# Any Nature's Variety Instinct kibble feeders?



## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I tried the Instinct raw boost, my dogs loved it! But....it was too much protein for my toy poodle and too much fat for my chihuahua with pancreatitis. My poodle starting vomiting often and my chihuahua went into his worst pancreatitis attack yet. 

I think it is a great food for normal dogs 

I just started feeding California Natural Kangaroo and Red Lentil. It is grain free but low fat (11%) and lower protein (21%) and still has 400+ calories a cup. 

The dog food game is never ending, right?


----------



## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

first, full disclosure: i don't follow news/studies on dog food, so i don't know much about specific brands, kibble, etc. i have, however, been buying nature's variety instinct canned food for my dog - he gets some in the morning. my pet store just told me they are phasing it out, and i protested. the clerk told me that nature's logic, which they intend to promote more (they already carry it) is a better product because it contains grass fed beef, etc., etc. i have not gone on line to check that, but am proceeding on the assumption that what she said is true and am resigning myself to trying it on my dog.

the truth is that i have a lot of doubts about what we all eat because of the way food is produced in the u.s. all those hormones, vaccines, the way feed for animals is treated - it makes me wonder what a lifetime of ingesting all those "extras" does to our bodies. which leads to, what do they do to our dogs and any other pets? that being said, i still prefer to feed my dog food with "human quality" ingredients - especially after reading years ago that a lot of the pet food industry uses diseased animals and substandard fillers as content.

where am i going with all of this rambling? just suggesting that for a dog with a sensitive stomach, you may want to look not only at the balance between fat, protein and carbo, but also at whether the main ingredients are grass fed (or the equivalent for other meats), antibiotic free, etc. it only takes one ingredient that the body rejects to create an upset stomach. i know from experience, as i am one of those people who simply cannot eat raw bell peppers without getting sick to my stomach and can only tolerate cooked ones in very small quantities.

now having said all of that, there is a thread at pf in which one of the members mentioned that she finally went to science diet (for sensitive stomachs? i can't remember the actual variety of science diet) after trying everything and it put her dog back on even keel. i was shocked, but i have kept that at the back of my mind in case my next dog turns out to be one whose diet i can't get right to help with sensitive stomach issues.


----------



## SilverSpoo (Jan 15, 2014)

This might be a never mind, already.

Added only a 1/4 cup of the Raw Boost in with 1 cup of her normal food today, and she vomited a few hours later. Sigh!

I will try one more time tomorrow to see that it wasn't a flukey thing, but if she vomits again I will donate the rest of the bag.


----------



## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

something to think about: in reading forum posts, i noted that several people found that their dogs had acid reflux, which was making it very unpleasant for the dogs to eat - to the point where some did not really want to do so. you might want to ask your vet about that.


----------



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I agree with patk.....sometimes a dog is called a picky eater but in reality they get 'tummy aches' when they eat, so they eat only enough to curb their hunger. I would definitely have a talk with the vet! (especially if throwing up consistently after eating)......... LOL! I thank the fates my girl has a tummy of iron!


----------



## SilverSpoo (Jan 15, 2014)

Well she has never thrown up before, that is a new one for us!!

Her sensitive stomach is just diarrhea and loose stools off and on. She has never had really hard packed formed stool like my other dog, but the vast majority of days now once we got the food figured out onto the salmon and lamb it has been normal. (Too much information yet!? haha)

She is so sensitive that when she gets really excited like at the dog park she often has loose stools right away. LOL Just my luck. (She has had full bloodwork run, all is normal. We even ran bile acids when she was a pup to make sure she didn't have a liver shunt.)

I really do feel that it is fussiness as she will ravenously eat her raw patties and would be happy to consume as many of those as I would let her. And treats. And her dental chews. It is just the traditional "dog food" that I have difficulty with. It is frustrating.


----------



## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

SilverSpoo said:


> I really do feel that it is fussiness as she will ravenously eat her raw patties and would be happy to consume as many of those as I would let her. And treats. And her dental chews. It is just the traditional "dog food" that I have difficulty with. It is frustrating.


Bella often had bile and diarrhea on kibble as well - feeding the frozen prepared raw has cured all of these issues. I had some left over kibble I tried one evening as a low value training treat and it though she gobbled it down not long after had a bout of bad diarrhea - the kibble went in the trash. Her vet would definitely prefer that she was not on a raw diet but she seems happy and healthy so we are sticking with it ;-)


----------



## SilverSpoo (Jan 15, 2014)

Thanks Minnie. Good to know I am not the only one with a weird stomach poodle. I would consider feeding the commercial raw entirely, but it would cost me $8/day roughly, with the only options available here. I just can't do that right now.


----------



## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

SilverSpoo said:


> Thanks Minnie. Good to know I am not the only one with a weird stomach poodle. I would consider feeding the commercial raw entirely, but it would cost me $8/day roughly, with the only options available here. I just can't do that right now.


Ouch somehow I missed the standard... Prepared raw can be expensive - Bella is a 4.5 lb toy so a bag lasts about a month - that would be a drop in the bucket for a standard - yikes! Hopefully others will chime in with other ideas - best of luck I hope the tummy issues settle down quickly!


----------



## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

I do think that today's selection of dog foods are far superior to those of the past. That said, some dogs have a hard time with the top of the line foods since they are richer, and contain many more ingredients, etc. I think the key is to find the correct balance for your own dog. I, for one, have tried so many different brands and formulas over the years, I do sometimes wonder if part of the tummy issues my dogs may have experienced is from switching up the food so many times. 

I was also having a discussion with the owner of a local pet store who is also an animal nutritionist (degree). Although he has fed raw, he did say that his dogs (huskies) coat was much better (shinier) on a high grade kibble with added oils than it was on straight raw. I think he currently feeds both and rotates. I just found it interesting based on another thread where someone posted a question whether raw was good for a dog's coat.


----------



## SilverSpoo (Jan 15, 2014)

Well it may have been a fluke that first day, because there has been no further vomiting, and she is really enjoying the raw boost kibble. Every stool today was solid. She gobbles that up the little bit of raw boost first, and then is eating all of her other old kibble that I am mixing with it. So hopefully I didn't jinx it, and this continues! 

Does anyone have a picture of the regular Instinct kibble in their dogs bowl that I can see? 

I only got this 4lb bag as a trial, and for the next I am still stumped if I am going to get the raw boost or the original formula. It is $100/bag vs $85/bag and the ingredients appear to be exactly the same.


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I feed Instinct Ultimate protein to my toy poodles. I switch around though and presently they're eating Victor. So I don't have a picture. But it looks pretty much like any small, round kibble...dark in color and their poops come out pretty solid and dark, just like when they were eating a raw homemade diet. My poodles must have cast iron stomachs because they don't care if I switch food suddenly...no easing in period needed. LOL. And nothing seems to bother them. So, it just depends on how a dog handles it. If your dog does well on it, then it's probably one of the better commercial foods out there. (as far as commercial food goes)


----------

