Instinct FreshDried Meal Blends Chicken & Harvest Blend Freeze-Dried Dog Food

Instinct FreshDried Meal Blends Chicken & Harvest Blend Freeze-Dried Dog Food

FreshDried Meal Blends Chicken & Harvest Blend is freeze-dried raw chicken with a garden mix of spinach, sweet potatoes and cranberries. Instinct calls it garden-inspired, and it looks the part once you add water and stir. Ready in about a minute, no thawing.

What's actually in it

Chicken, chicken liver and chicken heart lead, and Instinct says the meat is raised without antibiotics or added hormones. The harvest part is freeze-dried spinach, freeze-dried sweet potatoes and freeze-dried cranberries, with pumpkin seeds. Choline chloride and DL-methionine are added nutrients.

The base is the same as Instinct's FreshDried raw meals: carrots, apples, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, blueberries and spinach, ground flaxseed and salmon oil, plus montmorillonite clay, ground miscanthus grass and lactic acid. Mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract keep it fresh. Instinct says the food is cold-pressured for safety and freeze-dried at peak freshness, and that it rehydrates in about 60 seconds. Instinct says its frozen and freeze-dried raw recipes are made in its company-owned facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Who it suits, and who it doesn't

It suits dogs that do well on chicken, families who want raw in a shelf-stable form, and dogs that like a softer rehydrated meal.

It isn't the right choice for a dog avoiding chicken or fish, or one on a fat-restricted diet. If you're unsure, our Personal Pet Consultant is happy to help ... call 732-938-4470.

Full ingredient list

Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Heart, Pumpkin Seeds, Freeze Dried Spinach, Freeze Dried Sweet Potatoes, Freeze Dried Cranberries, Carrots, Apples, Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Montmorillonite Clay, Ground Flaxseed, Lactic Acid, Ground Miscanthus Grass, Salmon Oil, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Salt, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate), DL-Methionine, Mixed Tocopherols (for freshness), Blueberries, Spinach, Rosemary Extract.

Ingredient list as published by Instinct (Nature's Variety). Recipes can change, so the bag in hand always governs.

Guaranteed analysis

• Crude Protein (min) ... 33.0%
• Crude Fat (min) ... 31.0%
• Crude Fiber (max) ... 5.0%
• Moisture (max) ... 6.0%

AAFCO statement

Instinct FreshDried Meal Blends Cage-Free Chicken & Harvest Blend Recipe is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance.

In plain terms, it is a complete and balanced food for adult dogs. It is not labeled for growth, so a puppy needs a food that is.

Calorie content

4,653 kcal/kg ... 209 kcal per cup (Instinct's label: calorie content, calculated). A cup means a standard 8-fluid-ounce dry measuring cup, filled level. It measures volume, not 8 ounces by weight, so scoop it rather than weigh it.

Feeding guidelines

From Instinct's label: "Ideal feeding amounts depend on age, weight, and activity level. Mix ⅓ cup water or broth for every 1 cup dry food, adjusting based on your pet's preference. Wash hands and utensils after handling raw pet food. Once rehydrated, discard leftovers after 2 hours."

Food amounts are cups per day in a standard 8 oz dry measuring cup.

These are starting points, not prescriptions. Instinct notes that ideal feeding amounts depend on age, weight and activity level. Check your dog's body condition after two or three weeks... ribs easy to feel under a thin layer, a waist visible from above... and adjust. Always keep fresh water out.

Safe handling

Freeze-dried raw is still raw, so wash your hands and your dog's bowl with hot, soapy water after serving. Instinct says to store and serve it as you would any dry food. If you rehydrate it, Instinct says to discard leftovers within two hours.

Switching over

Instinct suggests moving to raw over about a week, or up to two weeks for a sensitive dog. Start with roughly a quarter Chicken & Harvest Blend and three quarters of the old food for a couple of days, then step up to half, then three quarters, then all. Going slowly gives your dog's stomach time to adjust.

Sizes

3 oz and 23 oz bags. The 3 oz bag is a good way to see whether your dog likes it before committing to the big bag. The 3 oz bag holds roughly 2 cups and the 23 oz bag roughly 15 cups. For a 20 lb adult dog at the top of its maintenance range, the 23 oz bag lasts about 6 days. Counts are worked out from Instinct's printed calorie figures and are close estimates.

Storage

Unopened, Instinct gives its freeze-dried food a shelf life of two years. Once opened, Instinct says it stays fresh for up to 30 days as long as it's resealed between feedings. Keep it somewhere cool and dry, and press the air out before you zip it shut.

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