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Instinct vs Addiction

Instinct vs. Addiction

In this comparison article for Instinct vs Addiction, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Instinct and Addiction, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Addiction vs Instinct comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Instinct Review Page or Addiction Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Addiction vs. Instinct

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Instinct Dog Food vs. Addiction Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodInstinctAddiction
Crude Protein36.2%25.0%
Crude Fat24.1%13.1%
Crude Fiber4.4%5.7%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

The comparison table above shows that Instinct dry dog foods provide significantly more protein than Addiction. More specifically, Instinct guarantees at least 11.23% more protein.


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.

Instinct dry dog foods clearly provides more fat than Addiction. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 11.03%, which is a significant amount.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands.

Instinct Cat Food vs. Addiction Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodInstinctAddiction
Crude Protein43.7%33.3%
Crude Fat25.4%17.0%
Crude Fiber3.7%4.1%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.

On average, Instinct dry cat food recipes contain 10.32% more protein than Addiction recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Addiction and Instinct.


Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

  • Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
  • Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.

When you look at the average percentages of crude fat for dry cat food, it's clear that Instinct provides significantly more fat. On average, Instinct guarantees about 8.33% more protein than Addiction.


Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Instinct Pet Food Ingredients vs. Addiction Pet Food Ingredients

Instinct and Addiction both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Garlic
Canola Oil
Pea Protein

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Instinct.

Tomato Pomace
Dried Tomato Pomace
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid)

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Addiction.

Liver

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Instinct.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Instinct & Addiction?

Instinct has been recalled 2 times.

  • July 24, 2015: Salmonella
  • Feb. 15, 2013: Pieces of clear plastic in bag

Addiction has been recalled once.

  • Sept. 8, 2016: Incorrect Vitamin/Minerals

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodInstinctAddiction
Per Pound$8.93$7.46
Per Calorie$0.0044$0.0047
Dry Cat FoodInstinctAddiction
Per Pound$11.49$4.55
Per Calorie$0.0057$0.0028

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Instinct or Addiction, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Instinct or Addiction will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Instinct and Addiction. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Instinct Pet Foods

You can purchase Instinct pet foods from the following stores:


84 Recipes In-Stock Today

59 Recipes In-Stock Today

67 Recipes In-Stock Today

17 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Addiction Pet Foods

You can purchase Addiction pet food products from these retailers:


21 Recipes In-Stock Today

19 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductInstinctAddiction
Dry Dog Food37 Recipes7 Recipes
Wet Dog Food10 RecipesNone
Dog TreatsNone4 Treats
Dry Cat Food20 Recipes3 Recipes
Wet Cat Food16 RecipesNone
Cat TreatsNoneNone

Top Rated Instinct Recipes

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Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe With Real Chicken
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Original Canned Real Chicken Recipe
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Cat Food
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Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe With Real Chicken
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Original Canned Real Chicken Recipe
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Top Rated Addiction Recipes

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Dry Dog Food Viva La Venison Recipe
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Dry Dog Food Le Lamb Recipe
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Dry Dog Food Salmon Bleu
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Cat Food
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Dry Cat Food Salmon Bleu Recipe
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