How to feed your dog

Some dogs will take to a raw diet without any need for gradual introduction. However, dogs do not generally like any sudden dietary change, and we therefore suggest that you initially feed your dog 3/4 of your normal food and 1/4 Natural Instinct, decreasing the amount over seven to ten days until you are feeding only Natural Instinct.

Bones are essential for any quality raw diet, and your dog will greatly benefit from the nutrients derived from raw bones. However you should note the following points:

• All dogs should be supervised when given a bone
• Do not feed your dog drumsticks/leg bones, or any cooked bones, as these are brittle and can splinter
• You may wish to first hold the bone so that you can control your dog's feeding habits, and teach the dog to eat slowly. This will also allow you to take the bone away again if necessary, avoiding the dog trying to wolf the bone down
• If your dog regurgitates a bone, don't worry! It may simply have been too big!
• Feed bones after exercise
• If you have more than one dog, it is a good idea to give them bones separately to avoid them becoming possessive
• Always wash your hands after handling raw bones and meat

How much should I feed my dog?

Although some dogs adapt to a raw lifestyle with little persuasion, others may resist a dramatic change in their daily dietary habits. In such situations we’d advise starting by mixing ¾ of your dog’s usual food with ¼ Natural Instinct, although if your dog has up to now been fed a biscuit based diet please ensure that you do not mix this with Natural Instinct unless the biscuit is well soaked in water beforehand. Gradually tweak the ratios over a 7-10 day period until in the end you are only feeding them natural instinct. The general rule is that a dog should eat 2-3% of its body weight per day (e.g. a 10kg dog should eat roughly 200g of food per day).

In contrast, from 8 weeks of age puppies will need 4-6% of their body weight spread across 3-4 meals until they have reached full maturity, at which point they are well placed to switch to the recommended adult diet.

Variable factors like lifestyle, appetite and temperament can all impact on a dog’s eventual weight, which is why there’s no substitute for knowing ones pet. We recommend that a healthy hound should have a natural waist and that you should be able to feel (but not see) its ribcage.

We set out below a general guide to demonstrate the amount of Natural Instinct an averagely active dog should eat per day. In addition, your dog can enjoy our lamb bones or treats a few times a week. If your dog is not used to eating bones, we recommend starting with a lamb bone once or twice a week.

How big is your dog?

Place your mouse over the dog most like your own.

Each portion of Natural Instinct is hand-made and pre-weighed at approximately 1kg (exact weight may vary slightly owing to the variations in the mix of each portion), and you can simply keep any unused portion of a bag in the fridge or freezer until next meal time. Remember that ideally you should not re-freeze any portion if it has already completely defrosted although you may do this once only if the meat has not been left out anywhere warm.  You can re-freeze any partially defrosted product provided it is still chilled and/or crystalline (for example if you wish to stuff the food into a KONG product for your dog to enjoy).

It’s not just about dogs

We won’t deny that we’re big dog enthusiasts, but we’re also massive fans of the UK’s fleet-footed feline community. Our ‘fresh’ healthy eating philosophy translates perfectly into a discerning cat food format, a sector that has historically been on the back paw in terms of real choice when compared to dogs.

How much should I feed my cat?

Knowing ones pet really is the key to this question, although as a rough rule of paw we’d suggest that your adult cat receives 2-3% of its body weight in food per day. If truth be told there's really no substitute for weighing your cat regularly and making any necessary adjustments should your pet begin to lose or gain weight.

These days a growing number of pet shops and most veterinary surgeries provide easy access to electronic scales and weight by breed wall charts which provide useful instant indicators as to whether your pet is either at the peak of its powers or has been over-indulged.

Kittens need to be fed small meals and often. Feed around 4 times per day and let them eat as much as they want. At 5-6 months this can drop to 2 meals per day, totalling 4-5% of their body weight.