Home of healthy, 100% natural dog and cat food.
- Raw without the Thaw
- Grain free, gluten free
- Great for dry skin and allergies
Food, food, food! That is all that we have in mind this month (and usually every other month as well)! So we went behind the brand with ZiwiPeak and asked them some questions about nutrition, diets and various flavours. Their answers had us drooling:
D: How different are the nutritional needs of various canine breeds?
Interesting question. All dogs, irrespective of breed are carnivores, which means they need to eat a daily diet that is high in protein sourced from real meat & organs and natural fat. It needs to be low in non-meat ingredients. The natural meat, organ and natural fat content should be approx. 80 to 90% of the daily diet. This represents the Instinctive wild prey diet that dogs naturally choose to hunt and eat. Even the tiniest pampered pooch is a carnivore sharing 99.8% of the DNA of the grey wolf. Correct food is critical to avoid costly health issues later on. Regarding different breeds, some breeds are prone to certain issues - allergies, intolerances, itchy skin, joint problems, oral health issues, renal problems - and for these breeds a natural meat-based diet is particularly beneficial. For instance, we have hundreds of testimonials from owners of breeds such as staffies that are prone to itching due to intolerance to a processed diet, and large breeds such as german shepherds that benefit from the joint support provided by a diet that includes ZiwiPeak.
D: What is your brand’s approach/philosophy to nutrition?
ZiwiPeak was developed to reflect the instinctive wild prey diet that dogs naturally chose to eat. It is a simple philosophy – real meat & organs as nature intended. We saw all the health issues that were resulting from feeding food that is full of fillers like rice and cereals, potatoes, peas, etc, and worked closely with the Massey University Veterinary professors to develop our diet to be a fully balanced complete diet modelled on the wild prey raw diet. We don’t and won’t use any fillers or preservatives, no colours or sugars or salts. We use only real human grade sourced meat, organs, fish and shellfish that were are from New Zealand’s pristine farmlands and oceans. We also committed to be GMO free. Our unique and gentle air drying process locks in the natural goodness, and the active enzymes and nutrients and protects the delicate protein structures of the natural ingredients so ZiwiPeak is as close to feeding a completely balanced raw diet as possible. This is the best diet for our dogs and cats.
D: What are some of the common issues that result from poor diet?
The problems are escalating! Allergies, obesity, diabetes, renal failure, pancreatitis, cancerous tumours, digestion issues, mobility problems, decaying teeth and gum disease are all unfortunately very common issues affecting our dogs and cats as a result of eating food full of ingredients not suitable for a carnivore. It is such a shame to see pet parents endure the emotional stress of these issues that can lead to severe health issues and financial burden when most can be avoided with more care being taken when choosing the food. We are all responsible for educating the pet owners about what to look for. Try to chose foods that list natural real meat & organs as the first 4 or 5 ingredients and avoid foods that are full of fillers. Yes it costs a little more for the food but the saving in animal health costs at the vet are huge let alone the fact that the dog or cat will lead a happier, healthier and longer life. Dogs and cats are not naturally born with all these issues – they are man made and we can avoid them.
D: How important is flavour in a canine diet – do dogs really have preferences to different flavours i.e. chicken, beef…?
Good question. Picky eaters are generally made not born! However some dogs and cats do have a genuine need to eat one type of flavour or protein over another. For example if the dog has an allergy then they need to eat certain flavours to avoid the one that causes them issues. However generally all dogs will eagerly eat food from natural meat sources quite willingly. Our experience is that flavour and fragrance are important in training treats, and for this reason a huge number of professional dog trainers use and endorse ZiwiPeak as their top-rated training treat, and we get constant feedback from customers that their fussy pet has taken enthusiastically to our food - especially our Venison recipe. Another example is that Chihuahua’s are quite often referred to as being very picky eaters but we have enormous success with ZiwiPeak as they just seem to love the smell and taste and many owners are delighted that their Chihuahua loves its ZiwiPeak food and is happy to eat it.
D: How important is variety in a canine diet…should you mix it up a bit so they don’t get bored?
Usually variety is a human reaction as we get bored quickly with the same food so we think our dogs do as well. Dogs can happily eat the one flavour but offering a variety is good to keep them interested and to maintain good gut and digestive health. However don’t switch every meal as this can cause the gut some confusion. Also by offering different flavours you train the dog to accept that their food can vary resulting in a less picky eater.
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Find out more about ZiwiPeak: www.ziwipeak.com