Instinct Dog Food Ingredients
Instinct manufactures roughly 75 different dog food products.
Each product utilizes a unique set of ingredients to achieve a desired nutritional profile.
In this article, we'll explore Instinct ingredients and answer many of the most common questions.
As of right now, our records indicate that Instinct uses roughly
178 different ingredients.
First 5 Ingredients
Dog food ingredients in the United States are listed in descending order of pre-cooked weight.
The first 5 ingredients typically constitute a significant portion of the recipe.
For Instinct, these are the most common ingredients found within the first
5 dog food ingredients.
- beef
- chicken meal
- pea
- tapioca
- apple
As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Instinct is
beef. The most common 2nd ingredient is
chicken meal, followed by pea,
tapioca, and apple.
Artificial Food Coloring Dyes
Instinct does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According
to our records, none of the 75 Instinct dog foods
contain artificial food dyes.
Artificial food coloring dyes are unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients. In general,
we not not recommend feeding any pet foods that contain artificial dyes.
In 2010, the CSPI raised serious concerns regarding the safety of many artificial dyes. Most
of the studies referenced by the CSPI involved prolonged or excessive consumption. Since most
dogs consume the same foods throughout their lives, concerns raised by the CSPI are alarming
to say the least.
To read more about Artificial Food Dyes,
click here.
Animal By-Products
According to our records, Instinct does not contain any animal by-products.
Animal by-products are basically the leftover parts of the the carcass after
its been processed for meat. AAFCO defines by-products as the non-rendered,
clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals.
Although by-products are still fairly nutritious ingredients, consumers have equated them with
slaughterhouse waste. Therefore, most premium brands, including Instinct have
decided to remove by-products and instead use named organ meats (beef liver, chicken gizzards).
For further reading on the controversy over animal by-products,
click here.
Anonymous Meat Ingredients
Anonymous meats are inexpensive low-quality ingredients that can come from practically any
animal. These type of ingredients are often used to produce very inexpensive dog foods.
In general, we prefer ingredients which specify the animal source used to derive the ingredient.
For example, ingredients such as duck fat are much better than animal fat or poultry fat.
In our analysis, we've looked through all 178 Instinct
ingredients. According to our data, Instinct does not contain any
anonymous animal-based ingredients.
Controversial Ingredients
In most cases, ingredients which are given the controversial classification can be substituted
with higher-quality alternatives. You should evaluate each controversial ingredient
independently to see if there is truly a valid cause for concern.
Keep in mind, certain sacrifices often must be made to produce dog foods at a reasonable price.
In general, the more expensive the product, the fewer controversial ingredients you'll find.
In our analysis, we've identified 3 controversial
ingredients inside Instinct products. These controversial ingredients are
listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.
Dried tomato pomace is a by-product of tomato manufacturing. It's considered a controversial ingredient because many people believe it is an inexpensive low quality filler. However, tomato pomace provides a notable amount of dietary fiber, B vitamins, Lycopene, and vitamin A. Although it is a very inexpensive ingredient, it is not nutritionally empty.
The following recipes contain dried tomato pomace:
Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.
The following recipes contain pea protein:
Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.
The following recipes contain canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid):
Potentially Harmful Ingredients
Harmful ingredients are those which have been linked to adverse health effects. In general,
we do not recommend feeding any product which contains any harmful ingredients.
During our review, none of the Instinct ingredients analyzed were classified
as harmful by our system. The absence of harmful ingredients is indicative of a
relatively premium dog food brand.
Instinct Dog Food Ingredient Lists