Natural Instinct

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ecrozier

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Just seen on the raw feeding for cats thread that vets are very anti natural instinct and there are concerns about the company etc? Does anyone know any more about this as I have just started my dogs on the NI diet thinking I was doing the best for them with a raw, balanced diet?!
Do any more knowledgeable raw feeders have options either way about NI and if bad - what alternatives are there for a novice raw feeder with a 9 week old pup and a 9 year old dog?
 
Try Durham Animal Feeds, Landywoods or Berriewoods.
If you're anywhere near a greyhound track, might be worth a visit to see who the trainers are using, my guy supplies the greyhound industry and I have been to his yard and seen the (human grade) chickens going in one end of the mincer and out the other!!
And the tripe is good quality too.
Prize Choice is OK (I'm using it at the moment) but the quality wouldn't be as good as NI.

But addressing the point - some vets are against a feeding process which means they sell less drugs and shampoos for allergies, digestive problems and dental chews? I am shocked!!!!!

I don't find it ethical how pet food companies pump dry foods full of nasties in a bid to cut corners and make maximum profit either, so I would take my chances with NI if I were you!!
 
Thanks CaveCanem, no greyhound tracks near us sadly. Will check out the other suppliers tho - are they generally deemed 'better'? The beauty of NI for me is the simplicity!
 
They are just other raw food suppliers and wouldn't have everything mixed up and packaged together as NI. Once you know what you're doing you can be a bit braver!

I've genuinely heard no complaints about the ethics of NI. Some vets are anti-raw for the reasons mentioned.
If it's about sourcing, I'd really say they have a much stronger case than most dry dog food companies!!
 
As CC said some vets are anti raw, when we took our Lancashire Heeler to the vets they asked what we were feeding, we said raw and the vet said why, she is not a wolf. We changed to more enlightened vets after that.
 
Good call Dobiegirl - our vets said they had no issues with raw but one particular vet said she wasn't supportive of feeding bone as it causes blockages ... As I am mainly feeding the NI minces at the moment with chicken carcasses for the older boy I decided to ignore that for now!
 
OP i'd continue with Natural Instinct if I were you! Number one your dogs must like it and so do you as it is so easy to feed and store. Also I think its a great raw option. I feed it sometimes when I feel like spoiling them or need to gain weight on a skinnyone. Also you can have peace of mind they are nutritionally getting all they need!
 
It comes down to individual vets really - there's one at the practice we use that is totally against raw feeding, told me I was going to kill my dog and not to come crying to her when she needed emergency surgery for a perforation or blockage. In the same breath she was trying to encourage me to buy another bag of prescription food made of something like 80% corn that had been going through my dog like water.

Same vet was totally against things like agility, working gundogs, sled dog racing etc. as cruel and leading to too many injuries.

Needless to say we stick with one of the other vets now who was 50/50 about raw feeding but cannot argue with the results, my dogs have the best teeth of any of his clients and he also praises their coat and skin. He is pro working dogs and pro slim dogs (the two very often being linked). :)

Haven't used NI personally but often use Prize Choice minces which are similar with no issues at all, the tripe blocks are an easy way to feed something which can otherwise be smelly and unpleasant to handle.
 
I have been using NI for over 3 years now, (but have been feeding raw for 15 years) Way before it came in boxes and when the guys were still going to the meat markets themselves for their human grade ingredients. I have never had reason to doubt their ethics and their products are top quality IMHO. If you contact NI I am sure they will tell you all about the sourcing of their products and as they say on their website they welcome visitors to their factory.
Hope this helps.
 
Thanks all - I spoke to NI before starting, and have been very happy so far, was just a comment on the thread re raw feeding for cats that worried me! That's the danger of t'internet I guess!
 
I've recently started my 3 dogs on NI after a very bad dose of campylabachter bacteria which kept getting passed between the 3 of them and took weeks to clear and cost me nearly £1,000 all in what with replacing rugs, dogs bed etc plus vet bills.

I had been feeding Natures Menu for years but recently had a few packs which seemed to have thawed & been refrozen. I spoke to NM before feeding & they assured me it would be ok and so stupidly I fed it - of course there's no guarantee it was this and it could have come from something else they managed to pick up on the moors. However after such a serious incident I decided not to chance anything further and switched to NI despite the huge hike in cost.

My vet is completely anti raw and tried everything to get me to use Royal Canin but it wasn't the way I wanted to go.

I'm very happy with the NI food, my cat is constantly trying to pinch the dogs food as I serve it up and the dogs not only love it but look very good on it. However I'm going to do a bit more research now as this has worried me slightly :(
 
Sonjafoers let me know if you find anything as I've been very pleased so far, but that one negative post on other thread did worry me! But that poster hasn't replied on this thread?
 
Perhaps contact the poster who raised the concern? I also feed it sometimes and had a cursory look for these negative reports after it was mentioned in the other thread but I've not found anything particularly damning re that brand in particular.

A friend of mine has made a small hobby out of vetting dog foods so I'll ask her. :)
 
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