E at 95 IU heads a fully dosed vitamin and trace element panel on both, with vitamins A and D3, zinc, iron, manganese, copper and iodine all given their own figures.

One honest caveat applies to each recipe, since neither omega 3 supplement has its source named. It is a small entry, but an elimination diet is only ever as good as its weakest line, so have it confirmed with the maker before you rely on either bag for that particular job.

The fish recipe keeps everything in the water. Salmon comes in at 21% freshly prepared and 16% dried, haddock at 11% freshly prepared and white fish at 10%, with salmon stock at 2% completing the 60%. Peas come in higher here at 6% and asparagus at 0.1%, and the fibre runs to 4.0% with ash at 8.5%. Protein is declared at 28.0% and fat at 13.0% for 359 kcal per 100g, calcium converts to 1.41% of dry matter, and this one is listed for medium breed pups.

£4.53 a kilo for the poultry recipe and £4.63 a kilo for the fish one, both sold in 6kg, 12kg and 24kg bags, with 15kg and 30kg working dog packs alongside.

A puppy's daily amount rises over the first months, then eases back. Take your figure from the bag's chart, using their weight today and the adult size ahead of them. Let their shape have the final word.