Instinct Pet Food Review

Made by Nature's Variety in US.

Average score: 83/100 across 98 pet food products.

Raw and freeze-dried specialist (Nature's Variety's primary line).

Top Instinct products

1. Instinct FreshDried Meal Blends Adult Freeze-Dried Dog Food - Beef & Wild Berry — 100/100
2. Instinct Raw Longevity Freeze-Dried Raw Alaskan Pollock — 100/100
3. Instinct Raw Longevity Freeze-Dried Raw Alaskan Pollock 7+ — 100/100
4. Instinct Raw Longevity Freeze-Dried Raw Beef — 100/100
5. Instinct Raw Longevity Freeze-Dried Raw Lamb — 100/100

Frequently asked questions

Who makes Instinct pet food?

Instinct is manufactured by Nature's Variety.

Where is Instinct made?

Instinct pet food is made in US.

When was Instinct founded?

Instinct was founded in 2002.

Is Instinct WSAVA-aligned?

Instinct is not on our WSAVA-aligned shortlist. That doesn't automatically mean the food is poor quality — many strong brands haven't pursued WSAVA recognition — but it means we lack independent confirmation of feeding-trial validation and on-staff veterinary nutritionist staffing.

Has Instinct ever been recalled?

We haven't matched any Instinct products to current FDA recall records. Note that absence of matches isn't a guarantee of no recall history — older recalls may not be in the current feed.

How does Instinct score in our analysis?

Instinct averages 83/100 across 98 products in our catalog. Individual product scores combine ingredient quality, AAFCO compliance, and controversial-additive severity. See the methodology page for the full algorithm.

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