# NI



## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Im considering changing Buddy onto NI soon but im concerned about the amount you feed .

On NI webpage it says feed puppies upto 6% of their body weight yet on a barf website i looked at it said feed puppies 10% of their body weight,and also a few people on here have also said they think their puppies/dogs are still hungry after.

Buddy is a whooping 6.1kg and is doing well on Orijen however his stools are a mixture of firm and loose and he also still seems to have a bad flatulance problem (which can be embarrassing....It wasnt me honest!)

I do know some on here that have increased the amount they feed on NI i just wonder if any others on here also thought you should feed more then stated.

Thanks for your help Donna and BIG Buddy!!


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Hi Donna

I have been thinking the same thing recently about Daisy's amount of food. I also read the Barf diet information which said 10% but then I found another which said 20% of their body weight for the week!

I must admit, I have upped hers slightly (especially as my mum has been saying she is thin - which she isn't) but yesterday she left some so I would try the 5% to start off with and see how you get on. I alternate between NI and either chicken wings or lamb breast bones as I personally feel it is important for them to have some bones to crunch on. However when you first change it is better to just stick to chicken for at least the first week maybe two. I tried Daisy on lamb after one week and she was fine so I introduced it as a regular meal. Yesterday I weighed the wing and lamb bones as I realised I was just guessing their weight but thankfully they were roughly a third of her daily requirement so just right! 

I have only had very positive feedback from Daisy about her diet so good luck if you try it!


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

I used to feed 6% when Dylan was a puppy and gave bones for recreation but no chicken wings. he was fine until about 8 months when I should have already decreased the amount to adult quantity (2-3%) and he put on too much weight. Now I find that about 3% is fine for him. Personally I think that 6% should be a good starting point for a pup, but as they put on weight, you do need to remember to keep increasing the amount you are feeding until about 7-8 months when their growth will slow down or stop.


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

I feed George 6% and a chicken or lamb rib every other day, but still find he is constantly looking for more, probably because he likes it so much , so sometimes I have given him a bit more. He was 4.4kg so had put on 0.8kg in a week. He has no probs with wind and poos are firm and almost non smelly! One thing I would say is keep in mind growing weight to change amounts.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

not an NI feeder but as a barf feeder i find it better to just go with the condition your youp puppy, too skinny feed more too chunkie feed less. it isnt exact as some dogs have a high mitabolisme. Gypsy never puts on weight where as Echo just has to look at food and the weight piles on. 

may be start off at 7% as a kind of middle ground. puppies can get away with a little more.


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

kendal said:


> not an NI feeder but as a barf feeder i find it better to just go with the condition your youp puppy, too skinny feed more too chunkie feed less. it isnt exact as some dogs have a high mitabolisme. Gypsy never puts on weight where as Echo just has to look at food and the weight piles on.
> 
> may be start off at 7% as a kind of middle ground. puppies can get away with a little more.


Good advice I think


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## paul1959 (Aug 3, 2010)

Jess is 7.1 kg, I gave her 150g last night after recommendation from NI.


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

paul1959 said:


> Jess is 7.1 kg, I gave her 150g last night after recommendation from NI.


Is that for one meal. How many times a day do you feed


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## paul1959 (Aug 3, 2010)

curt3007 said:


> Is that for one meal. How many times a day do you feed


One meal, once a day.


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

Gosh think George will think his throat has been cut when he has to go down to this! lol


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

We feed her about 5% and she's putting on weight nicely x


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

sharplesfamily said:


> We feed her about 5% and she's putting on weight nicely x


Hi what weight is Luna now??
And also how many times are you feed her a day 3??


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Have just checked the Puppy NI in my freezer and it says give 4-6% of body weight per day ......I'll probably go with 5% and see how we go .....will probably split it 3 ways to give 3 little meals a day initially.

Hope it goes well.


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## strof51 (Sep 26, 2009)

I feed Rosie 5% plus a chicken wing or a lamb rib every other day, She is growing and putting on weight on.
Poppy is on 2% plus wings and ribs, she has always been on the lean side but is putting a bit more flesh on her ribs.
Rosie is on 3 meals a day, Poppy 2. Their eyes are bright and coats in very good condition.


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

DONNA said:


> Hi what weight is Luna now??
> And also how many times are you feed her a day 3??


Luna weighed 4.3kg at the vets yesterday. JD fed the pups twice a day so we decided to stick to that and feed her at 7.30am and 7.30pm. 

Harri x


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## michaelwatson54 (Jun 24, 2011)

Hi Donna as you know we have been on NI for some time now Alfies weight is slightly less than Buddy at 5.75 kilos and he gets three meals a day approx 350grms split 3 times plus I mix in a handful of Orijen with each feed and he looks very good on it .Mick


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## karenann1964 (Jul 1, 2011)

michaelwatson54 said:


> Hi Donna as you know we have been on NI for some time now Alfies weight is slightly less than Buddy at 5.75 kilos and he gets three meals a day approx 350grms split 3 times plus I mix in a handful of Orijen with each feed and he looks very good on it .Mick


I rang NI asking advice when I first put Poppy on it. My question was could I mix her kibble (orijen) with the NI and the lady said it wasn't advisable as the raw food digested at a different rate to the dry food and it could cause a blockage. She went on to say it was fine to feed dry kibble at a different meal time so I feed poppy NI morning and teatime and the Orijen at lunch time.


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## michaelwatson54 (Jun 24, 2011)

karenann1964 said:


> I rang NI asking advice when I first put Poppy on it. My question was could I mix her kibble (orijen) with the NI and the lady said it wasn't advisable as the raw food digested at a different rate to the dry food and it could cause a blockage. She went on to say it was fine to feed dry kibble at a different meal time so I feed poppy NI morning and teatime and the Orijen at lunch time.


I have always mixed meat and kibble and never had any problems of that nature and when I spoke to NI when I wanted to wean the pups from Orijen to NI they actually said it would be ok to mix them and then over a period of time to phase the kibble out..... Both our two pups are growing at a good rate,they have regular bowel movements and their stools are well formed


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## ali-s.j. (Jun 6, 2011)

> I'll probably go with 5% and see how we go .....will probably split it 3 ways to give 3 little meals a day initially.


 (Sue)

I do that too Sue, just increasing the amount according to how much weight she has put on


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Thank you everyone,after much thought im thinking prehaps the 3 meals a day NI morning and eve and some orijen for lunch to start with Im going to give 6% of body weight i think and see how it goes ,thanks for all your help


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

DONNA said:


> Thank you everyone,after much thought im thinking prehaps the 3 meals a day NI morning and eve and some orijen for lunch to start with Im going to give 6% of body weight i think and see how it goes ,thanks for all your help


That sounds a good plan .....I'm starting Bess on NI very soon (she's desparate to get to Maisie's!)

Quick question to Harri and Ali and any other owners with pups on NI - do you also give a bit of Orijen or bones (what sort) or wings (as well as training treats)?

Thanks


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## Sarette (Mar 21, 2011)

Max just has NI, sometimes I put a bit of Orijen (he doesn't always eat it though!) in his Kong. I haven't given him any bones or wings yet, will do soon. He has dried liver, chicken or cheese for training treats. xx


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Mogdog said:


> That sounds a good plan .....I'm starting Bess on NI very soon (she's desparate to get to Maisie's!)
> 
> Quick question to Harri and Ali and any other owners with pups on NI - do you also give a bit of Orijen or bones (what sort) or wings (as well as training treats)?
> 
> Thanks


NI is a complete, healthy balanced food on its own. The only reason I can see to give Orijen alongside it would be if you want to keep them used to Orijen to use for convenience for holidays etc. There is no other benefit, as NI is a more natural food, and mixing them is not beneficial. Again, there is no real benefit to giving chicken wings, as NI has ground chicken and bone, other than to add variety to their diet, but in all honesty, most of them don't need any more variety. If you do give chicken wings or carcasses, it should be as a meal replacement. The only thing that I think is beneficial to add would be other bones - beef or lamb for recreation and for tooth cleaning. I give a beef or lamb bone usually about 3-4 times a week when I go out and leave Dylan in the house for a couple of hours. The recommendation is not to give weight-bearing bones, but to give spine, rib, neck and head, but I do personally also give huge beef marrowbones.


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks Helen .....it was teeth cleaning I was thinking of really. Maisie has the odd spine or rib ...just wasn't sure if that was suitable for a young pup (11 wks).

Sue x


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

I was thinking of giving the orijen at lunch as a convenient option as we may be out and about ,when he goes down to two meals a day just NI will be fine.


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

When Dylan was little, if I needed to go out for the day, I would take his NI with in a bag. One day I left him in the car while we had lunch, planning to feed him afterwards, and forgot that the NI was also in the car. Got back to find he'd simply helped himself to lunch


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Ha ha ha did you leave it in a normal cool bag? I dont think they are that great at keeping food cool (well not my kids pack lunches) Or are there speical dog food cool bags out there that are better??


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

I would take it frozen and thenby te time you need to use it it will be practically defrosted


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

If it's only for a few hours, I wouldn't worry about a cool bag, or I'd take it frozen or semi-frozen as Jayne suggests.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

This has got me thinking and I've done a rough guestamation!

Millie went on NI at 5 1/2 months. I can't remember her weight but NI said give her 250g of food split over twice a day. 

She is now 7 months and weighs 7.8kg, just calculated her adult quota based on 3% and she should be on 234g. So basically I will keep her on 250g per day. She won't feel she is getting less as she grows into an adult 'cos she's not! She's a good size, not fat or thin 

Does that make sense? She doesn't actually get less, she just got bigger


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

Mogdog said:


> That sounds a good plan .....I'm starting Bess on NI very soon (she's desparate to get to Maisie's!)
> 
> Quick question to Harri and Ali and any other owners with pups on NI - do you also give a bit of Orijen or bones (what sort) or wings (as well as training treats)?
> 
> Thanks


I ditto Sarah - we haven't given any bones or meal supplement yet but give Luna Orijen, cheese, liver and chicken as training treats. 

Xx


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

MillieDog said:


> This has got me thinking and I've done a rough guestamation!
> 
> Millie went on NI at 5 1/2 months. I can't remember her weight but NI said give her 250g of food split over twice a day.
> 
> ...


That sounds fine. I don't think it's actually that crucial - as long as you keep an eye on their waistline, you can easily correct any over or under-feeding. Dylan was on about 390g a day at his biggest point as a puppy and is now on about 250g a day. He weighed 9.8 kilos at his heaviest but is now around 9.3 kilos and his ribs are quite apparent so I've upped his food from 200g to about 250g. If you overfeed for a few weeks then it will become quite apparent and you can just correct it.


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## ali-s.j. (Jun 6, 2011)

Izzy hasn't put any weight on in the past week or so. She's grown loads though, and the vet nurse said she isn't too thin. Would you advise feeding her more, or stick with what she's on?


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

ali-s.j. said:


> Izzy hasn't put any weight on in the past week or so. She's grown loads though, and the vet nurse said she isn't too thin. Would you advise feeding her more, or stick with what she's on?


They do grow in fits and starts, but if she seems hungry, maybe increase a little. If she's on less than 6% of her weight, then maybe increase it to that.


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## ali-s.j. (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks Helen, She's always looking for more


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

Back to the poo question -( sorry ) Did somebody say poos were smellier or less smelly on NI than dry or wet food? Just to settle a question - daughter thinks poos would be smellier on barf or NI, but I am sure i read the opposite somewhere!


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

George is on NI and his poos are certainly less smelly. More of an organic smell if you know what I mean


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

NI poos barely smell at all!


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

Oh good, Jayne - I was right then - I was sure I had read that somewhere!


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

Tressa said:


> Oh good, Jayne - I was right then - I was sure I had read that somewhere!


Yep and a better colour too lol


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

LOL. White .....eventually!


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## pixie (Apr 16, 2011)

DONNA said:


> I was thinking of giving the orijen at lunch as a convenient option as we may be out and about ,when he goes down to two meals a day just NI will be fine.


That is exactly what i was thinking of doing Donna,as now we can get out,what do you do if you go to beach for the day? And its just until they are down to 2 meals a day(when will you do 2 meals?)

Tressa Pixie's poo has NO smell atall,im serious,she got upstairs and did a present on my bath mat,and it could have been up there all day and wouldnt have known!...NI rocks! Just a bit worried about Hygiene...e.g Pixie licking people after having her raw food.


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

pixie said:


> That is exactly what i was thinking of doing Donna,as now we can get out,what do you do if you go to beach for the day? And its just until they are down to 2 meals a day(when will you do 2 meals?)


I was wondering that too


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## Sarette (Mar 21, 2011)

My 5 year old claims that Max's poos smell of carrots with butter on....! Haha!! I think they do smell a little, but it's not too bad so I can live with it


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

pixie said:


> That is exactly what i was thinking of doing Donna,as now we can get out,what do you do if you go to beach for the day? And its just until they are down to 2 meals a day(when will you do 2 meals?)
> 
> Tressa Pixie's poo has NO smell atall,im serious,she got upstairs and did a present on my bath mat,and it could have been up there all day and wouldnt have known!...NI rocks! Just a bit worried about Hygiene...e.g Pixie licking people after having her raw food.


Good question Becky ,does anyone have the answer???


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## strof51 (Sep 26, 2009)

I divide the NI into meal size portions and store in small food containers in the freezer.
Most weekend we are out and about, I just take one of the frozen meals out with us, it defrosts by lunch time is gone in seconds and I've a very happy puppy ready to enjoy the rest of the day.

As for hygiene. Dog are disgusting things at the best of times, always picking things up they shouldn't, think feeding raw just has you thinking more about it I know I do. I carry alcohol hand cleaner around with me when I'm out of the house just to be on the safe side.


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

Sarette said:


> My 5 year old claims that Max's poos smell of carrots with butter on....! Haha!! I think they do smell a little, but it's not too bad so I can live with it


Buttered carrots? That's not so bad !


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## michaelwatson54 (Jun 24, 2011)

DONNA said:


> Good question Becky ,does anyone have the answer???


We will probably go to two feeds a day from next week really because the way our days pan out. I work nights and get in any time between 6 & 7am. Jeannette works days and goes to work at 9am she will give them their breakfast around 7am and then a walk. Alfie & Milo will then have to wait till I get up around 2pm, they will probably just have a small snack then and their afternoon walk and their evening meal will still be at 7pm.....we will have to monitor their weight just to see that they are not loosing weight or in fact gaining to quickly due to less activity.


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

DONNA said:


> Good question Becky ,does anyone have the answer???


I've always taken the lunchtime meal with me in a bag or container. It'll keep fine for a few hours or you can freeze some meal-sized portions and take it with frozen so it gradually defrosts by lunchtime. It's never been a problem.


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

michaelwatson54 said:


> We will probably go to two feeds a day from next week really because the way our days pan out. I work nights and get in any time between 6 & 7am. Jeannette works days and goes to work at 9am she will give them their breakfast around 7am and then a walk. Alfie & Milo will then have to wait till I get up around 2pm, they will probably just have a small snack then and their afternoon walk and their evening meal will still be at 7pm.....we will have to monitor their weight just to see that they are not loosing weight or in fact gaining to quickly due to less activity.


We already feed twice a day only as it's what Luna is used to and she's just fine on it. She doesn't beg for food or look for it and she has treats in the day when we're training etc so I don't think it's a problem. It certainly makes our life very easy!


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

We feed Millie twice a day. Usually between 8 and 9.30am and again between 5 & 6pm. However, this can vary if we're out and about. Millie was fed at after 7.pm yesterday.

If I'm travelling about, I can put one of Millie's feeds in a small frozen cool bag (avail from Lakeland) and if I'm really worried, a couple of extra cool block. The food is always cold when I need it use it despite being in the bag for hours.


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