Instinct splits its six lines by format and ingredients. Three lines are mostly kibble. Be Natural has 5 kibbles built on barley, oatmeal, brown rice and sorghum, with no peas, lentils or potato, 25% to 26% protein and 38.5% average estimated starch. Limited Ingredient Diet has 4 grain-free adult kibbles, each with one animal protein (lamb, salmon or turkey) plus tapioca and peas. Raw Boost is the largest line, with 23 kibbles averaging 31.6% protein as fed, 17 of them grain free, plus 13 toppers.
Original is grain free across kibble, wet food, toppers and a freeze-dried pollock bite. Its kibbles average 36.1% protein and 24.3% starch, the highest protein and lowest starch averages among Instinct kibbles. Raw Longevity (14 recipes) and Raw Signature (10 recipes) are frozen raw lines, grain free with no peas or lentils, with starch between 0 and 2%.
Average kibble, as fed
Instinct Raw Boost has 23 kibbles and 13 freeze-dried and frozen toppers. Its kibbles average 31.6% protein as fed against a catalog kibble average of 26.9%, and 17 of the 23 kibbles are grain free.
A good fit for: Owners wanting kibble protein above the 26.9% catalog average; Owners seeking grain-inclusive kibble without peas or lentils
Read the Raw Boost reviewAverage kibble, as fed
Instinct Original is a grain-free line from Instinct that covers kibble, wet food, toppers and a freeze-dried pollock bite. Its kibbles show 34.5% to 37.5% protein and 21.5% to 26% estimated starch, with protein above and starch below the catalog kibble averages.
A good fit for: Owners seeking kibble with lower estimated starch than catalog average; Owners who want grain-free food and accept peas or lentils
Read the Original reviewAverage frozen food, as fed
Raw Longevity is Instinct's frozen raw line of 14 recipes, sold as Bites and Patties and built mostly on one meat with its organs. Every recipe is grain free with no peas or lentils, and estimated starch stays between 0 and 2%.
A good fit for: Owners seeking frozen raw food with no grain, peas or lentils; Owners wanting single-protein options such as all-lamb or all-beef patties
Read the Raw Longevity reviewAverage frozen food, as fed
Raw Signature is Instinct's frozen raw line, offered as patties and bites in beef, chicken, lamb, duck and rabbit recipes. All 10 recipes are grain free with no peas or lentils, and estimated starch stays between 0% and 2%.
A good fit for: Owners wanting grain free food with no peas or lentils; Owners seeking frozen food with 0% to 2% estimated starch
Read the Raw Signature reviewAverage kibble, as fed
Be Natural is Instinct's five recipe kibble line built on grains such as barley, oatmeal, brown rice and sorghum, with no peas, lentils or potato. Every recipe pairs a named lead meat or fish with chicken meal, and protein sits at 25% to 26%.
A good fit for: Owners who want grain in the bowl and no peas or lentils; Owners who want a calorie dense kibble at 418 to 468 kcal per cup
Read the Be Natural reviewAverage kibble, as fed
Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet is a grain-free adult kibble line of four recipes, each built on one animal protein: lamb, salmon or turkey. Every recipe pairs a meat meal with tapioca and peas, and calories per cup run above the catalog kibble average.
A good fit for: Owners who want one animal protein per bag; Adult dogs fed calorie-dense kibble, 469 to 495 kcal per cup
Read the Limited Ingredient Diet review
Protein runs higher than the average kibble we review (34.3% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).
Starch is lower than average, at 32% of the food as fed.
100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).
87% of recipes are grain-free.
this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review
Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out
Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.
These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.
MOST PROTEIN
Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Dry Dog Food
41.7% dry matter
LEAST STARCH
Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Dry Dog Food
24% as fed
FEWEST CALORIES
Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken For Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food
368 kcal per cup
Instinct is made by Nature's Variety, which does business as Instinct Pet Food and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The brand is known for raw pet food, including frozen raw meals, freeze-dried raw meals, raw toppers and kibble mixed with freeze-dried raw pieces, along with wet food for dogs and cats. 1, 2
The company says its frozen and freeze-dried raw recipes are made in company-owned facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska, while its kibble is made with manufacturing partners in the United States and its wet recipes are made by co-packers in Kansas and Thailand. In June 2024 the company opened the first phase of a LEED-certified Center of Excellence in Lincoln that makes frozen and freeze-dried food and brings raw production from several sites onto one campus. 3, 4
The company says the brand grew out of raw diets fed to tigers at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, and that it has sold raw food for dogs and cats since 2002. The Spanish food group Agrolimen formed a joint venture with Nature's Variety's shareholders in 2014 and bought the remaining interest in the company in May 2016. 5, 6, 7
The company says its Lincoln facilities hold SQF food safety and quality certification. In 2015 Nature's Variety voluntarily recalled some Instinct Raw Chicken Formula for dogs because of possible Salmonella contamination. 3, 8
Researched from the sources above. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Instinct® Raw Chicken Formula for dogs
Pet food
Instinct partnered with Demand Chain AI to improve its demand forecasting, production scheduling and inventory planning as the company grows. Pet Age
Instinct finished the first phase of its Center of Excellence in Lincoln, Nebraska, which makes freeze-dried and frozen pet food and brings operations from several locations onto one campus. Full completion was expected in March 2025. Food Processing
Ten everyday foods. Safe, In Moderation or Never. No googling, no second guesses. Then share your score with your friends, however embarrassing it turns out to be.
115 foods in the deck. Grapes are in there. So is cheese.
Ten foods, one at a time. Call each one Safe, In Moderation or Never, then flip the card to see if you had it right. The ones you miss are listed at the end.
Keys: 1 Safe 2 Moderation 3 Never Enter Next
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Now, is your dog's food any good?
Look it up: estimated starch, calories per cup and every ingredient, for 3,207 foods.
