I just fell down a phosphorus rabbit hole and realized I’ve been comparing Instinct recipes the wrong way. Instead of looking at guaranteed analysis or “as fed,” I started looking at phosphorus in mg per 100 kcal and phosphorus-to-protein ratio, plus the type of phosphorus in the ingredient list (bone vs added phosphates). It completely changed which Instinct cans I thought were “kidney-friendlier.”
A few things I discovered and want to sanity-check with you all:
- Instinct’s phosphorus seems to swing wildly by recipe and line when you convert to mg/100 kcal, even within the same brand family. Some look surprisingly moderate; others spike way higher than the guaranteed analysis suggests.
- The formulas that use bone/broth or “with ground bone” (raw/freeze‑dried pieces, raw boost, some toppers) appear to track higher on phosphorus, but I can’t tell how much of that is actually absorbed vs bound in bone.
- Added inorganic phosphates (dicalcium phosphate, sodium phosphate, etc.) are supposed to be more bioavailable than naturally occurring phosphorus in meat/bone. Has anyone confirmed which Instinct wet recipes avoid added phosphates entirely and rely only on meat/bone?
- Phosphorus-to-protein ratio might be a more useful screen than “low phosphorus” alone for higher-protein goals, but I’m not sure which Instinct SKUs hit a decent P😛rotein without tanking calories.
Questions for the data nerds and CKD caregivers here:
- If you’ve emailed Instinct for phosphorus per 100 kcal on specific recipes, what numbers did you get and for which flavors/batch codes? Any big batch-to-batch swings?
- Have you noticed serum phosphorus changes (or need for binders) when switching between Instinct LID vs Original vs Ultimate Protein canned?
- For those using the freeze-dried/raw-coated bits as toppers, did you see urinary or stool changes that might hint at higher phosphorus absorption?
- Has anyone calculated P😛rotein for these recipes and found standouts that keep phosphorus modest while protein stays robust?
- Bonus: does bone broth on the label seem to push phosphorus up in your calculations?
If there’s interest, I can start a shared spreadsheet where we log:
- Recipe name and flavor
- Calories per can
- Phosphorus mg/100 kcal (from company or lab)
- Presence/absence of added inorganic phosphates in the ingredient list
- P😛rotein ratio on a kcal basis
- Notes on batch code/date
Would love to crowdsource which Instinct cans are secretly reasonable on phosphorus and which to avoid, especially for cats that need tighter control without going prescription.