# Disappointed with Origin



## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

I changed Dexter from Beta puppy food to Origin puppy food pretty soon after I first got him (he didn't seem to like the Beta much) and he has been on it for 2 weeks now. He was weighed at the vet's yesterday while having his last jab and had put on no weight at all. The vet says I must put him on another food but I'm really not sure which one. She suggested one that she sells but I want to do a bit more research first rather than try different types out on him. Any ideas? He is definitely a fussy eater and there are very few treats he likes too.


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## Jukee Doodles (Apr 5, 2011)

Hi Tessy,

It may be worth giving NI (Natural Instinct) a try.

Stephen x


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

I know I bang on about it, but NI really does tick all the boxes. I can't see any reason not to feed it, unless you have no freezer space, and I'd be surprised if Dexter didn't love it. For a puppy you give 4-6% of their body weight daily, spread over 3 or 4 meals. There is also a vet in Farnham (Shortheath Veterinary Surgery) that supplies it, if you are anywhere near that.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

has he been eating it without too mucb fuss. you coupd try just uping how much food your giving him. 

i was paranoid about Deltas weight and she wwnt through a phaze of not putting on anything for a while then had a big groth spurt.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

has he been eating it without too mucb fuss. you coupd try just uping how much food your giving him. 

i was paranoid about Deltas weight and she wwnt through a phaze of not putting on anything for a while then had a big groth spurt.


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Dexter never finishes the food in his bowl. In fact he needs to be really encouraged to eat at all. He just nibbles a bit here and there, then I remove it after 15 min. Ever since I got him he has never really been interested in his food or treats (well he likes cheerios) He was the only one at puppy playschool who didn't like the treats they were offered. I have been told to bring my own as it's quite hard to reward him.
I really like the sound of NI but I am extremely short of freezer space and don't envisage buying a freezer just for him. I'd rather go for a bag of dried food or pouches of wet food.
It maybe that he doesn't like crunching the dry food although i have tried adding water to it- he wasn't that impressed either!
I think he is just a bit of a fuss- pot!


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

tessybear said:


> I really like the sound of NI but I am extremely short of freezer space and don't envisage buying a freezer just for him. I'd rather go for a bag of dried food or pouches of wet food.


If you want a wet food, then Nature Diet is very good, but I think it would be important to give bones as well to keep the teeth clean. If it's just the freezer space that's putting you off NI, you could buy it in a small quantity from the vet in Farnham or minimum of 5kg from NI direct. 5 kg takes up very little freezer space.


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Funnily enough I have just bought a pouch of Nature Diet (for puppies) for Dexter to try and I think he thought he'd died and gone to heaven! He absolutely loved it and I have never seen him eat with such enthusiasm. I also bought their soft puppy treats too.
I have also bought a bag of raw meaty veal bones from my local farmers market today (all the dog owners were buying them) so I will give him one during his crazy bitey stage this evening!
I haven't by any means given up the idea of NI. Farnham is about 30 min away from me but I am sure I could fit in the smaller 5kg amounts in my fridge-freezer if NI direct will deliver them that size.


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

I think a lot of puppies try to tell you what they like and dont like (so does my grandaughter Teddy was the same as a puppy, but hasn't looked back since I gave him the wet trays (I use Wainwrights now - high meat content) with a little kibble for the texture. I also bought a packet of minced raw tripe last week and he had his first taste of raw and loved it. I had previously tried him with a raw chicken wing but he didn't seem interested and just buried it but he seems to have changed now, so I may have to give some thought to the 'big changeover'


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

tessybear said:


> I am sure I could fit in the smaller 5kg amounts in my fridge-freezer if NI direct will deliver them that size.


NI comes in 1kg trays which are around the same size as a tray of mince from the supermarket.


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## strof51 (Sep 26, 2009)

Had the same problem with Poppy, getting her to eat and slow weight gain. Tried all sorts to get her to eat adding chicken, liver, or raw eggs too her food. Changed her food a couple of times eventually using Burns which she would wolf down.
After reading the food threads and Dylansmum mentioning Applaws, and then finding Pets at Home stocked it, I though that I would give it a try. Poppy has taken to it straight away, and its not in her bowl very long.
When we got Rosie see was on Beta Puppy, and on her first feed I gave it to her wet she turned her nose up at it. I thought here we go again. But when I put Poppy's bowl down Rosie was into it but the kibbles are a bit too big, she did munch on it for quite a while. I then gave the Beta dry and she ate it so no eating problems this time, apart from keeping her out of Poppy's bowl. 
Ive found a mail order company that has Applaws at a lot cheaper price and have ordered a large sack of adult food and some puppy food. Why does Puppy food only come in small bags.
The raw option would be no good for me as I don't have any space for a second freezer.


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## caradunne (Nov 29, 2010)

A while ago a forum member, Enneirda from Texas, posted several food review sites in a thread discussion re food. It was at the time I was looking to change to a different food from Burns and I read through the food reviews. One of the sites discussed Applaws and it was criticised for not being a complete food (admitted by the producers). I didn't bother to look into it, but it might be worth finding out why it is not 'complete'. You could search Enneirda's threads to find the food review websites or ask Kendal to put the links up.


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## sarahjo (Aug 6, 2010)

*Wainwrights*

We are just moving Eddie onto the wet food in the Wainwright range. It is a natural diet and as it is a Pets at Home brand it is the cheapest (but good quality) option.

He had completely gone off his complete dried food and we did some price and quality comparisons and this costs the same as buying a 15kg sack of for example Arden Grange's natural diet.

He loves it! And the cats decided they wanted some too - may have to look if they do a cat range?!


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## strof51 (Sep 26, 2009)

caradunne said:


> A while ago a forum member, Enneirda from Texas, posted several food review sites in a thread discussion re food. It was at the time I was looking to change to a different food from Burns and I read through the food reviews. One of the sites discussed Applaws and it was criticised for not being a complete food (admitted by the producers). I didn't bother to look into it, but it might be worth finding out why it is not 'complete'. You could search Enneirda's threads to find the food review websites or ask Kendal to put the links up.


The review is by pet-food-choice.co.uk, and it does not say if its the wet or dry that does not contain the vitamins or minerals, and did make me do a bit of research. The list of ingredients analysis contained:- calcium, phosphorous, vitamin's A D3 and E, copper, tocopherl, DHA and EPA. This is the same or better than Beta or Burns add, but none of the artificial colourants, flavourings or preservatives that are in Beta.
So from this I think it must be the wet food they criticized. May email Applaws for more details.

Edit

Just been to a pet shop that has Applaws wet food, no reference to vitamins or minerals on packaging.

http://www.pet-food-choice.co.uk/Applaws_cat_dog_food.htm


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Wilf was always a really fussy eater and needed tempting into eating he could go 3 days without eating but would never turn down a chicken wing. Tessy if your only 30mins drive away you could buy NI as and when... or buy a couple of trays and then cut them up into portion sizes that can fit around other stuff in your freezer. x


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

Betty has been very fussy with food but LOVES Naturediet, so much so she'll lie and wait by her bowl for her dinner and i have managed to get her to put some weight on with it too. She loves the food so much now she goes back and licks the bowl!!!


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Jules- Dexter is just like Betty he loves Naturediet. I can't see the need to change if he is so happy on it and I can get it round the corner from my petshop. Hopefully he will have put on weight at his next weigh-in on Thursday. I like the rectangular packs too- so convenient for dividing up and also for storing in my food cupboard!


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

tessybear said:


> Jules- Dexter is just like Betty he loves Naturediet. I can't see the need to change if he is so happy on it and I can get it round the corner from my petshop. Hopefully he will have put on weight at his next weigh-in on Thursday. I like the rectangular packs too- so convenient for dividing up and also for storing in my food cupboard!


i am the same as its really easy to work out how much to give them and it looks and smells like proper meat and veg. My friend and i think it looks a lot like a pate!

Once i found Naturediet i gave up on kibble as this at least looks and smells more appealing!


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Maisie used to like Naturediet too but went off it. Sorry to ask a daft question but do you defrost NI before serving?


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

The NI alternative around here says you don't have to defrost it completely...when I fed it to lady It was still cold but not frozen


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Yes you defrost ni but if you forget you can scrape bits off and give partially frozen. I'm always forgetting to defrost it so I put the pack in water for maybe 15 mins and then it has softened enough to manage.


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

Mogdog said:


> Maisie used to like Naturediet too but went off it. Sorry to ask a daft question but do you defrost NI before serving?


The 1kg tray is about the size of a box of mince and pretty solid so you would have a job taking a portion off to feed frozen, you'd need a hack saw! You can defrost the tray then keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days but because Maisie is so tiny she wouldn't get through 1kg in 5 days so you would probably have to do what I do.

I put a tray in the fridge at about 9pm to partially defrost overnight. By the morning it has just defrosted enough to cut through but is still quite icy. While partially defrosted I cut it into meal sized blocks then refreeze. Each evening I take out two meal sized blocks to defrost in the fridge overnight for the following days meals. Sometimes the meal is still partially frozen in the morning but she happily eats it this way. You can also partially defrost, stuff into a kong then refreeze and give frozen. As a rule though you defrost first.


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks Mandy that's useful. I'm slowly coming around to the idea ....anything to find a food she would enjoy eating!


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Yes I noticed at the 'Poo Fest that cockapoos are in general quite a skinny lot. Dexter looks quite rotund until he gets wet then I realise how skinny he really is without all his fluff!


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## Ali79 (Mar 30, 2011)

I am glad that Beau isn't the only skinny Cockapoo Tessy. She too looks quite chunky until she has a bath and my daughter told me not to let her jump in the river as she looks like a drowned rat and is very embarrassing


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Mogdog said:


> Thanks Mandy that's useful. I'm slowly coming around to the idea ....anything to find a food she would enjoy eating!


If????? I was a video/computer literate type of person then Id video mine eating or even video the Raw v Kibble test...it would appear from the dogs point of view there really is no choice


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Oh that's interesting. Do they all much prefer it?


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Mable would nt even sniff the kibble just scoff the raw


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

Mogdog said:


> Oh that's interesting. Do they all much prefer it?


Flo was always a reluctant eater and I used to have to put all sorts of stuff with her kibble to keep her interested - raw egg, goat yoghurt, Nature Diet etc. It did feel like she ate out of necessity. Even the vet said 'put it down and if she doesn't eat it in 15 mins take it away then put it down again at the next mealtime'  If I gave in and gave her a lump of meat she would go on hunger strike for 2 days only eating kibble when desperate - poor thing.

A different story with NI and she loves it. Also she was starting to get a lot of tartar building up on some of her teeth now with NI and bones the tartar has gone and her teeth and completely clean.

When she got her first raw, meaty bone my oldest son sat watching her and said 'it just looks right'


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

embee said:


> Flo was always a reluctant eater and I used to have to put all sorts of stuff with her kibble to keep her interested - raw egg, goat yoghurt, Nature Diet etc. It did feel like she ate out of necessity. Even the vet said 'put it down and if she doesn't eat it in 15 mins take it away then put it down again at the next mealtime'  If I gave in and gave her a lump of meat she would go on hunger strike for 2 days only eating kibble when desperate - poor thing.
> 
> A different story with NI and she loves it. Also she was starting to get a lot of tartar building up on some of her teeth now with NI and bones the tartar has gone and her teeth and completely clean.
> 
> When she got her first raw, meaty bone my oldest son sat watching her and said 'it just looks right'


Maisie is the sort of eater that Flo used to be. I will call NI tomorrow I think. We have a good butcher nearby that I could also visit - poor Maisie has never had a proper raw bone. She will be in doggy heaven.

I think I read that you should switch to NI in one go - ie. not gradually by mixing the old and new food. Is that right? Does that not cause upset stomach?


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

I just swapped Sue... just cos I knew they liked it really.... and had no ill effects, just solid "old fashioned 1970's" chalky/crumbly (sometimes) dog poo!!!! No fear of getting your fingers in it lol. The only difference I have noticed is that as much as Wilf could go days without eating Kibble, a bag would last forever, he's now waiting to be fed at tea time and the odd time lurking and looking at me and then i realise its tea time. Not sure if he's legitemately hungry or just wanting feeding cos he likes it .


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

P.s did nt mean to post ... once you've spoken to the woman at NI she'll put to rest any doubts or queries, she's very approachable x


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

Mogdog said:


> Maisie is the sort of eater that Flo used to be. I will call NI tomorrow I think. We have a good butcher nearby that I could also visit - poor Maisie has never had a proper raw bone. She will be in doggy heaven.
> 
> I think I read that you should switch to NI in one go - ie. not gradually by mixing the old and new food. Is that right? Does that not cause upset stomach?


I just switched straight to NI as I thought that mixing raw with grain based kibble would upset her stomach as they digest it in different ways and at different rates. You can always ask NI when you call as they are very knowledgeable and helpful.

When you give Maisie her first raw bone be prepared for her doggy side to come out and approach with caution if trying to take her bone away!!! When hubby tried to take a bone from Flo she accidently grabbed his finger in the ensuing tussle and it hurt so much he gritted his teeth together and broke his front crown. He now has to pay for expensive dental treatment for a new crown and has a black nail 

I'm still slightly confused about which bones to give. I have both beef bones and lamb bones in the freezer. Lamb bones are so soft that she can eat the whole thing in about 30 mins whereas beef leg bones are very hard and although she eats some of it some she just gnaws on for weeks. At the moment I have chicken wings and lamb ribs in the freezer which she eats quite quickly but I'm going to give frozen so they last a bit longer. Still not sure whther she should be having beef bones and lamb leg bones - can anyone enlighten me??


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

wilfiboy said:


> and had no ill effects, just solid "old fashioned 1970's" chalky/crumbly (sometimes) dog poo!!!!


Oh yes, you are right, they have 'old fashioned' dog poo cos all this dog kibble and wet food stuff is very, very recent. When I was a kid you always saw white dog poo on the streets (lots of loose dogs and not much poo picking up in the olden days). Pre 70's dogs got scraps, left over food etc and of course the fittest dogs were always butchers dogs as they got raw meaty bones and raw meat hence the saying 'as fit as a butchers dog'.


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Thanks Mandy and Karen for all the info. Must admit the "old fasioned 1970's calky/crumbly dog poo" made me smile. I do know what you mean.

Would be great to turn Maisie into a happy eater. Will let you know how I get on.


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

I found that the lamb ribs were quite brittle... and I got them from NI not the butcher, did nt feel comfortable with them they were very hard. From what Ive read you can give large beef knuckle bones, but the beef has to be from a young animal ( you would assume it would be though) as older bones could damage the teeth.The cartilage provides a good source of protein.x


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Dexter had his first raw meaty veal bone today. He loved it and it kept him occupied for ages!


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

tessybear said:


> Dexter had his first raw meaty veal bone today. He loved it and it kept him occupied for ages!


Hey Dexter - an off lead romp with a whole load of cockapoos and now a raw veal bone - you're having a great week


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Lucky Dexter... that'll use up some of that energy... lovely boy x x


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## Mez-UK (May 4, 2011)

Dylansmum said:


> If you want a wet food, then Nature Diet is very good, but I think it would be important to give bones as well to keep the teeth clean. If it's just the freezer space that's putting you off NI, you could buy it in a small quantity from the vet in Farnham or minimum of 5kg from NI direct. 5 kg takes up very little freezer space.


Nature Diet is great and Ronnie switched to this because he wasn't liking various dried foods my friend tried (it wasn't liking his tummy either) so she switched to nature diet and his tummy been great and he loves it and she gives him chews to keep his teeth clean.
You can buy online but the cheapest we found is a company called Titmuss. They have website and do home delivery and there maybe others but they have a warehouse in Harpenden Herts.....infact their prices seem quite competative across the board.
I would steer clear of Bakers its very salty full of colurings and fatty which is why they like it! I have a very good friend who is a senior vetinery nurse/ practice manager and always lecturing people to steer clear of it!


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

oh great find mary as the cheapest i have found it is at 13.50 a box in a place in Swindon.


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## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

Mez-UK said:


> Nature Diet is great and Ronnie switched to this because he wasn't liking various dried foods my friend tried (it wasn't liking his tummy either) so she switched to nature diet and his tummy been great and he loves it and she gives him chews to keep his teeth clean.
> You can buy online but the cheapest we found is a company called Titmuss. They have website and do home delivery and there maybe others but they have a warehouse in Harpenden Herts.....infact their prices seem quite competative across the board.


Titmuss is just up the road from me! That's where I get Obi's Orijen and now I'm adding a little Nature Diet to encourage him to eat it. It's a shame they don't stock Natural Instinct.


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## Charlieee (Oct 25, 2010)

tessybear said:


> Dexter never finishes the food in his bowl. In fact he needs to be really encouraged to eat at all. He just nibbles a bit here and there, then I remove it after 15 min. Ever since I got him he has never really been interested in his food or treats (well he likes cheerios) He was the only one at puppy playschool who didn't like the treats they were offered. I have been told to bring my own as it's quite hard to reward him.
> I really like the sound of NI but I am extremely short of freezer space and don't envisage buying a freezer just for him. I'd rather go for a bag of dried food or pouches of wet food.
> It maybe that he doesn't like crunching the dry food although i have tried adding water to it- he wasn't that impressed either!
> I think he is just a bit of a fuss- pot!


We've just gone through a similar problem with our Cockapoo Bella. When we first got her the breeder gave us Pedigree dried puppy food. We wanted to give her dried food anyway due to messy poos that can arise with wet food. However, she was never really excited about food. We tried Baker's complete and she loved that - but we then found out it was full of additives that weren't very healthy and her digestion wasn't good. We stopped giving Bella that and put her on James Welbeloved dried kibble but again she wasn't keen on that, so we bought a few pouches. But still she wasn't excited to see food at mealtimes.
We booked her in at the vet a while back to get her spade and when we took her in the vet told us she was too underweight to have the op, so they advised us to give her Chappie.
Chappie food itself stinks at it contains fish! lol! But Bella loves it and it was amazing to see her wolf the food down after she had been so picky before.


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## witchie5 (Oct 25, 2010)

I give mine wainwrights pouches and ive started to mix in some cooked chicken ,not lots but she wolfs her food down now.I also leave a bowl of dry food down for snacking on.Ive had other doggies and have never pandered to such a fussy eater lol .I tried the NI food as its just up the road from me ,they were brilliant at explaining it all to me and i walked away with food for a week,gave her some and she was sick .I should have just introduced it little by little but to be honest the raw look of it freaked me out a little (what a wimp).Im going to stick to wainwrights and chicken for now lol


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Charliee -it was the dry kibble that gave Dexter 'runny poo' (sorry to be so graphic!) and as soon as I put him on the wet nature diet it made his poo dry and far more normal looking (so much easier to clean up and not smelly). So it was actually the opposite from what I like you expected.


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## raywendy18 (Apr 26, 2011)

Im gradually introducing Orijen to Pippa but she obviously 'tastes the difference' and isnt daft because when i pick up bowl up ater she's finished there is some food left and guess what its the "Costco stuff" (???) the breeder gave me to give her - they are different size 'bits' thats how i discovered this


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