Instinct vs. Purina Pro Plan
In this comparison article for Instinct vs Purina Pro Plan, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Instinct and Purina Pro Plan, 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 Purina Pro Plan 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 Purina Pro Plan Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Purina Pro Plan 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. Purina Pro Plan Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Crude Protein | 38.1% | 31.8% |
| Crude Fat | 19.0% | 17.9% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Crude Protein | 45.6% | 47.3% |
| Crude Fat | 26.3% | 16.4% |
| Crude Fiber | 8.4% | 7.2% |
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.
Purina Pro Plan dry recipes contain 6.27% less protein than Instinct dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Instinct and Purina Pro Plan. For wet dog foods, Purina Pro Plan and Instinct provide roughly the same amount of protein.
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
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, Instinct provides significantly more fat (about 9.82% more).
As you can see, Purina Pro Plan and Instinct guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Instinct and Purina Pro Plan also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Instinct Cat Food vs. Purina Pro Plan Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Crude Protein | 45.2% | 45.6% |
| Crude Fat | 19.9% | 17.4% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.1% | 3.6% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Crude Protein | 48.5% | 51.5% |
| Crude Fat | 23.1% | 17.1% |
| Crude Fiber | 11.1% | 6.9% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
Instinct and Purina Pro Plan both provide roughly the same amount of crude protein. For wet cat foods, Purina Pro Plan typically provides a little more protein (about 2.92% more).
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):
- Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Improve the health of skin/coat
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
- Maintain healthy blood pressure
According to our average data, Purina Pro Plan typically provides less fat than Instinct. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands. In addition, Instinct wet cat foods also provide more fat than Purina Pro Plan wet foods.
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet cat foods, Instinct provides more fiber (about 4.17% more).
Instinct Pet Food Ingredients vs. Purina Pro Plan Pet Food Ingredients
Instinct and Purina Pro Plan both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Instinct.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Purina Pro Plan.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Instinct and Purina Pro Plan both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Purina Pro Plan.
Product Safety: Recall History of Instinct & Purina Pro Plan?
Instinct has been recalled 2 times.
- July 24, 2015: Salmonella
- Feb. 15, 2013: Pieces of clear plastic in bag
Purina Pro Plan has been recalled once.
- March 9, 2016: Incorrect Vitamins and Minerals
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Per Pound | $5.79 | $2.01 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0030 | $0.0011 |
| Dry Cat Food | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Per Pound | $9.13 | $2.90 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0046 | $0.0016 |
| Wet Dog Food | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Per Pound | $6.35 | $2.84 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0109 | $0.0063 |
| Wet Cat Food | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Per Pound | $7.58 | $4.94 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0165 | $0.0116 |
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 Purina Pro Plan, 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 Purina Pro Plan 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 Purina Pro Plan. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- $10 Off + Free Shipping Orders $60+ @ PetFlow (Use Code SAVENOW)
- 10% Off Treats @ PetFlow (Use Code HOT10)
- 20% Off The Entire Site @ OnlyNaturalPet (Use Code AFPAWDIET)
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:
Where To Buy Purina Pro Plan Pet Foods
You can purchase Purina Pro Plan pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Instinct | Purina Pro Plan |
| Dry Dog Food | 30 Recipes | 42 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 22 Recipes | 29 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | 3 Treats | 2 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 14 Recipes | 22 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 29 Recipes | 66 Recipes |
| Cat Treats | 4 Treats |
