Nature's Variety Instinct
 

So, I got a free 4.4lb bag of Nature's Variety Instinct yesterday morning delivered to my house. It's the Duck & Turkey formula. The only reason I got it was because it was free- besides shipping, but I didn't even expect him to like it because he's so picky.

He LOVES this stuff. I mean, at least so far. It's been since yesterday morning and he's been going over and eating it dry, chowing down, not even picking out the old food. He NEVER would eat all of his dry food, it would have to have wet or something mixed in... this is like a miracle to me. Lol. It's only the second day so who knows if it will continue but for now, he seems to really be loving this a lot. If it keeps up, I will buy another bag.

I searched and didn't find a whole lot of info about this food on this site. I was just wondering if anyone had experience with it or reviews or what you thought. I was kind of nervous about the higher protein (35%) but I figured it still wasn't as high as Evo or Orijen, etc and Jackson is a pretty active 12.5lb dog. He goes to the dog park generally 1-2x a week and gets many good runs/play out. He goes for 20-40 walks/runs almost every day, I'd say 5/7 days. He visits over at my dads place in their fenced in yard twice a week generally and swims in their pool and runs with their dogs. Is this active enough to be consuming this much protein?

Sorry for the LONG rant - just want opinions on the food! Pretty sure I will stick with it if he keeps this up. He's never voluntarily just eaten dry food like this, it's shocking me.

Here's the info:
Duck Meal, Turkey Meal, Salmon Meal, Canola Oil (naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Tapioca, Tomato Pomace, Pumpkinseeds, Herring Meal, Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Brewers Yeast, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Biotin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Iodine Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Carotene, Folic Acid), Peas, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite), Sea Salt, Dried Kelp, Cranberries, Blueberries, Inulin, Freeze Dried Turkey, Freeze Dried Turkey Liver, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Freeze Dried Turkey Hearts, Freeze Dried Ground Turkey Bone.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 35.0%
Crude Fat (min) 22.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 3.5%
Moisture (max) 10.0%


Other Nutritional Data
Calcium (min): 2.26%
Phosphorus (min): 1.13%
Vitamin E (min): 155.68 IU/kg
Vitamin C* (min): 50 mg/kg
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (min): 3.86%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (min): 2.07%
*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.


Vitamins
Vitamin A: 23276.68 IU/kg
Vitamin D: 2547.59 IU/kg
Vitamin E: 155.68 IU/kg
Thiamine: 22.88 mg/kg
Riboflavin: 11.91 mg/kg
Choline: 3769.41 mg/kg

Minerals
Sodium: 0.64%
Potassium: 0.90%
Magnesium: 0.16%
Iron: 744.0 mg/kg
Copper: 27.0 mg/kg
Zinc: 415.0 mg/kg

They make Natures Variety here in NE they are one of my accounts.. I have to tell you I went in and toured the place... it was so clean in there you can eat off the floor. It smells like food not dog food. it is a Great Place

Well, that's a great thing to know! :thumbup:
Thanks for sharing.

Yes, that is GREAT to know.
I use their raw formula!!
Thanks for sharing !

I love NV Instinct and so do my babies. We're feeding TOTW right now but will be rotating back to Instinct. Instinct & TOTW are by far their favorites. None of them are 'picky' eaters but I can tell they just like this food so much more than other brands. The other poster is right - it smells so much better than a lot of other foods do. I have fed Instinct to my five when they ranged in age from 3 months to 13+ years and they all did great on it - no problems at all.

The Instinct Rabbit is their absolute favorite! (No, the rabbit kibble does not come from China - only the raw rabbit does). The rabbit is also 35% protein. The chicken is 42%, and is the least fav for my babies.

I was actually thinking of trying this today!! I am having a feeling Laci is allergic to rice... she is eating Prarie right now but seems itchy!!

If you go here, Nature's Variety - Instinct Duck Meal & Turkey - Dog Food - Free Shipping

You can get a free bag, just put in the coupon code. It's like $5 something for shipping.

EDIT -- I can't find it. I don't think the sale is going on anymore :(
But maybe you can go to their site and request free samples in the mail?
http://www.naturesvariety.com/

Also, remember, most stores (ask first, though!) will take back a bag of dog food if you just
use a little bit and your dog doesnt like it. So if you're up to it, buy the 4.4lb bag and give her
a little taste, see how she does, and just return it if she doesn't like it.

Oh and in my first post, I meant to say he goes for 20-40 MINUTE walks/runs almost every day (not 20-40 walks a day!)

Thanks for the info! Maybe I'll try a bag of rabbit next :)

I love the NV instinct food....I think it is a great food. I've only fed the Duck, (and yes, I got a free bag from K9cuisine :D). I rotate foods, so currently I'm feeding CORE, but I've been happy with the Instinct. I'm keeping it on the rotation. :)





Thanks Lori for that bit of info! :D Very good to know.

Thanks! I'm thinking I will be able to stick with this food for a while, and possibly to a
rotation like you if I can find another food Jackson likes THIS much lol. Or just switch
flavors every bag.

I had all of mine on this for a while, but one got fat very quickly. I don't know if I overfed her, as the others did not gain a lot from it. They all did well on it and loved it, but they also love the prairie that they are eating now, and I was able to get little miss fatty back to normal weight :) (with some extra exercise too )

I feed the duck and also the rabbit to Tucker. He loves both!! Doesn't care for the chicken though, and I don't think they make that anymore because all Chicken bags I have found on the shelves lately have been expired.

I have researched NV Instinct pretty extensively and the only thing that concerns me is the fact that they list a min instead of a max for calcium and phosphorous (after reading the white paper from Orijen), but compared to everything else that could be wrong with the food this doesn't bother me too much--just something to be aware of.

NV sent out free coupons via email last month--but they expired August 31st. You might want to get on their email list to get in on future deals. Not sure of other specials they're running, but like others have said, most stores will let you return the bag if your yorkie doesn't like it, only ate a small portion from the bag, and you keep your receipt. :)

All in all I give the food :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: I haven't found anything I'm more comfortable feeding yet :D