This brand is aptly named because, not only do they use the best ingredients that nature has to offer, but they have one of the most varied lineups of product choices.
Even with dozens and dozens of different recipes to their name, the company is uncompromising when it comes to their products.
Each recipe features a premium-quality protein and is formulated to deliver optimal nutrition and maximum flavor. No matter which recipe you choose, this brand is always a good choice.
Natures Variety used to be divided into just two product lines — Instinct and Prairie. The Instinct line includes high-protein and holistic recipes made with premium meats, wholesome carbohydrates, healthy fats, and beneficial supplements.
The Prairie line of dry foods and wet foods are all holistic and natural, made with the highest quality ingredients available. Now, however, Prairie is known as Be Natural, a sub-range under the Instinct product line.
Other new sub-ranges have also come out, including Raw Boost, Limited Ingredient, Healthy Cravings, and more. This is to provide pet owners a wide selection of quality products to choose from that target the specific requirements or needs of their canine pets.
The brand is notable for its use of fresh meats, poultry and fish as well as wholesome grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Instinct recipes are all free from corn, wheat, and soy ingredients, designed in keeping with a holistic nutritional philosophy.
Raw is almost always a part of the Instinct diet, since it’s also known as the Raw Brand. In some recipes, freeze-dried food (raw meat) is added to the kibbles and on others, it’s crushed and used as a coating instead.
Nature’s Variety Dog Food Review
Instinct Raw Boost
The Instinct Raw Boost line combines high-protein and nutrient-rich kibbles with freeze-fried raw pieces in each bag. The raw pieces are all meat with nothing artificial in them. They’re whole, pure, and as close to their natural state as possible.
1. Instinct Raw Boost Healthy Weight Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Pieces Recipe
First 5 ingredients:
Chicken, Turkey Meal, Peas, Tapioca, Menhaden Fish Meal
This recipe offers dogs the delicious taste of pure meat while helping manage their weight. This formulation contains 15% fewer calories and 25% less fat than regular Raw Boost recipes.
It includes L-carnitine to aid fat burning and fiber to promote fullness and gastrointestinal health. The recipe features high-quality meats like chicken, fish meal, and freeze dried organs, providing a high crude protein level of 32%.
The inclusion of probiotics supports digestive health. Despite concerns, the small amount of suncured alfalfa meal used is safe for dogs.
At 389 kcal per cup, this recipe helps dogs feel full without gaining unnecessary weight. The Raw Boost range also offers options for various breed sizes and life stages, with a variety of flavors available.
Instinct Be Natural
Nature Variety’s Instinct Be Natural line is dog food designed to be high in protein but balanced with hearty grains. There are no fillers to be found in the list and every piece of kibble is coated with freeze-dried raw to give your dogs only natural and pure nutrition.
First 5 ingredients: Lamb, Menhaden Fish Meal, Oatmeal, Barley, Millet
This kibble recipe offers a noticeable difference in taste for dogs by using all-natural meat as the first ingredient and enhancing flavor with a crushed freeze-dried raw meat coating.
Leading the ingredient list is lamb, complemented by freeze-dried lamb organs rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Additional meat sources include Menhaden fish meal and turkey meal.
Healthy grains like oatmeal, barley, and millet, along with fruits such as apples, blueberries, and cranberries, ensure a balanced and nutritious meal.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from ground flaxseed support overall health. The diet is free from corn, wheat, brewer’s rice, poultry by-product meals, and artificial additives. This dry dog food is also available in chicken and salmon flavors.
Instinct Limited Ingredient
When dogs have food sensitivities, a limited ingredient diet is essential. This range keeps it simple for dogs and their owners alike by limiting the animal protein and vegetable content to just one each.
There’s nothing in the list that’s unnecessary — just pure cage-free poultry or grass-fed meat that’s made without any artificial ingredient.
3. Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet with Real Turkey
Knowing what’s exactly in your pet’s food is important when your dog is sensitive to a lot of things. This Limited Ingredient recipe is designed for dogs with sensitivities, keeping the ingredient list short but effective.
The primary ingredient is turkey meal, which is rich in protein due to its low moisture content. Fresh turkey is also included, contributing to a total crude protein level of 26%.
Peas add additional protein, fiber, and nutrients. Montmorillonite clay, a safe anti-caking agent, also detoxifies the body. Canola and coconut oils provide essential fatty acids and vitamins, enhancing skin and coat health and reducing allergies.
Each kibble is coated with freeze-dried raw turkey meat, liver, and heart. The recipe excludes common allergens like dairy, grains, eggs, soy, chicken, beef, fish, and artificial additives.
The Limited Ingredient line also includes lamb, salmon, and rabbit flavors.
Instinct Original
The Instinct Original line is made up of 70% (or over) animal ingredients and nutritious oils and 30% (or a little less) vegetables, fruits, and other wholesome ingredients. It’s raw inspired, high in animal protein, and free from grains.
4. Instinct Original Recipe with Real Rabbit
First 5 ingredients:
Rabbit, Salmon Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Chickpeas, Canola Oil
This recipe is a high-protein dog food with a 71:29 ratio of animal protein and oils to vegetables and fruits, boasting a crude protein level of at least 36.5%.
The primary ingredient is rabbit meat, supported by various other meat sources like salmon meal, menhaden fish meal, rabbit meal, and white fish meal. This combination enhances flavor but may be unsuitable for dogs with certain food sensitivities.
Menhaden fish meal, rich in amino and fatty acids, along with canola oil, provides essential omegas for skin, bone, immune, and digestive health.
The 29% vegetable and fruit content includes chickpeas, peas, carrots, apples, cranberries, and montmorillonite clay, offering vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
The recipe includes guaranteed levels of probiotics to support digestion and immune health. Each kibble is coated with freeze-dried rabbit meat, liver, lung, and kidney.
The formulation excludes fillers, artificial preservatives, and by-products. The Instinct Original line is also available in beef, duck, chicken, and salmon flavors.
5. Instinct Original Grain-Free Real Chicken Recipe
This grain free, wet food recipe from Instinct Original is designed for meat-loving dogs, containing 95% meat from chicken, turkey, and chicken liver in a delicious loaf.
Chicken and turkey are common in dog food, while liver adds high fat, protein, and vitamin A, which are essential for energy, muscle building, and eye health.
Inspired by the natural diet of wild dogs, the recipe includes chicken broth for moisture, ground flaxseed for omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, montmorillonite clay as a detoxifier and natural caking agent, and dried egg product for digestible fatty and amino acids.
The formulation is rounded out with vegetables and fruits like carrots, peas, cranberries, artichokes, and blueberries, plus added supplements like folic acid, iron, vitamin E, and choline for a balanced diet.
Instinct Original canned dog food is also available in beef and rabbit flavors, with specific recipes for small breeds and puppies.
6. Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Real Turkey Recipe
First 5 ingredients:
Turkey, Turkey Broth, Turkey Liver, Peas, Pea Protein
This canned pet food features cage-free turkey as the primary ingredient, a novel protein suitable for dogs sensitive to chicken.
Turkey, present as muscle meat, broth, and liver, offers highly digestible proteins and essential nutrients like vitamin C, niacin, and vitamin A.
Peas are the sole vegetable, appearing as whole peas and pea protein, both contributing to the protein content.
Montmorillonite clay is included as a natural anti-caking agent. The recipe is supplemented with vitamins and minerals to ensure a balanced diet for adult dogs.
It avoids common allergens such as dairy, potatoes, corn, soy, and wheat, making it ideal for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Instinct Raw
Instinct Raw is an excellent intro into raw food for your dog. The line features recipes that are minimally processed and never cooked to give your canine the pure nutrition of food close to its natural state. Because they’re frozen at their peak, all the nutrients and freshness are sealed in.
The meals are protein-packed with around 85% made up of real meat, while the remaining percentage is taken up by a blend of non-GMO fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals. There are no wheat, grain, corn, or artificial colors and preservatives in the Instinct Raw line of food.
Instinct Raw food mimics dogs' ancestral diets, promoting lean muscles, good dental health, and energy. The first ingredient is chicken, including ground chicken bone, providing calcium and phosphorus.
Chicken liver and heart add essential nutrients like iron, niacin, and zinc. The recipe is balanced with fruits and vegetables, including apples, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, blueberries, and spinach, many of which are nutrient-dense superfoods.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids from ground flaxseed and salmon oil reduce inflammation, enhance coat health, and improve cognitive function.
The Instinct Raw diets line offer different flavors (beef and lamb) and forms (Bites, Medallions, and Patties), with a special line for small breeds.
Instinct Healthy Cravings
The Healthy Cravings line of food toppers keeps regular meals exciting but healthy. It gives a whole new level of taste to any pet food and brings with it a good dose of necessary nutrients like protein, fiber, fat, and moisture.
Healthy Cravings in beef flavor offers a natural and nutritious option for dogs by using real, grass-fed beef as the primary ingredient, complemented by beef broth for added taste and moisture.
Beef provides high-quality protein and essential amino acids crucial for body functions, including protein production, healing, digestion, neurotransmitter production, and energy.
The recipe also includes chicken for an additional protein boost, ensuring a crude protein level of at least 9%.
Beef liver enhances flavor and adds iron, folate, and other vital nutrients. Other key ingredients include eggs (rich in folate, riboflavin, and vitamin A), pea flour (high in iron, protein, and fiber), guar gum (a thickener that lowers triglycerides and cholesterol), and DL-methionine (an essential amino acid for eye, skin, coat, and heart health).
Instinct Healthy Cravings is also available in chicken, salmon, and lamb flavors.
Raw Boost Mixers
The Raw Boost Mixers are food toppers designed to give pups the pure nutrition of raw. The ingredients are freeze-dried to remove all moisture while retaining all the health-boosting nutrients and natural flavor of the meat. These toppers are crafted using high-quality meat and non-GMO fruits and vegetables.
Natures Variety Instinct Raw Boost Mixers are impressive food toppers with a minimum crude protein content of 38%, much higher than most complete meals, and a maximum fiber content of 15%.
The high protein level comes from beef, the first ingredient, supported by nutritious beef organs like liver, spleen, and kidney.
These organs provide essential vitamins (A, D, K, E) and minerals (iron, zinc, potassium, copper), promoting a healthy heart, strong muscles, and a beautiful coat.
The recipe is also rich in fruits and vegetables, including carrots, apples, pumpkin seeds, butternut squash, ground flaxseed, broccoli, and blueberries, offering antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Other flavors include chicken and lamb. Additionally, Raw Boost Mixers are available for specific health concerns such as Gut Health, Skin and Coat Health, Mobility Support, Digestive Health, and Immune Health.
Who Makes Nature’s Variety Dog Food?
The Nature’s Variety brand of dog food is made by Nature’s Variety, Inc. This company was founded by Bob Milligan and the first Nature’s Variety product hit pet store shelves in 2002.
As a privately held company, Nature’s Variety makes all of their own products in company-owned facilities in the U.S.
Is It Made in the United States?
Yes. The Nature’s Variety company is a privately held company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Not only is Nature’s Variety a U.S.-based company, but they produce and manufacture all of their products in the United States.
This brand uses company-owned manufacturing facilities located in Lincoln, Nebraska to manufacture all of their products including classic, grain-free, and holistic dog foods.
Not only does this company avoid outsourcing the manufacture of their products, but they employ an expert team made up of holistic veterinarians and animal nutritionists to formulate their products.
Where Do They Get Their Ingredients?
According to the FAQ section of their website, all of the ingredients used in their products are of the highest quality. The materials used in Instinct raw and raw frozen products are obtained from USDA-inspected facilities.
The pork and poultry the company uses in their products comes entirely the United States, though they do get some of their beef, lamb, and venison from Australia and New Zealand. The rabbit they use comes exclusively from Italy and France.
However, they don’t say exactly where the rest of their ingredients come from but they do say that they are very stringent in their sourcing standards and they make an effort to build close relationships with their vendors.
Recall History
Nature’s Variety is one of the top pet food brands on the market. Not only do they offer some of the greatest variety in dog food products, but they use only the highest quality ingredients in their recipes.
Although this brand holds themselves to a high standard for the quality and safety of their products, having such a large product lineup leaves a lot of room for error. Even so, Nature’s Variety has only had four fairly minor product recalls in the history of the brand. Here are the details of those recalls:
In July 2015, the Nature’s Variety company issued a voluntary withdrawal of a few Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Chicken Formula dog food products due to a concern regarding potential salmonella contamination.
In February 2010, the FDA issued a recall for several Nature’s Variety Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet dog food and cat foods products due to a concern of potential salmonella contamination. This recall was later expanded in March of 2010.
In February 2013, the FDA issued a recall for several runs of Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Organic Chicken Formula medallions due to potential choking hazards caused by foreign bodies.
In July 2012, the Nature’s Variety company itself issued a voluntary withdrawal for some of their Prairie Beef Meal and Barley Medley dog food kibbles due to an unusual odor.
Is It Expensive?
The Nature’s Variety brand of dog food is a very high-quality brand which means that it can get a little pricey, depending which recipe you choose. For a 23.5-pound bag of Instinct Raw Boost kibble you will pay $75 to $115 and for a 20-pound bag of Ultimate Protein kibble you’ll pay about $75.
A 35.3-pound bag of Instinct Grain-Free or Limited Ingredient Diet kibble costs $55 to $90. Nature’s Variety Prairie kibbles are a little more affordable than anything in the Instinct line. For a 27-pound bag of Prairie dry dog food you will pay between $40 and $65. Most Nature’s Variety canned foods come in 13.2-ounce sizes and sell for between $33 and $68 for a case of 12.
What Kind of Food Do They Offer?
The Nature’s Variety company is known not only for the quality of their products, but also for their variety. Nature’s Variety dog food products can be divided into two different product lines – Instinct and Prairie.
The Prairie line of products includes dry food and wet food recipes for holistic foods made using simple but natural ingredients like fresh meat, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
The Instinct brand includes a wide assortment of different products from traditional kibble and canned foods to high-protein recipes, limited ingredient diets, raw frozen foods, and freeze-dried formulas.
Nature’s Variety Dry Products
The Nature’s Variety brand of dog food actually includes two product lines – Prairie and Instinct. In the Prairie line there are four dry food recipes made with quality proteins like chicken, beef, lamb, and salmon.
The Instinct brand offers a much wider variety of dry foods in several lines including high-protein, raw boost, and limited ingredient formulas. Here is a list of Nature’s Variety dry dog food recipes:
Grain-Free Dry Recipes:
Be Natural Dry Dog Food Recipes (Formerly Prairie):
Real Chicken
Real Lamb & Oatmeal
Real Salmon & Brown Rice
Real Beef & Barley
Real Chicken & Brown Rice (Puppy Formula)
Instinct Raw Boost Kibble Recipes:
Puppy Chicken Formula
Large Breed Puppy Chicken Formula
Adult Beef & Lamb Meal Formula
Adult Chicken Meal Formula
Adult Duck & Turkey Meal Formula
Adult Lamb & Salmon Meal Formula
Adult Venison & Lamb Meal Formula
Small Breed Chicken Meal Formula
Small Breed Duck & Turkey Formula
Toy Breed Chicken Meal Formula
Senior Chicken Meal Formula
Healthy Weight Chicken Meal Formula
Instinct Originals Dry Food Recipes:
Chicken Meal Formula
Salmon Meal Formula
Rabbit Meal Formula
Duck & Turkey Meal Formula
Beef & Lamb Meal Formula
Small Breed Chicken Meal Formula
Instinct Ultimate Protein Dry Food Recipes:
Chicken Formula
Duck Formula
Small Breed Chicken Formula
Instinct LID Dry Food Recipes:
Duck Meal Formula
Turkey Meal Formula
Lamb Meal & Peas Formula
Small Breed Turkey Meal Formula
Canned Products
In addition to a wide variety of dry food options, Nature’s Variety also offers many options for wet food. The Prairie line only offers seven recipes for homestyle wet food, but the Instinct line includes over a dozen options.
Here is a list of Nature’s Variety canned dog food recipes:
Prairie Homestyle Wet Food Recipes:
Chicken Stew
Beef Stew
Lamb Stew
Salmon Stew
Turkey & Duck Stew
Beef & Bison Stew
Pork & Sweet Potato Stew
Instinct Originals Wet Food Recipes:
95% Beef Formula
95% Chicken Formula
95% Venison Formula
95% Salmon Formula
95% Rabbit Formula
95% Lamb Formula
95% Duck Formula
Small Breed GF Chicken Formula
Small Breed GF Salmon Formula
Healthy Cravings Chicken Recipe in Savory Gravy
Healthy Cravings Beef Recipe in Savory Gravy
Instinct Ultimate Protein Wet Food Recipes:
Beef Formula
Chicken Formula
Instinct LID Wet Food Recipes:
Lamb Formula
Rabbit Formula
Duck Formula
Turkey Formula
Nature’s Variety Raw Food: While Nature’s Variety does offer an assortment of kibbles and canned foods, some of their most unique offerings are raw frozen and freeze-dried products in the Instinct lineup.
Nature’s Variety offers several recipes for raw frozen foods as well as freeze-dried meal blends. They also offer freeze-dried and frozen “raw boost” mixers which can be added to your dog’s dry or wet food diet. Here is a list of Nature’s Variety raw food options:
Both the Prairie and Instinct product lines by Nature’s Variety offer a variety of choices for dog treats. The Prairie product line includes oven-baked biscuits while the Instinct line includes raw boost treats as well as biscuits. Here is a list of Nature’s Variety dog treats:
Prairie Oven-Baked Biscuits:
Pumpkin & Cranberries
Peanut Butter & Bananas
Chicken & Cheddar Cheese
Bacon & Apples
Instinct Raw Boost Treats:
Chicken Formula Munchies
Beef Formula Munchies
Lamb Formula Munchies
Duck Formula Mini Treats
Chicken Formula Mini Treats
Instinct Originals Dog Treats:
Slow Roasted Beef Treats
Duck Meal & Sweet Potato Biscuits
Rabbit Meal & Apple Biscuits
Chicken Meal & Cranberry Biscuits
Parting Words
This dog food is widely regarded as one of the best dog food options available on the market. The brand offers a range of products that cater to various dietary needs, ensuring that the food complies fully with nutrient levels set for pets.
Their formulas (wet and dry) are designed to be complete and balanced, providing all the essential nutrients that dogs need for optimal health. Many pet owners express that they love this brand for its commitment to high-quality ingredients and comprehensive nutrition.
Nature's Variety offers both adult foods and products suitable for dogs at different life stages. Their dry kibble is particularly popular among dog owners who seek convenient yet nutritious options for their pets.
Across numerous comments and reviews, consumers frequently highlight the quality food provided by them, noting improvements in their dogs' overall health and vitality.
How useful was this post?
Click on a star to rate it!
Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0
No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
As you found this post useful...
Follow us on social media!
We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!
Noreen possesses a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree from Informatics International College. While this credential might not elucidate her passion for pets, it does demonstrate her technical expertise and diverse character.
