Venison Formula 
INSTINCT RAW FROZEN DIET FOR DOGS AND CATS

• May provide relief from most food allergy symptoms
• Helps your pet reach and maintain an ideal weight
• Specially formulated for rotation feeding
• Complete and balanced for all life stages and all breeds

Sizes Available
Medallions: 3 lb (approx. 48 medallions)

Ingredients
Venison, Lamb Heart, Lamb Liver, Raw Ground Lamb Bone, Apples, Carrots, Pumpkinseeds, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseeds, Montmorillonite Clay, Chicken Eggs, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Inulin, Rosemary, Sage, Clove.

Complete & Balanced for All Life StagesAnimal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Nature’s Variety Instinct Chicken Formula provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages of dogs and cats. 

Serving Instructions
Instinct Raw Frozen Diets are convenient and ready to serve without the need for mixing or measuring.

1. Keep raw medallions/patties/chubs frozen until ready to defrost.
2. Defrost your pet's daily portion by thawing it in a covered container in the refrigerator.  (Medallions take about 4-6 hours to defrost in the refrigerator, while patties and chubs may require 8 to 10 hours.)
3. Serve thawed medallions/patties/chubs in your pet's stainless steel dish.  Food should still be cold to the touch when served.

Serving Tip: Instinct Raw can be served alone or mixed with any Nature's Variety Kibble.  

Food Safety Assurance
At Nature's Variety, we're passionate about your pet's health and well-being.  That's why food safety is extremely important to us.

Handling Tips
When serving Raw Frozen Diets, please remember these common sense handling tips:

• Keep frozen until ready to defrost.
• Wash hands before handling raw diets to prevent contaminating the food.
• For maximum food safety and freshness, defrost your pet’s daily portion by thawing it in a covered container in the refrigerator. For ideal food safety, product should still be cold to the touch when served.
• Keep raw meat and poultry separate from other foods. Use hot, soapy water to wash working surfaces, utensils (including cutting boards, preparation areas, and feeding bowls), hands, and any other items that touch or come into contact with raw meat or poultry.
• If your pet does not consume all the food presented within 30 minutes, remove any leftovers and discard.
• Use hot, soapy water to wash your hands and your pet’s bowl after each feeding.
  

Quality & Food Safety Assurance

PET HEALTH AND SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY

Pet health and safety has always been our top priority.  We believe your pets – and ours – deserve nothing less than superior quality foods.  Below are some of the steps we take to assure the quality and safety of our nutritious foods.

Company-Owned Manufacturing Facility 
Our company-owned manufacturing facility is located in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Our facility adheres to these specific quality measures:

• Our ingredients are sourced from USDA inspected facilities and facilities regulated by the FDA
• We adhere to state and federal regulations regarding product safety
• Our manufacturing facility is regularly monitored by third party auditors
• Our manufacturing facility is a USDA Certified Organic Processing Facility and adheres to USDA and EU standards

Strict Quality Control Standards
As with all of our products, we utilize robust systems to ensure the quality and safety of our foods. Our quality control and quality assurance programs include but are not limited to: 

• Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP’s) 
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s)
• A Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) program 
• Lot segregation 
• Other industry best practices

Additional Food Safety Steps 
Raw Frozen Diets.  In addition to the industry best practices previously mentioned, Nature's Variety has implemented a progressive new food safety protocol called High Pressure Pasteurization for use on all Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Diets. High Pressure Pasteurization is a unique process that kills pathogenic bacteria through high-pressure, water-based technology. High Pressure Pasteurization is a USDA-approved, 100% natural process, and is allowed for use on organic and natural products. 

The origin of the High Pressure Pasteurization concept is as natural as the process itself.  Over a century ago, scientists began investigating the fact that harmful bacteria found at sea level were actually not able to survive at deep sea levels (under high water pressures).  Within the last decade or so, advancements in technology have allowed for the duplication of this interesting phenomenon for use on natural and organic foods to kill harmful bacteria while preserving taste, enzymes, and overall nutritional integrity.

Essentially, this technology “puts the squeeze” on food pathogens without cooking out vital nutrients or changing the fresh characteristics of food. During High Pressure Pasteurization, pressure is uniformly applied around and throughout the food product. High Pressure Pasteurization can be conducted at refrigerated temperatures, which means the temperature starts low and stays low – High Pressure Pasteurization does not cause the heat degradation that happens during cooking. Because of this, High Pressure Pasteurization is known for being especially beneficial for heat-sensitive products, like meats, fruits, and vegetables.

Raw Frozen Bones.  In 2010, Nature’s Variety began using a natural antimicrobial solution to help ensure the food safety and quality of our Raw Frozen Bones. Before being hand packaged and frozen, each bone is dipped in a natural antimicrobial solution (a combination of natural lactic acid and citric acid which have been diluted in water) to kill pathogenic bacteria. Using this solution does not change the color, taste, or aroma of the Raw Frozen Bones.  In fact, our research and palatability tests have shown that dogs liked the raw bones that were dipped in lactic and citric acid just as much – or even more – than our raw bones that hadn’t been dipped in the natural solution.

Test & Hold Protocol
In addition to the food safety and quality control protocols listed above, Nature’s Variety utilizes a “test and hold” protocol to ensure that all products test negative for harmful bacteria before being released for sale.

Nature’s Variety uses a third party laboratory to test every lot of finished product in order to confirm that it is negative for select pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes). When the test results are reviewed and confirmed negative, the product is released for shipment to our distributor partners and then on to retail stores.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Nature’s Variety stands behind all of our products with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Please be assured that Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Diets are safe and healthy for your pet. 

Feeding Guideline