Instinct Dog Food: Review

Instinct is one of the pet food ranges offered by Nature’s Variety, which was founded in 2002 by Bob Milligan. Instinct was created out of a desire to provide pet parents with an easy way to feed their furry friends quality, raw, nutrition-packed food. Their origins are in Lincoln, Nebraska, but their headquarters are now in St. Louis. 

Instinct believes in the power and science of raw food, especially when it comes to canine health. That’s why raw nutrition guides everything they do. Instinct is a raw blend kibble that uses bits of freeze-dried raw meat to offer your dog dense nutrition and facilitate positive changes in digestion, energy, skin, and coat health. Raw food is cold-pressured to free it from pathogens and keep the nutrients intact—which tends to happen more than in cooked pet food. 

You can rest assured of the quality and safety of Instinct products because of their thorough research and safety protocols. They use pure, natural ingredients sourced from vendors they trust, and all products are tested by an external lab before hitting the shelves. Instinct’s priority is to ensure that dogs feel the benefit of their ancestral diet, so real meat is always the first ingredient. And there are absolutely no cheap fillers, by-products, or artificial ingredients.

They’ve also partnered with the University of Nebraska and Ph.D. level nutritionists to create their first raw recipes. They’ve also partnered with the University of Helsinki’s DogRisk Research Program to study the impact of raw pet food on dog’s health. 

Now that you know more about Instinct, it’s time to dive deeper into their dog food. To help you better decide on whether their products are the right fit for your canine, we’ve reviewed their highest-rated dry and wet dog food below.

Wow, when I first read the packaging of this food I had to rub my eyes, I thought I was seeing things. I couldn’t believe how much protein (37%) Instinct dry food had, much higher than the industry average of 26.5% protein. If you want to give your dog a food that is more of a raw food diet, then this is a viable product. It is well balanced with wholesome ingredients, chicken and chicken meal are the first two ingredients. It also has a nice mix of omegas, probiotics, and antioxidants for dogs’ general wellbeing. 

Because Instinct values raw nutrition, it means that they are a limited number of ingredients in the recipe. This makes it easier to digest. And there are no grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, by-products, artificial colors, or preservatives in the recipe, so you know you’re getting a naturally made food.

Customer reviews:

“I was in our local pet store, last year, and was looking for something to give as treats for our new puppy that was raw food but portable. The young lady there recommended this product as it had a balance of protein and veggies that were freeze-dried. I brought it home and our little puppy is now a year and a half and loves this product. If we travel and have no way to refrigerate our regular meat and veggies, we take this along and feed as normal. It’s everything she needs and wants, which makes mom and dad very happy.”

“I was looking for a higher quality kibble to give our pup. While she is not a picky eater, she loves this food. We supplement her diet with Whole Foods and organ meats and her coat is soft, her eyes are bright and she has boundless energy!”

Guaranteed analysis:

• Protein (min): 37.0%
• Fat (min): 20.0%
• Fiber (max): 3.0%
• Moisture (max): 10.0%

Nutritional Info
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Tapioca, Herring Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Natural Flavor, Salt, Dried Tomato Pomace, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin), Carrots, Apples, Cranberries, Montmorillonite Clay, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Choline Chloride, Freeze Dried Chicken, Freeze Dried Chicken Liver, Pumpkinseeds, Freeze Dried Chicken Heart, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.

Caloric Content

4,406 kcal/kg, 518 kcal/cup

This specially formulated food is great for small dogs. It is a nice grain-free recipe that uses high-quality animal meats (chicken, chicken live, and cod) as its main protein sources. For cards, the recipe uses real fruits and vegetables. This delicious loaf will have your small breed dog coming back for more. It is formulated taking into account the calorie levels of small dogs.

Knowing that this recipe is free of grain, potato, corn, wheat, soy, by-product meal, artificial color, and preservatives should make it easy to open a can of this for a little bestie!

Customer reviews:

“Contrary to Blue Buffalo, this food is brown, not gray and smells like real meat. I put this down and my Yorkie is at it as soon as my hand is out of the way.”

“My dog loves her chicken, I mix it with kibble, and she gobbles it up.”

Guaranteed analysis: 

• Protein (min): 8.5%
• Fat (min): 4.5%
• Fiber (max): 3.0%
• Moisture (max): 78.0%

Nutritional Info
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Cod, Peas, Eggs, Pea Fiber, Ground Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Guar Gum, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp, Cassia Gum, Xanthan Gum, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Proteinate, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Artichokes, Cranberries, Pumpkin, Tomato, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Parsley.

Caloric Content
1,033 kcal/kg, 161 kcal/13.2 oz can, 88 kcal/5.5 oz can

Nature’s Variety, and specifically Instinct, has had a number of recalled products in the last decade. Though, it’s important to recognize that recalls can happen for a variety of reasons. Here is their recall history, starting with the most recent incident. 

2015

Some raw dog food chicken formulas were recalled due to potential salmonella contamination. 

2013

Some raw chicken formula medallions and patties were recalled due to suspected hard plastic pieces that were big enough to be a choking hazard. 

2010

Some chicken medallions, patties, and chubs were recalled due to potential salmonella contamination.