Instinct Dog Food: Unbiased Reviews, Ingredients & Feeding Guide.

Okay, so I've been meaning to switch up my dog's food for a while. He's a picky eater, my little Max, and I wanted something that was both healthy and that he'd actually eat. I kept seeing ads for Instinct, so I figured, let's give this a shot. This is my journey, blunders and all!

Digging into Options

First, I went online and looked at all their different formulas. Wow, they've got a lot! Raw boost, limited ingredient, healthy weight... It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. I spent a good hour just reading product descriptions.

• Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken: Sounded good, pretty standard.
• Limited Ingredient Diet Real Salmon Recipe: Max sometimes gets itchy skin, so I thought this might help.
• Raw Boost Mixers Gut Health: I had no idea, just put it here.

I narrowed it down to the chicken and the salmon. Chicken because, well, it's chicken. Salmon because of the potential skin benefits.

The Smell Test (for Me and Max)

I ordered small bags of both the Original Grain-Free Chicken and the Limited Ingredient Salmon. When they arrived, the first thing I did was open them up and take a whiff. I know, I know, I'm weird. The chicken one smelled... like dog food. Not bad, just... dog food-y. The salmon one was definitely fishy, but not in a gross way. It actually smelled kinda fresh.

Max's Verdict

Now for the important part – would Max eat it? I put a little of the chicken kibble in his bowl. He sniffed it, gave me his usual "are you serious?" look, and then... he ate it! A few pieces, at least. Progress!

Next, I tried the salmon. He was way more interested in this one. Sniffed it, then gobbled it right up! We had a winner!

The Transition Period

I didn't want to upset his stomach, so I started mixing the Instinct with his old food. I did about 25% Instinct, 75% old food for a few days. He picked out the Instinct pieces and left the old food, the little rascal! I had to crush up the Instinct at one point so that mixed with the old food.

Then I slowly increased the Instinct and decreased the old food over the next week. No tummy troubles, thankfully!

The Results (So Far)

It's been about a month now, and Max is fully on the Instinct Limited Ingredient Salmon. And honestly? He seems great! His coat is shinier, he's got good energy, and, most importantly, he loves his food. No more turning his nose up at dinner time! He will bark at times to ask for more.

Things I like:

• He actually eats it!
• His coat looks healthier.
• No digestive issues.

Things I'm neutral on:

• It's a little pricier than his old food, but hey, if it's good for him, it's worth it.

So, that's my Instinct dog food review. It's a win in my book! Will I try other Instinct formulas? Maybe! But for now, I'm sticking with the salmon. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?