Customer Reviews

Nature's Variety Dry Dog Food, Instinct Grain Free Chicken Diet, 13.2 Pound Bag

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had to write a review for this wonderful brand of dog food when I saw that no one gave it the credit it so richly deserves. Natures Variety Instinct is completely grain free and made from 95% meat and 5% assorted oils (like olive oil and fish oil), vegetables, fruits, and vitamins/minerals. I was a loyal follower of Canadie dog food for years until they decided to change their formula and increase their amounts of grains being used. Then the reports came in stating that so many dogs were getting sick over it. I was at a loss until I came across this line of dog food from a small manufacturing group. The reviews I read online were phenomenal and I decided to try it. I have a baby long-haired Chihuahua that absolutely loves this food. It doesnt give her an upset stomach, nor does it make her stools runny. She only has to eat a very small amount because its so nutrient packed. Her coat looks lustrous and her eyes sparkle. I decided to use the chicken meal formula because it offered a higher protein intake compared to the other instinct dry food options., but all of them offer the same fat intake and omega-3&6. It may not have the fancy commercials and the marketing campaign of more well known dog foods like Purina, but it more then makes up for it by making a product of exceptional quality.

I struggled with my Rhodesian Ridgeback Mix Muriel and the allergies and sensitive stomach that she inherited. We tried other premium brands such as Wellness, Canidae, Inova and even made our food until we found Nature's Variety. It was actually recommended to us by a vet who specializes in dogs with allergies.

Since we started feeding this fantastic food 4 years ago Muriel no longer gets hives, upset stomach or ear infections. Her coat is glossy and she is as energetic as a puppy even though she's almost 9 years old. We also feed Nature's Variety to our 2 cats and our other dog Gilbert (English Fox Hound Mix). They love the chicken instinct but we rotate through the other flavors available and add Nature's Variety Canned and Raw frozen food (Available in a variety of flavors: Rabbit, Salmon, Duck, Beef, Lamb, Bison and Venison).

I'm Lucky enough to know the owners of some of Muriel's Litter Mates and am Happy to say that I have made converts of some of them. Their dogs no longer need allergy shots or suffer from hives and upset stomach. As for the ones I haven't converted, I'm still working on them.

But don't think this food is just for dogs with problems, this food has changed the health and lifestyle of all our pets.

A word of caution this is a very nutrient packed food, no fillers. So you feed about 1/2 as much as you would of many other dry dog food. See the Nature's Variety Feeding Chart at [...] to figure out how much food your dog or cat needs.

I purchased this food 1)for the ingredients and 2)for the convenience of Amazon.com delivery. With 2 small dogs, 13.2 lb. was the best size bag. Our older dog, with no digestive issues, just loves this food, gobbles it up, and she is a picky eater. She has no problems digesting the food. Our second dog has had digestive and allergy issues and had problems with the food. He loved the taste, but the result was loose watery stools, and we had to stop feeding immediately. Perhaps it was too rich for his system - we have since put him on a vegetarian diet with great success.

Our puppy had never had a solid poop in his life. He was tested for parasites, etc and came out negative. When we switched to grain free, the results were almost immediate, plus his coat got nicer looking too.

We used Nature's Variety (non Instinct formula) for a while, but when we moved to our current location, the closest we could find was Natural Balance, so we had to switch. When NB put out their grain free Alpha Dog, I tried that out and was amazed at how my normally very smelly Boston Terrier suddenly didn't seem to have any gas at all. This got me searching for reviews, where I discovered the NV's Instinct line was rated much higher than NB's Alpha dog. When I discovered the Amazon subscriptions, and how inexpensive that makes it(relative to what I pay at the pet store for organic pet food), I decided to give NV another try. For the first week, I mixed the last of the old food with the new to get him used to it. He had diarrhea and the worst gas EVER for days. Now it's been a week on just the NV food and the sickness has not stopped. I though maybe he was suffering from seasonal allergies and that's why he seemed so blahhh lately. Last night I put it all together and realized it's the food. I really wish I could get a refund, but at least I stopped the subscription in time not to get another.

My dogs used to eat this and it did wonders for their coat. BUT they were regurgitating it so i stopped. I thought I would give it another shot but even with a gradual transition, my dogs never got used to it nor stopped having loose stools.

I notice it is a much smaller kibble than the older formula AND smells absolutely horrible now, like s--t, no joke.

Nature's Variety is usually tops when it comes to ingredients and manufacturing guidelines but can't tell you what happened here.

The bag I got did not look like the bag pictured. The food was stale and my dog got sick. Will not be buying dog food from here again.