Natures Variety: Instinct

Brattina88

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#1
I need opinions - I've been feeding it for over a month now and the dogs are doing very well on it. I had to find something after the dogs did horribly on the "new and improved" Canidae :mad:, but I need extra eyes to make sure its good enough for my babies! :eek:

linky.

INGREDIENTS: Chicken Meal, Tapioca, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Pumpkinseeds, Menhaden Fish Meal, Alfalfa Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Natural Chicken Flavor, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Biotin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Kelp, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite), Chicken Liver, Sea Salt, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Apples, Carrots, Peas, Cottage Cheese, Chicken Eggs, Freeze Dried Chicken, Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Freeze Dried Turkey Hearts, Ground Chicken Bone, Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Olive Oil, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Rosemary Extract, Sage, Clove
Thanks
:popcorn:
 

corgipower

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#2
I love Instinct. If I could get the rabbit I would still be feeding it. I can't feed 42% protein.
 

dk666

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#4
Thor has been on it for a month and is doing great It's a fine food for your Dog. I would love to try the Rabbit Since, Thor loves Rabbits Canned and running in the field LOL but never in stock at the stores I shop So he's only had the Chicken flavored so far
 

corgipower

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Thor has been on it for a month and is doing great It's a fine food for your Dog. I would love to try the Rabbit Since, Thor loves Rabbits Canned and running in the field LOL but never in stock at the stores I shop So he's only had the Chicken flavored so far
Supposedly they're not making the rabbit right now -- I was told they were having trouble getting the rabbits :yikes:

It's said to be coming back out maybe over the winter.
 

maybe532

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#8
I love NV Instinct. I am not feeding it now but have really been happy with it in the past.
 

Suzzie

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#9
ditto the above post. Not feeding it now, but used to get it free when I worked at the pet store (or super cheap) and I LOVED it! Dogs did quite well on it, too, which was surprising at the time, because they were going through a phase where anything really good (and probiotics) really upset their stomachs.
 
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#10
My dogs love Instinct. I rotate the chicken along with EVO, Innova, and Prarie. I've tried the rabbit, but I've never seen dogs turn their nose up to a food like they did that. One thing I noticed lately is that one of my female min pins tends to be a pound or two overweight, and tends to be lazy, we kept her away from the Instinct for fear that the high protien would make her balloon. We ran out of Prarie and started feeding her Instinct, and all of a sudden she was a bundle of energy, and very playful, and lost that pound of excess weight (a pound is a lot for a 12 pound dog...lol.)

Anyway, from now on, she gets EVO and Instinct just like the rest of them. I never feed just one food, I don't like the idea of the dogs getting stuck and ending up unable to eat anything else.
 

CharlieDog

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#11
I love it! So far, it's the only food that's gotten rid of Ozzy's DeathGas. Seriously, it's a really good food for Oz, and we have tried him on just about everything.
 

ihartgonzo

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#12
Overall, I think it's a good food. What matters most is that your pups are doing well! :)

Nolu was saying some things about the ingredients in Instinct that got me thinking, in another thread... it is very odd that Pumpkinseeds are so high up on the list. I'm also not a fan of "flavorings". I'm also a little bit wary of the Tapioca. I'm not saying it's a horrible ingredient, but it's unconventional, and I wouldn't feel comfortable feeding it.

I have been staying away from high protein foods, and sticking to foods with protein that is in the range of actual raw meat (20-30%), with really good results. I've been feeding Honest Kitchen exclusively, with raw, and everything is perfect with my boys. That is just my personal opinion/experience, of course.
 

SizzleDog

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#13
The feed store by us (basically the largest quality food supplier in Iowa) can't get anything but the chicken variety, due to ingredient shortages.

Ingredient-wise, Instinct is great - if my dogs did well on it (which for some curse-the-heavens reason they don't), I'd have no qualms feeding it. Unfortunately, the food they do the best on has crap for ingredients... thems the breaks I guess.
 
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#14
Instinct is a very rich food, kinda like Innova EVO. I know people who are conditioning their dogs for ADBA shows (which means getting them in the leanest possible shape while toning up at the same time) feed foods like that. It's not the kind of thing I'd feed my dogs all the time because they just don't require that much nutritiony goodness, but for a dog that works/plays hard, I'd say it's top-notch.
 

noludoru

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#15
Nolu was saying some things about the ingredients in Instinct that got me thinking, in another thread... it is very odd that Pumpkinseeds are so high up on the list. I'm also not a fan of "flavorings". I'm also a little bit wary of the Tapioca. I'm not saying it's a horrible ingredient, but it's unconventional, and I wouldn't feel comfortable feeding it.
I'd have to do more research, but as far as I know tapioca is fine. (Obviously it's only as good as your dog does on it, lol.) As long as it's something they do well on I'd ignore the pumpkin seeds, but I would not feed it for a longer period than 3 months, I think. That many pumpkin seed as a staple in a dog's diet just weird me out, far more than the tapioca does.
 

Brattina88

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#16
Well, that works out well, bceause I usually I rotate foods every 2-3mos

As long as it's something they do well on I'd ignore the pumpkin seeds, but I would not feed it for a longer period than 3 months, I think. That many pumpkin seed as a staple in a dog's diet just weird me out, far more than the tapioca does.
And, excuse my ignorance, but Why is pumpkin seeds such an issue?
 

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