Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon Dry Dog Food
The first five ingredients are Salmon, White Fish Meal (Pacific Whiting, Pacific Sole, Pacific Rockfish), Peas, Menhaden Fish Meal, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid). 3 of them are a named animal protein. We put the starch at 23.9%, below the 38.51% average across the foods we hold.
High protein once the water is taken out, and a low share of the bag left over as starch.
How we got to 90
Five things, one hundred points, and the reason for every one. We would rather show our working than ask you to trust a number.
26-32% dm reads typical mainstream.
Estimated, 6% ash assumed.
Count of named animal proteins.
Matched against the flag list.
Manufacturer, not recipe.
The numbers, without the water
Percentages on a bag include the water in the food, so a wet food always looks lower than a dry one. Taking the water out puts any two foods on the same footing. This one is 90% dry matter.
That is 14.6 points below average, so proportionally less of the bag is starch.
Everything on the label
Printed exactly as the manufacturer lists it, heaviest ingredient first.
Salmon, White Fish Meal (Pacific Whiting, Pacific Sole, Pacific Rockfish), Peas, Menhaden Fish Meal, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Herring Meal, Chickpeas, Pea Protein, Natural Flavor, Tapioca, Dried Tomato Pomace, Carrots, Apples, Cranberries, Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide), Freeze-Dried Cod, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract
What those first ingredients actually are
The top of the list is most of the food by weight, so it is worth knowing what each one is. Green marks a named animal protein.
Salmon
The flesh of salmon, an oily cold-water fish, used fresh.
Peas
The seed of the pea plant, used whole, split or dried as a carbohydrate and plant protein source.
Menhaden Fish Meal
A concentrated meal rendered from menhaden, a small oily fish caught specifically for oil and meal.
How much of this to feed
A starting point, worked out from the resting energy formula vets use and this food's own calorie density. Every dog is different, so watch their weight and adjust. Your vet's advice beats a calculator.
How it compares
Same figures, same method, put next to another recipe from Instinct and the archive average.
| Metric | This recipe | Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with… | Archive average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Score | 90 | 90 | -- |
| Protein, water out | 41.7% | 40.0% | -- |
| Starch, water out | 23.9% | 27.2% | 38.51% |
| Named in first five | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 | -- |
Recall history
Recalls are matched to the manufacturer, not this exact recipe. A recall on a different product still tells you something about the plant it came from.
We have not matched any FDA recall to Instinct. We check the feed daily and this page updates when that changes.
Other flavors
More from Instinct, scored the same way.