# Natural Instinct.



## paul1959 (Aug 3, 2010)

As NI are only a mile away, I thought it well worth the effort to drop by. I had a chat with a very helpful chap (did not get his name) who talked me through all the ins and outs of their range. I came away with three 400g pots of chicken, Jess had her fist taste last night, have to say it didn't tough the sides!

It's quite a big shop which sells lots of other cat and dog related products.

So many thanks to NI, will definitely be back for some more.

PC


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

My first NI order came yesterday, so Teddy is about to gt his first NI meal any minute now.
Their ordering and delivery system is very efficient - seemed like I had no sooner placed the order than it appeared at the door! Very impressed with that. It is good to have a positive report about your visit - lucky you, to be so close!


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## Bertie Brown (Aug 12, 2011)

Hello

I am just trying Bertie on this range of food, so far he's loving it and wolfs it down!

http://www.naturalinstinct.com/


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## andy0 (Jan 10, 2011)

Crumble has been on it a few days now and cant wait for meal times now she does not stop until it has all gone she loves it,


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

Ditto Andy. Luna loves her NI! Lucky you Paul living so near and being able to avoid the delivery charge


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## Sarette (Mar 21, 2011)

Max has been on NI for 8 days now and he loves it too. He even barked at me last night in his excitement when I was putting into his bowl!


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

Wow - you all sound so upbeat about it - can't wait to get him started


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Millie's been on it for about 10 weeks now and loves her meal times. Such a change from seeing her struggle to eat her kibble food.

I'm just progressing from puppy food to a variety of adult foods. Just gave her working dog beef (doesn't contain too much Vit C, so I was told) and as always she just loved it.

I'm on holiday for a few weeks and had the delivery sent to my holiday address, it was fab having it waiting for me on the doorstep. It stays frozen for 2 days if left in its delivery parcel. I'm going to pop in and see them on the way home to pick up some more food and see their business for myself. Looking forward to it


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

Goerge absolutely loved it from day 1. Very efficient service and I highly recommend, just wished I could source locally and didn't have to pay delivery charge


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Lucky you Paul to have them on your door step, just to be able to pop in.... not have to bother ordering and having to pay for delivery, although like Tressa said thye are very efficient.Did you plug us at I Love My Cockapoo? Glad Jess is loving her dinner x


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## paul1959 (Aug 3, 2010)

wilfiboy said:


> Did you plug us at I Love My Cockapoo? Glad Jess is loving her dinner x


Of course!


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

NI must bless this forum for giving it so many so customers


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## strof51 (Sep 26, 2009)

Tressa said:


> NI must bless this forum for giving it so many so customers


So must my local stockist. They even order bones and store them in their freezer for me.
A small plug for WWW.a1prettypaws.com


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## GreenFamily (Jun 17, 2011)

We picked Sid up yesterday form JD's  very happy bunnies here. 
He is on Orijen at the moment but in doing our research before getting him we had been considering changing to NI. How long did you all wait once you had collected your pups before changing? I want to give him some time to settle and not give him too big a shock at once. Nic x


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

I changed George on the very next day, never looked back


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## Cockapoodledoo (Feb 8, 2011)

I put Basil on to BARF immediately with no problems at all.

Karen x


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## GreenFamily (Jun 17, 2011)

excellent, thanks


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## Sarette (Mar 21, 2011)

I switched Max over as soon as our NI arrived and had no problems


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Nic if you are planning on ordering quite a bit remember the NI list that Jedicrazy has up and running you get a name off the list, say that they are your friend/ recommender and you will both get £5 off your order then Clare will put you name on the list and you'll get another £5 off when someone uses your name x


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## GreenFamily (Jun 17, 2011)

Ah thanks. I did know about the list but to be honest had completely forgotten about it so I'm glad you reminded me


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## Laney (Aug 7, 2011)

wilfiboy said:


> Nic if you are planning on ordering quite a bit remember the NI list that Jedicrazy has up and running you get a name off the list, say that they are your friend/ recommender and you will both get £5 off your order then Clare will put you name on the list and you'll get another £5 off when someone uses your name x


Didn't know anything about this list, what a shame. Made my first order on Wednesday...cost a bomb....but Rocky loves it x


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Pm .. Clare/ Jedicrazy, Im sure she'll put your name on the bottom of the list then at least you'll get the referral £5 when someone uses your name x


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## PipE (Aug 4, 2011)

I think, having read all the feedback on here, that we're going to give NI a try when we get Kipper. At the moment she is being fed Hills Puppy Medium by the breeder. I wondered if anyone has done a cost comparison between the two different food types?
We were told by the breeder that if we wanted to change to a different food we should do it gradually over about a month but reading that some of you have changed straightaway makes me very tempted to try the same!
Pip X


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

I changed straight away and had no problems, highly recommend it


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## Sarette (Mar 21, 2011)

I also changed straight away and Max recommends it thoroughly


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## PipE (Aug 4, 2011)

Did you mix any of the other food in or just ditch the other food and swap straight over?
Pip X


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## Sarette (Mar 21, 2011)

Swapped straight over! xx


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## curt3007 (May 28, 2011)

I ditched the other food (royal canin) and switched straight over. If you mix it has to be seperate meals and not NI and kibble mixed together as they digest it differently


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## PipE (Aug 4, 2011)

Right, that's it then, I'm going to do it!!
I'd better get myself on the referral list!
Thanks for the help.
Any thoughts on the cost aspect?
Pip X


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

We did some sums on this recently and the cost is around 60 to 70p a day. It varies depending on what and how much you order and whether you take advantage of special offers etc.


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## PipE (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks Helen
That seems pretty good to me (especially if we get lovely 1970's poo!!)
Pip X


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

Warning warning - this is Teddy's second day on it, and he has been farting good style tonight - must be the changeover that did it! Hope that settles before long


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## PipE (Aug 4, 2011)

Tressa said:


> Warning warning - this is Teddy's second day on it, and he has been farting good style tonight - must be the changeover that did it! Hope that settles before long


Ha ha! Love it!
Nose pegs at the ready then!
X


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## Sarette (Mar 21, 2011)

Max hasn't farted at all yet!!


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## Laney (Aug 7, 2011)

I worked it out to about 65p per day and when you think that's including shipping (which is next day delivery if you order before 2pm) that's not too shabby for a happy doggy


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## Dolly Parton (Jun 6, 2011)

Quick question.... I have NI in the freezer and have been mixing it with kibble - is this wrong? Also, those who give NI, do you need to jut give that alone for every meal? Should you be giving bones as well to keep their teeth clean? I tried the NI ribs for mine and both of them had tummy problems afterwards, so am a bit put off by it. Then mentioned that I had been giving them chicken wings to eat and my vet said it was not a good idea. I guess NI has the bones in it though, just crushed down..... Bones a good idea though????


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Dolly Parton said:


> Quick question.... I have NI in the freezer and have been mixing it with kibble - is this wrong? Also, those who give NI, do you need to jut give that alone for every meal? Should you be giving bones as well to keep their teeth clean? I tried the NI ribs for mine and both of them had tummy problems afterwards, so am a bit put off by it. Then mentioned that I had been giving them chicken wings to eat and my vet said it was not a good idea. I guess NI has the bones in it though, just crushed down..... Bones a good idea though????


Hi Clare.

You shouldn't mix kibble and raw as dogs digest them them at different rates. From what I have learnt recently it takes 12 hours to digest kibble and 4 hours for raw. NI does have the correct amount of bone content but dogs wont get the benefit to their teeth by not having bones to chew. Some vets are very anti raw feeding as they are often promoting a particular brand of commercial dog food and alot of their training is sponsored by pet food companies. Although there is always a small danger that a bone could cause damage, dogs jaws are designed to be able to chew bones. Chicken wings and carcasses are fine but avoid the leg bones (weight bearing). Daisy also loves lamb breast bones form the butcher and this week I am going to try her on heart! Just avoid cooked bones and weight bearing bones. You have to feel comfortable about what you are feeding your dog, I know I was quite nervous when I gave Daisy her first chicken wing but I love to see her happily chomping away! Good luck. 

Sarah.


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## Dolly Parton (Jun 6, 2011)

Thank you for your help. How often do you give bones? Do you give a chicken wing as a meal or just during the day? Would one chicken wing suffice as a meal for a puppy?


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

I give bones everyday, once or twice depending on what I have. I often give a chicken wing for breakfast, then either NI for the other two meals (I am on 3 a day) or one NI and another chicken portion or a lamb breast bone. A chicken wing is an ideal meal portion for a puppy. You could start off maybe giving a chicken wing for tea and see how you get on? Just stick to chicken for the first couple of weeks though before trying lamb or anything else. Green tripe is another great meal if you can get hold of it. Apparently it is a bit smelly though! I am still trying to source somewhere local but otherwise I will get it from NI.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

I give Millie bones as a treat. Usually if I'm organised, for when I'm going out and need to leave her.

Whatever extra's I give, I still give her her usual two feeds a day of NI. But I guess thats because I don't give bones that often, say once a week.


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Hi Clare, I would endorse what Sarah has said both about kibble and about vets being mostly anti-raw, although some are becoming more progressive and NI is actually stocked by some vets. One of the reasons I like NI rather than a DIY BARF diet is that the bone in it is ground so there is no choking danger for those that are nervous about the chicken wing issue and I personally give only NI. I also like the fact that the quantities of meat/bone/veg are professionally balanced so any issues like constipation from too much bone are also avoided. I do give large bones maybe 3 times a week for recreation and tooth cleaning, but not as a meal replacement. You could try beef ribs if your dogs are not good with lamb, but it may be worth trying lamb again just to confirm. I don't buy the NI bones as they are very expensive - it's worth going round all the local butchers to see if you can get bones from them.
If you do give chicken wings, then one or two would be a meal replacement, but it's not necessary to do so unless you want to. They usually weigh about 100g.


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

I would like to give bones for teeth cleaning (and 'cos they're yummy ) but Izzy was a bit constipated after her lamb rib, and she didn't even finish it. Is beef rib less likely to affect her, or should I try lamb rib again ( as I have them in the freezer)


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

Dolly Parton said:


> Thank you for your help. How often do you give bones? Do you give a chicken wing as a meal or just during the day? Would one chicken wing suffice as a meal for a puppy?


If you are nervous at first I would recommend that you wrap the chicken wing in a tea towel and use a rolling pin to bash the bones.

Then the first time you give -hold on to the end- well for as long as possible to ensure they are crunching bones and not gulping it down it one.


I would give one to two wings as a meal depending on size of wing. But one wing to start off for a puppy is a good idea.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

I gave Millie her first beef rib bone this week.  It was huge, I don't know why I was thinking it would be small, bearing in mind the size of the animal it comes from !. But oh boy, did she enjoy it. I've put it back in the fridge, not that there is much meat left, but I I'll give it to her again when we have to leave her alone - which may well be this afternoon. 

Taking Millie for a beach walk this morning


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

ali-s.j. said:


> I would like to give bones for teeth cleaning (and 'cos they're yummy ) but Izzy was a bit constipated after her lamb rib, and she didn't even finish it. Is beef rib less likely to affect her, or should I try lamb rib again ( as I have them in the freezer)


With the very large bones they will actually eat less of them so will be less likely to become constipated if that makes sense! I give the huge beef marrowbones sometimes and that will lie around the house for weeks with Dylan working on it when he wants to until I throw it away. There is very little meat on it, so it is pure gnawing activity. I know that weight bearing bones are not recommended, but they are so big and hard that I've never found them risky. The soft lamb ribs are more of a meal as they can usually eat them up almost entirely. As long as the constipation is mild, doesn't last long or become a problem, you could give the lamb again and see how she goes.


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## glitzydebs (Jun 10, 2011)

Great to hear all about the bone issues, don't they love them...but I am a bit worried as Pushca goes bonkers when she she sees the NI tub come out of the fridge and literally it is gone in a minute. then she is looking for more, chasing the empty bowl around. Is she still hungry or just plain greedy? And does anyone else have this issue?


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

glitzydebs said:


> Great to hear all about the bone issues, don't they love them...but I am a bit worried as Pushca goes bonkers when she she sees the NI tub come out of the fridge and literally it is gone in a minute. then she is looking for more, chasing the empty bowl around. Is she still hungry or just plain greedy? And does anyone else have this issue?


Yes! ....they love it don't they. But if their weight is about right then I guess they're getting enough.

What percentage of body weight do you give Pushca?


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## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

How I wish Teddy knew what to do with a bone! He just looks at it for a while, and then buries it! I have never yet seen him try to eat any.


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

glitzydebs said:


> Great to hear all about the bone issues, don't they love them...but I am a bit worried as Pushca goes bonkers when she she sees the NI tub come out of the fridge and literally it is gone in a minute. then she is looking for more, chasing the empty bowl around. Is she still hungry or just plain greedy? And does anyone else have this issue?


I do feed a little more than the recommended amount because Dylan slimmed up quite a bit. You could try upping the quantity and just keep an eye on her waistline and if she puts on weight, reduce it again. I think that Dylan is very active and so can burn up more food than average. By the way has Pushca's constipation rectified itself? I was concerned about her. Or did I miss a post?


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

We weighed Luna on Wednesday - 4.3kg - and again on Saturday - 4.6kg. So we've weighed her regularly since getting her. However, today I got home from work and immediately thought how skinny she was. We weighed her again after she had eaten dinner and she's lost weight - now 4.5kg. She was going mad looking for more food which she had never done before so we gave her more and now she's fast asleep. Just goes to show you have to weigh really frequently and change the food quantity accordingly. Bad mum . We live and learn!!


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## glitzydebs (Jun 10, 2011)

Ah thankyou Helen but she's been fine sorry I forgot to post and thankyou for your help with the help feeding my hungry pup


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## GreenFamily (Jun 17, 2011)

I'm know I'm going to ask a question that has been asked before but I can't see for looking! I've tried to hunt the answer down but its not showing 

How many times a day do you feed NI? Sid currently on Orijen is fed twice a day. Will I need to increase this to 3x a day as it digests quicker or can I stick to 2x a day?

Now don't laugh and the next question!.......I phoned NI today to ask the same question but I must have got them at a busy time as they haven't got back to me yet, does anyone have the dimensions of a 400g and 1k puppy food packet? I need to work out how much I can fit into the freezer  I want to order enough but not too much. I'm going to be placing my order in the morning. thank you


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

GreenFamily said:


> How many times a day do you feed NI? Does anyone have the dimensions of a 400g and 1k puppy food packet?


19cm long x 12cm wide x 7cm high for 1kg.

Feed 3x per day while a puppy then go to 2x when adult. Whether you stick at 2x or move to 1x depends on the dog. Some go off their morning or evening feed in which case switch to 1x. Flo is nearly 2 years old weighs 10.5kg and has 200g per day as 2 meals at 7am and 6pm.


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

I split a day's NI into 3 little meals for a 12 wk old pup. Dimensions of lkg pack are 18.5 x 12 x 7.5 cm, don't know about the 400g size.

Sid is beautiful by the way.


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

sharplesfamily said:


> We weighed Luna on Wednesday - 4.3kg - and again on Saturday - 4.6kg. So we've weighed her regularly since getting her. However, today I got home from work and immediately thought how skinny she was. We weighed her again after she had eaten dinner and she's lost weight - now 4.5kg. She was going mad looking for more food which she had never done before so we gave her more and now she's fast asleep. Just goes to show you have to weigh really frequently and change the food quantity accordingly. Bad mum . We live and learn!!


On the contrary, sounds like you're doing a great job! I think cockapoos are quite an active breed in general - well I know mine is anyway! When I'm out and see how some dogs just wander around on their walks and Dylan is running around constantly like a maniac, I can understand why he needs more then the recommended amount. But dogs are generally better slightly slim rather than overweight, so I just keep feeling for his ribs. And puppies grow so fast, you have to constantly adjust the amount.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Millie went onto two meals a day at 5 1/2 months when I put her on NI - no cross over, just straight onto it.

She's still on two meals a day and is 7 months. Still loves her food 

And I agree with Helen they are active little dogs. Millie is always trying to make other dogs play with her and play chase. If they wont, she's been known to take their ball and make them chase her to get it back.  One of these days she'll get told off by the other dog


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## GreenFamily (Jun 17, 2011)

Job done, thanks for your help again. Roll on tomorrow


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## glitzydebs (Jun 10, 2011)

Thankyou So much for asking after Pushca 
...she's been!!! Phew! As for the NI I'll try giving her a bit more but she looks great so think she is just a greedy pup.


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## glitzydebs (Jun 10, 2011)

embee said:


> 19cm long x 12cm wide x 7cm high for 1kg.
> 
> Feed 3x per day while a puppy then go to 2x when adult. Whether you stick at 2x or move to 1x depends on the dog. Some go off their morning or evening feed in which case switch to 1x. Flo is nearly 2 years old weighs 10.5kg and has 200g per day as 2 meals at 7am and 6pm.


That's exactly what I feed Pushca and she's 10kg and one year old


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Presuming the 400g tubs are the same ones that they sent for Northern Meet then they are small tub shaped not trays like 1kg they measure 3in High,4in long and 3.5in Wide.. hope this helps x


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## sharplesfamily (Apr 28, 2011)

Dylansmum said:


> On the contrary, sounds like you're doing a great job! I think cockapoos are quite an active breed in general - well I know mine is anyway! When I'm out and see how some dogs just wander around on their walks and Dylan is running around constantly like a maniac, I can understand why he needs more then the recommended amount. But dogs are generally better slightly slim rather than overweight, so I just keep feeling for his ribs. And puppies grow so fast, you have to constantly adjust the amount.


Awww thank you. I was heartbroken when I thought how hungry she must have been! But we have just introduced off lead walking so she is obviously burning off loads more energy than before. She seems a lot happier today .

Harri x


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