15 Instinct dog food recipes are missing from its current lineup

What we found

In our September 28 check, 15 Instinct recipes we review were missing from the brand’s current dog food collections. Chewy explicitly marks two Raw Boost chicken dry foods discontinued: Healthy Weight and Large Breed Puppies. For 11 others, we found only that Instinct no longer lists them in its current range. That is weaker evidence than a discontinuation notice, and it is unclear whether those foods remain available elsewhere.

Which recipes are affected

The two Chewy marks discontinued are Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken for Healthy Weight and Instinct Raw Boost Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken for Large Breed Puppies. Among the older Raw Boost recipes, Real Chicken for Toy Breed Dogs has a newer small breed chicken counterpart, while Whole Grain Real Chicken & Brown Rice has a newer RawBoost+ whole grain chicken and brown rice counterpart. Instinct lists the newer foods as kibble with freeze-dried raw pieces. A similar name does not establish that the ingredient list or feeding amounts stayed the same.

The 11 recipes absent from Instinct’s current collections are Limited Ingredient Diet Real Turkey and Small Breed Real Turkey dry foods; Original Real Duck, Real Rabbit and Small Breed Real Chicken dry foods; Raw Boost Real Chicken for Senior Dogs, Real Chicken for Skin & Coat, Real Duck and Real Duck for Small Breed Dogs dry foods; and Raw Signature frozen patties in Real Lamb and Real Rabbit. Their absence tells owners what Instinct currently lists, but does not confirm that every recipe has been discontinued.

What it means for your dog

The differences matter most if your dog eats one of the specialized foods. A small breed chicken recipe is not necessarily the same as the older toy breed recipe. The discontinued large breed puppy food carried a growth statement covering large size dogs, so owners feeding a large breed puppy should check the life stage statement on any different bag. Owners using the healthy weight, senior, skin and coat, or limited ingredient recipes should compare the new food’s purpose and ingredients with the food they have been feeding.

Our review pages for each affected recipe preserve the label details we recorded and list current foods to compare. They can help you identify the exact recipe you used before looking at a different bag.

What to check on the bag

Match the full recipe name, including breed size and life stage. Then read the ingredient list, nutritional adequacy statement, calories per cup and feeding directions. Check whether the food is grain-free or whole grain, and whether it is dry kibble or frozen patties. If you rely on a particular protein or a food selected for a puppy or a suspected food sensitivity, review any change with your veterinarian.