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Acana vs. Instinct

In this comparison article for Acana vs Instinct, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Acana and Instinct, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Instinct vs Acana comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Acana Review Page or Instinct Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Instinct vs. Acana

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Acana Dog Food vs. Instinct Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Acana	Instinct
Crude Protein	36.4%	36.2%
Crude Fat	20.5%	24.1%
Crude Fiber	6.2%	4.4%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Acana	Instinct
Crude Protein	44.2%	42.1%
Crude Fat	19.8%	27.7%
Crude Fiber	8.1%	10.0%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

As you can see, Instinct and Acana guarantee a similar amount of crude protein. For wet dog foods, Acana typically provides a little more protein (about 2.17% more).

Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.

If you look at the average percentages of crude fat, you'll notice that Instinct typically guarantees 3.68% more fat. This is a fairly small difference between Instinct and Acana, but still worth mentioning. In addition, Instinct wet dog foods also provide more fat than Acana wet foods.

Instinct and Acana both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Instinct and Acana also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Acana Cat Food vs. Instinct Cat Food

Dry Cat Food	Acana	Instinct
Crude Protein	39.7%	43.7%
Crude Fat	19.1%	25.4%
Crude Fiber	4.3%	3.7%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.

According to our data, Instinct guarantees 3.99% more protein than Acana. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference.

Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
Maintain healthy blood pressure
Slow the growth of yeast infections
Fats improve the taste/texture of food.

The table shows that Acana provides far less fat than Instinct. The difference in fat content is roughly 6.25%.

There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands.

Acana Pet Food Ingredients vs. Instinct Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Acana.

Heart

Kidney

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Instinct.

Garlic

Canola Oil

Pea Protein

Tomato Pomace

Dried Tomato Pomace

Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid)

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Instinct.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Acana & Instinct?

According to our records, Acana has never been recalled.

Instinct has been recalled 2 times.

July 24, 2015: Salmonella
Feb. 15, 2013: Pieces of clear plastic in bag

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog Food	Acana	Instinct
Per Pound	$3.57	$8.93
Per Calorie	$0.0023	$0.0044

Dry Cat Food	Acana	Instinct
Per Pound	$4.83	$11.49
Per Calorie	$0.0028	$0.0057

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Acana or Instinct, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Acana or Instinct will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Acana and Instinct. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.

Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Acana Pet Foods

You can purchase Acana pet foods from the following stores:

34 Recipes In-Stock Today

14 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Instinct Pet Foods

You can purchase Instinct pet food products from these retailers:

84 Recipes In-Stock Today

59 Recipes In-Stock Today

67 Recipes In-Stock Today

17 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Acana	Instinct
Dry Dog Food	46 Recipes	37 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	6 Recipes	10 Recipes
Dog Treats	9 Treats	None
Dry Cat Food	10 Recipes	20 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	None	16 Recipes
Cat Treats	None	None