[Jedicrazy]

I've decided I want to change Obi's food over to Orijen (and may even go BARF at some point, still thinking about it) but not sure how to go about doing it? He's currently still having what the breeder had him on which is James Wellbeloved puppy kibble mixed with Butchers Choice tinned Tripe Loaf. I hate the smell of the wet food (and Obi's resulting wind!) so have been trying to cut that back but notice he won't eat the kibble without it and his poo's are a lot runnier. When I switch to Orijen I want to cut out the tins altogether. Any advice on how to do this would be much appreciated!

Thanks
Clare

 

[Dylansmum]

Hi Clare. It is recommended to change gradually, over a week or two, mixing the new food with the old food and gradually increasing the proportion of the new brand. You may find the same problem with the Orijen, that Obi won't eat it on it's own, so you could either moisten it a little or mix in a small amount of something like Nature Diet, which is a natural wet food that comes in pouches. Also, if you want to try Natural Instinct, I'll bring you some to the meet-up so you can see how Obi reacts to it.

 

[wilfiboy]

Mine liked the smell of Orijens, so hopefully it might entice him to eat it, but once Helen has given you the NI you'll be sold. x

 

[embee]

Mine liked the smell of Orijens, so hopefully it might entice him to eat it, but once Helen has given you the NI you'll be sold. x

Agree - I would never in a zillion years have had myself down as a BARF dog feeder but using NI it's no more problem than putting down a bowl of kibble and the benefits are amazing.

I always used to have to entice Flo to eat her JW and Orijen kibble by mixing in a little Nature Diet but that's all now a thing of the past - I put down the NI, tease her with a few waits and downs, then she's right in there and enjoying it. She's trimmed down, has a much softer coat, has no doggy smell (the Nature Diet fish did make her pong a bit) and her poos are almost non existent.

 

[MichelleE]

Glad you asked about this Clare, as I was thinking of doing the same thing. Poppy is on Royal Canin at the moment, but I want to make the switch to Orijen before going onto Natural Instinct once she is on 2 meals a day. Can you let me know how you get on?

 

[kendal]

with Gypsy and Inca i did the gradual change as Gypsy was so fussy, but with Echo and Delta it was a case of the first day with us on their puppy food from the breeder, the next strate onto raw. i feel like the gradual change is just drawing it out. where as the quick change gets it over and done with, cant think of any problems with the switch over.

 

[lady amanda]

I switched Lady from Royal Canin to a different kibble right away....then I changed her onto inova gradually...she likes it but isn't overly interested in it...I will likely switch her to Orijen as soon as this bag is close to the end. we had no problems with switching her either way.

 

[weez74]

I think it all depends on your dog. Rosie is so sensitive that even a few pieces of Orijen in her food made her tummy really upset (yet sheep poo has no effect whatsoever!). I really hope that NI is a bit easier to introduce. I've just found a stockist literally aournd the corner from my office, so I feel that someone is trying to tell me something!

 

[embee]

I think it all depends on your dog. Rosie is so sensitive that even a few pieces of Orijen in her food made her tummy really upset (yet sheep poo has no effect whatsoever!). I really hope that NI is a bit easier to introduce. I've just found a stockist literally aournd the corner from my office, so I feel that someone is trying to tell me something!

When I ordered my NI the lady who answered the phone and took the order was very knowledgeable and had lots of advice. It also seemed that she knew a lot about dogs with sensitive tummys and allergies - they must get lots of owners moving onto their food with dogs who are intolerant or allergic to ingredients in other tinned foods and kibbles.

Maybe call their main number for advice about making the switch 01276 608500.

 

[wilfiboy]

Great idea Mandy ... yes she was lovely and very approachable, Im sure she'd answer any queries.x

 

[embee]

Great idea Mandy ... yes she was lovely and very approachable, Im sure she'd answer any queries.x

When I ordered she actually asked if my dog had any allergies or stomach problems before taking the order. She said it was a family business and I think she was part of the 'family'. She also talked at length about her own dogs feeding and said they had just taken delivery of turkeys from a new supplier and that they would be having one themselves for Sunday dinner!!

 

[weez74]

I wonder how many other pet food producers would be happy to eat the meat that goes into their product!!!

 

[embee]

I wonder how many other pet food producers would be happy to eat the meat that goes into their product!!!

Quite - that's what gave me the confidence to go for it. If the chicken mince didn't have ground bone in it I would happily cook and serve it up to the kids. The texture of their minced meat is properly 'meaty' in texture and better than some of the cheap/basic supermarket ranges that are really slimey and mushy.

 

[Dylansmum]

They are also really fair with their pricing. Twice now they have put their turkey products on sale at £2 per kilo pack (instead of £2.90) as they have got the turkey at a good price.

 

[embee]

They are also really fair with their pricing. Twice now they have put their turkey products on sale at £2 per kilo pack (instead of £2.90) as they have got the turkey at a good price.

Oh I'll check that out right now - passing on price drops as well - so not like Gas, Electric and Petrol then!!

 

[Dylansmum]

I just missed the offer last time, but got some this time. Dylan doesn't seem to care whether it's chicken or turkey. I find the only visible difference is that the turkey seems just a little firmer and drier in texture.

 

[Jedicrazy]

My only issue is the cost! How much Natural Instinct would I need to feed Obi daily? He is approx 2kg at the moment. Do you buy it in bulk and store in the freezer? My freezer is not big.

I do have a butcher at the end of my road so I'm going to pop in and find out if he has any bones.

 

[embee]

My only issue is the cost! How much Natural Instinct would I need to feed Obi daily? He is approx 2kg at the moment. Do you buy it in bulk and store in the freezer? My freezer is not big.

I do have a butcher at the end of my road so I'm going to pop in and find out if he has any bones.

They recommend 1%-3% of an adult dogs body weight. Flo is 11kg and has 200g a day which works out at 54p a day - when I worked it out it was much cheaper to feed NI than feeding a premium kibble (Origen).

A puppy should have 4%-6% of body weight so that will be around 100g or 27p a day.

Bones from butchers are very cheap and sometime free. If they have NI they don't need bones as part of their diet just for recreation and teeth cleaning so maybe 1 or 2 bones per week.

For my first order I bought 10 x 1kg boxes which I store in a seperate small chest freezer. Each box a just a little bigger than a supermarket tray of mince.

I have found the best way to organise myself is to partially defrost a tray in the fridge over night then cut it into 10 pieces then refreeze. I then defrost two portions over night for the following day. It can be refrozen if only partially defrosted. I prefer it being freshly defrosted for each day instead of having a box of it in the fridge over 5 days.

If you decide to go for it then PM Dylansmum for her full name. If you place a first order by phone she'll get £5 off her next order and you'll also get £5 off

 

[Jedicrazy]

Thanks Embee! Actually, that's very reasonable and as you say cheaper than Orijen.

I'm going to mull over it all (I have read these posts too much now LOL) at the weekend but I'm 95% sure i'm going to go with NI after the current JWB bag is finished. If it's good for Obi and ensures less and nicer smelling poos than I can't go wrong, can I? I'm finding it so hard to keep the garden poo free (he does so many!) and with young kids and their friends outside all the time it's a nightmare.

I'll definitely be in touch with Dylansmum if I do got for it.

Thanks everyone

 

[embee]

Bones from butchers are very cheap and sometime free. If they have NI they don't need bones as part of their diet just for recreation and teeth cleaning so maybe 1 or 2 bones per week.

Just picked up 1kg of raw meaty lamb bones (quite a bit of meat on) from the butcher for £1.80 so much cheaper than NI's lamb neck or ribs. Gave her a small one (I know, I should have waited till her teatime - but her little face when I brought the bag in and she could smell it was too much) and she ate the whole thing in about 30 minutes. The lamb bone is quite soft so they can eat it easily. The beef bones are much harder and Flo gnaws on it for days without getting very much off at all - I think I'll keep a bit and fashion a new tooth for Ivan from it and he can stick it in with the dental cement that Kendal recommended (a long story - see the barf thread)

Now you carnivore types probably know that kind of stuff but it's a whole new world to me. Bought myself two veggie samosas while I was there