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Instinct vs Nature's Recipe

Instinct vs. Nature's Recipe

In this comparison article for Instinct vs Nature's Recipe, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Instinct and Nature's Recipe, 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 Nature's Recipe 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 Nature's Recipe Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Nature's Recipe 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. Nature's Recipe Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodInstinctNature's Recipe
Crude Protein36.2%27.6%
Crude Fat24.1%13.5%
Crude Fiber4.4%4.8%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodInstinctNature's Recipe
Crude Protein42.1%53.9%
Crude Fat27.7%13.5%
Crude Fiber10.0%6.6%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Instinct dry dog foods clearly provides more protein than Nature's Recipe. In fact, the difference between the protein content is roughly 8.59%, which is a significant amount. Similarly, Nature's Recipe wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Instinct wet foods.


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):

  • Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
  • Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Improve skin and coat health
  • Improve the palatially of your dog's food

On average, Instinct dry dog food recipes contain 10.70% more fat than Nature's Recipe recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the fat content of Nature's Recipe and Instinct. Similarly, Instinct wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Nature's Recipe wet foods.


Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Instinct typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.40% more).

Instinct Pet Food Ingredients vs. Nature's Recipe Pet Food Ingredients

Instinct and Nature's Recipe both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Garlic
Canola Oil
Pea Protein
Tomato Pomace
Dried Tomato Pomace
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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

Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid)

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Nature's Recipe.

Wheat
Beet Pulp
Canola Meal
Fat Product
Brewers Rice
Garlic Spice
Caramel Color
Garlic Powder
Soybean Flour
Ground Whole Wheat
Soybean Protein Isolate
Soybean Protein Concentrate
Poultry Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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

Instinct and Nature's Recipe both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Nature's Recipe.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Instinct & Nature's Recipe?

Instinct has been recalled 2 times.

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

According to our records, Nature's Recipe has never been recalled.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodInstinctNature's Recipe
Per Pound$8.93$1.93
Per Calorie$0.0044$0.0012
Wet Dog FoodInstinctNature's Recipe
Per Pound$6.31$4.91
Per Calorie$0.0107$0.0114

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 Nature's Recipe, 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 Nature's Recipe 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 Nature's Recipe. 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 Nature's Recipe Pet Foods

You can purchase Nature's Recipe pet food products from these retailers:


27 Recipes In-Stock Today

10 Recipes In-Stock Today

10 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductInstinctNature's Recipe
Dry Dog Food37 Recipes19 Recipes
Wet Dog Food10 Recipes17 Recipes
Dog TreatsNoneNone
Dry Cat Food20 RecipesNone
Wet Cat Food16 RecipesNone
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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