Pooch & Mutt Health & Digestion Salmon vs Burns Duck & Potato
Side-by-side comparison of scores, ingredients, prices and real customer feedback for Pooch & Mutt Health & Digestion Salmon and Burns Duck & Potato.
Last verified: 01 Mar 2026 · Based on 24 reviews
Pooch & Mutt Health & Digestion Salmon scores 81.0/100 vs Burns Duck & Potato at 78.0/100. Pooch & Mutt Health & Digestion Salmon wins on ingredient quality, nutritional value, transparency. Burns Duck & Potato is stronger on value for money.
How Do the Scores Compare?
Pooch & Mutt - Health & Dig...
Pooch & Mu
|
Burns Pet Nutrition Sensiti...
Burns
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.0 | 78.0 |
| Ingredient Quality |
84.0/100
Best
|
80.0/100 |
| Nutritional Value |
78.0/100
Best
|
76.0/100 |
| Value for Money | 66.0/100 |
70.0/100
Best
|
| Transparency |
89.0/100
Best
|
82.0/100 |
| Palatability |
90.0/100
Best
|
84.0/100 |
| Best Price |
£15.99
£12.79
Amazon UK →
-20% deal
|
£13.69 Amazon UK → |
| Form | ||
| Dose | ||
| Third-Party Tested | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Reviews Analysed | 13 | 11 |
Pooch & Mutt - Health & Digestio...
Pros
- ✓45% named salmon as single protein source — high digestibility, rich in omega-3s, ideal for elimination diets
- ✓Prebiotics included to actively support gut flora balance, not just passive fibre
- ✓Exceptionally high palatability — accepted by picky and fussy dogs across multiple breeds
- ✓Completely free from grains, gluten, by-products, meat meal, and artificial additives — strong ingredient transparency
Cons
- ✗Premium price point — above average cost per kg compared to mainstream grain-free options
- ✗Occasional reports of skin itching, consistent with individual salmon protein sensitivity
- ✗Grain-free formulas remain under ongoing veterinary and FDA scrutiny for potential links to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in some breeds
- ✗2kg pack size offers relatively poor value per kg for medium-to-large breeds with higher daily feeding volumes
Best For
Burns Pet Nutrition Sensitive Gr...
Pros
- ✓Duck is a named novel protein — ideal for dogs sensitised to chicken or beef
- ✓No by-products, no meat meal, no vague 'meat derivatives' — high ingredient transparency
- ✓Taurine supplemented — reduces DCM risk associated with grain-free diets
- ✓Reviewers report improved coat condition, energy, and fewer digestive issues
Cons
- ✗Grain-free diets remain under scrutiny for DCM risk — long-term feeding warrants monitoring
- ✗2 kg pack size is small and cost-per-kg is higher than mainstream kibbles
- ✗Buckwheat is nutritious but less proven as a staple carbohydrate than oats or brown rice in long-term canine studies
- ✗Three iHerb reviews in the dataset were for a human vitamin D supplement and were disregarded — review data partially contaminated
Best For
Score Breakdown: Pooch & Mutt Health & Digestion Salmon vs Burns Duck & Potato
Pooch & Mutt Health & Digestion is a premium grain-free kibble built around 45% salmon as a single, named protein source, paired with sweet potato as the primary carbohydrate — an ingredient profile that avoids common allergens while delivering high levels of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA) beneficial to coat, skin, and joint health.
What are the key differences?
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Pooch & Mutt Health & Digestion Salmon or Burns Duck & Potato? ▼
Is Pooch & Mutt Health & Digestion Salmon worth the price compared to Burns Duck & Potato? ▼
Which has fewer side effects? ▼
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What the Data Says
Is grain-free dog food actually better? What the data shows.
Grain-free leads on every metric, but the gap is smaller than marketing suggests. We scored 27 grain-free and 73 standard dry dog foods across the same criteria.
The numbers: grain-free averages 75.1/100 overall versus 71.5 for standard — a 3.6-point lead. Break it down by category and the picture gets more interesting.
Ingredient quality is where grain-free pulls ahead most: 77.8 versus 71.2, a 6.6-point gap. Grain-free brands tend to use higher meat content and fewer cheap bulking agents. Transparency is the second-largest gap: 74.9 versus 69.8 (5.1 points) — grain-free brands are generally more upfront about sourcing and ingredient percentages.
But nutritional value tells a different story: 72.1 versus 70.0, just 2.1 points apart. That's the smallest gap of any metric. Removing grains doesn't automatically make a food more nutritious.
Bottom line: if your dog has a diagnosed grain intolerance, grain-free is the right call. If not, a high-scoring standard food delivers nearly identical nutrition at a lower price point.
Do grain-free dog foods hide carbohydrate fillers?
Grain-free scores better on transparency (74.9 vs 69.8), but grain-free does not mean low-carb. That 5.1-point transparency gap across 27 grain-free and 73 standard products means grain-free brands are more likely to disclose ingredient percentages and sourcing details.
The catch: most grain-free formulas replace rice, wheat, or corn with peas, lentils, chickpeas, or sweet potato. These are still carbohydrate sources. Some grain-free products list two or three legume variants in the first five ingredients, pushing total carbohydrate content to 40-50% of the formula.
Here's how to check: read the analytical constituents on the back of the bag. If protein is 25% and fat is 15%, the remaining 60% is mostly carbohydrates, moisture, and fibre. That's true whether the carbs come from brown rice or sweet potato.
The grain-free label tells you what's absent, not what replaced it. Higher transparency scores mean these brands make it easier for you to verify the substitution yourself — but you still need to look.
Disclaimer: AIScored provides data-driven comparisons based on publicly available reviews. This is not medical advice. Affiliate links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
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