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35% OFF
Instinct &
Wellness
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Instinct &
Wellness
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Instinct &
Wellness
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Instinct vs. Wellness
In this comparison article for Instinct vs Wellness, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Instinct and Wellness, 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 Wellness 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 Wellness Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Wellness 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. Wellness Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Instinct | Wellness |
| Crude Protein | 36.2% | 34.6% |
| Crude Fat | 24.1% | 15.8% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.4% | 5.6% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Instinct | Wellness |
| Crude Protein | 42.1% | 41.8% |
| Crude Fat | 27.7% | 24.1% |
| Crude Fiber | 10.0% | 4.9% |
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.
Wellness and Instinct both provide roughly the same amount of crude protein. With regards to wet dog food, Instinct and Wellness also provide roughly the same amount of crude 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.
When you look at the average percentages of crude fat for dry dog food, it's clear that Instinct provides significantly more fat. On average, Instinct guarantees about 8.38% more protein than Wellness. For wet dog foods, Instinct typically provides a little more fat (about 3.62% more).
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet dog foods, Instinct provides more fiber (about 5.09% more).
Instinct Cat Food vs. Wellness Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Instinct | Wellness |
| Crude Protein | 43.7% | 42.0% |
| Crude Fat | 25.4% | 16.0% |
| Crude Fiber | 3.7% | 4.7% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Instinct | Wellness |
| Crude Protein | 47.1% | 45.0% |
| Crude Fat | 25.0% | 24.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 8.6% | 5.6% |
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.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude protein. For wet cat foods, Instinct typically provides a little more protein (about 2.07% 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):
- 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.
The comparison table above shows that Instinct dry cat foods provide significantly more fat than Wellness. More specifically, Instinct guarantees at least 9.36% more fat. For wet cat foods, Instinct and Wellness provide roughly the same amount of fat.
As you can see, Instinct and Wellness guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Instinct typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.01% more).
Instinct Pet Food Ingredients vs. Wellness Pet Food Ingredients
Instinct and Wellness 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 Wellness.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Instinct and Wellness both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Wellness.
Product Safety: Recall History of Instinct & Wellness?
Instinct has been recalled 2 times.
- July 24, 2015: Salmonella
- Feb. 15, 2013: Pieces of clear plastic in bag
Wellness has been recalled 5 times.
- March 18, 2017: elevated beef throid hormone
- Feb. 10, 2017: foreign material
- Oct. 30, 2012: High Moisture
- May 4, 2012: Salmonella
- Feb. 28, 2011: Low Levels of Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Instinct | Wellness |
| Per Pound | $8.93 | $3.61 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0044 | $0.0022 |
| Dry Cat Food | Instinct | Wellness |
| Per Pound | $11.49 | $3.90 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0057 | $0.0023 |
| Wet Dog Food | Instinct | Wellness |
| Per Pound | $6.31 | $6.74 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0107 | $0.0140 |
| Wet Cat Food | Instinct | Wellness |
| Per Pound | $8.87 | $9.09 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0179 | $0.0223 |
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 Wellness, 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 Wellness 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 Wellness. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- 20% Off First Auto-Ship @ PetFlow (Use Code PAWDIET20)
- 35% Off First Auto-Ship @ Chewy (No Code Required)
- 15% 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 Wellness Pet Foods
You can purchase Wellness pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Instinct | Wellness |
| Dry Dog Food | 37 Recipes | 59 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 10 Recipes | 53 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | None | 25 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 20 Recipes | 19 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 16 Recipes | 74 Recipes |
| Cat Treats | None | 5 Treats |
Top Rated Instinct Recipes
Top Rated Wellness Recipes
