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Instinct Limited Ingredient Canned DOG FOOD Review

Average Score

6.3
4 color scale

Food scores are based on ingredient quality and safety. For more information, view our  evaluation criteria.

Instinct Limited Ingredient Real Lamb Canned Dog Food

With an average score of 6.3, Instinct Limited Ingredient Wet is considered a moderate risk dog food. There are 3 recipes that average 46% protein and 13% average carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. 

This is a limited ingredient line with one protein and one vegetable followed by a list of synthetic vitamins and minerals that affect ingredient quality.

Even though this line has 13% average carbohydrate, the Real Rabbit Recipe has carbs of 27%. These levels are considered high for a wet dog food. The label states that these foods do not contain grain, potato, corn, wheat or soy, but they do include peas and chickpeas which are starches that contribute to the carbohydrate level. Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrate. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of lower food quality as it can be used to reduce manufacturing cost. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance. 

This line also loses significant ingredient quality points for having added vitamins and minerals. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources and their inclusion is usually due to poor quality or overly processed raw ingredients. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes. 

Plant proteins are also used, and are a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they are more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources. 

The ingredient safety score is lower because, like all canned foods, Instinct Limited Ingredient Wet is highly processed, and is heated before and during canning, leading to nutrient losses. 

Rounding out the ingredient safety scores, Instinct loses points for high pesticide or herbicide foods, some in the top 5 ingredients.  It also contains natural flavor, which is usually MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.

It’s also worth noting that the line contains sodium selenite as a source of selenium. Dogs need selenium, and it’s usually added in very small amounts. However some research suggests that sodium selenite may be associated with potential toxicity, so selenium yeast is the preferred form of this mineral.  

There’s also a concern about ingredient splitting in two recipes. This is the practice of splitting ingredients into sub-categories (like peas, pea protein and pea flour) to make them appear lower in the ingredient list. It’s often done to disguise the amount of lower quality ingredients in the food.

The label does not provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Instinct Limited Ingredient Canned Dog Food Benefits

Instinct Limited Ingredient Canned Dog Food Concerns

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