Instinct

From Zoo Tigers to Your Dog's Bowl

Instinct has one of the most unusual origin stories in pet food. In 2002, the Milligan family — already in the meat processing business in Lincoln, Nebraska — learned that the big cats at the Lincoln Children's Zoo were struggling with health and reproductive issues. They supplied the zoo with a raw, meat-based diet, and the results were striking. That experiment sparked a simple question: if raw nutrition could transform the health of tigers, could it do the same for domestic dogs and cats? The answer became Nature's Variety, later rebranded as Instinct. In 2016, the Barcelona-based consumer group Agrolimen acquired the company, but Instinct still runs independently from its St. Louis headquarters, with raw production remaining in Lincoln where it all started.

Raw Doesn't Have to Be All or Nothing

Many pet owners are curious about raw feeding but intimidated by the commitment — handling frozen meat, worrying about bacteria, and the higher price tag. Instinct has built its entire business around lowering that barrier, offering a spectrum from fully raw to raw-enhanced:

• Frozen Raw Meals – the purest option: minimally processed patties and bites made from cage-free chicken, grass-fed beef, or wild-caught fish, treated with High Pressure Processing (HPP) to eliminate pathogens without cooking.
• Freeze-Dried Raw Meals – the same whole-food nutrition in a lightweight, shelf-stable format that requires no freezer space.
• Raw Boost Kibble – conventional high-protein dry food with freeze-dried raw pieces mixed in, bridging the gap between kibble and raw.
• Raw Boost Mixers & Toppers – freeze-dried raw add-ons you sprinkle over any existing food, the easiest and cheapest entry point into raw feeding.

The idea is simple: add as much or as little raw as you are comfortable with.

What's Actually in the Food — and What's Not

Instinct keeps its ingredient lists relatively short and recognisable. Animal protein is always first, sourced from identifiable origins rather than generic "meat meal." You will not find by-products, corn, wheat, soy, white rice, pasta, artificial colours, or chemical preservatives in any formula. Frozen and freeze-dried recipes are produced in Instinct's own facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, while kibble and wet food are made by US-based co-manufacturing partners. It is worth noting that some wet recipes are co-packed in Thailand, which the brand does not always highlight prominently — something transparency-focused buyers should be aware of.

The Real Cost of Going Raw

Instinct is not a budget brand. Feeding a medium-sized dog exclusively on frozen raw meals can cost two to three times more per month than premium kibble. That is why the Raw Boost and Mixer lines exist — they let you get some raw benefits at a fraction of the full raw price. The brand suits pet owners who prioritise minimally processed, high-protein nutrition and are willing to pay more for it, as well as those who simply want to enhance their current food with a raw topper. If cost is a concern but raw interests you, starting with Mixers is the most practical entry point. Instinct products are stocked at Petco, PetSmart, Chewy, and most independent pet stores, so availability is rarely an issue.