# Ziwipeak,funky food to say the least,have you tried it?



## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

We dropped by a speciality store and they had ZiwiPeak. I was looking around and the store manager insisted I try it,I declined because of the price OUCH. But they kept on and I ended up with a free trail size bag that was suppose to be over $8. I got it home and opened it up and was shocked. The smell was quite different almost like shrimp. And the shape that was the biggest shock those flat little squares. I am going to see how my dog likes it but it probably will only be bought on special occasions for treats maybe. 
I was wondering how many here have tried it?


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Ziwipeak is a great food and we use it as part of our morning meals as well as treats. It's great because it doesn't contain any fillers it's just meat and organs and they have venison, venison and fish and lamb flavors. I have only tried the venison but my dogs go nuts for it - I think it smells pretty tasty too lol. It is very pricey though - I always purchase online where I get the 2.2lb bags for $21.99. You also feed A LOT less than dry food so it lasts longer. It's nice to have on hand as well when I don't have time to make their THK or thaw out a raw meal. The only reason why I can afford it as part of my diet is because my dogs are small though.


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## Kibasdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Yes, Kiba gets fed ZiwiPeak. He abolutely loves it and does excellent on it.
I couldn't see feeding it with a larger dog unless you were wealthy.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

Oh I don't doubt that it is superior food. However it is quite shocking to see if your not expecting it. My cat thought that the food was for them when I opened the bag.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

cant afford to try it lol but I have seen it plenty working in a kennel, almost entirly tiny dogs that eat it, the price is out of this world lol but I do know a few large dogs that eat it, 2 daycare dogs, an Am. Bulldog and a Shepherd X, they eat raw but Ziwi peak is one of only 2 "processed" foods that go near the dogs the other being Canisource. the other is an Alaskan Malamute who eats a steady diet of Ziwipeak, the smallest bag here is $30..I cannot even imagine what they must be paying to feed that dog!!


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

Holy Batman those people feeding the large dogs Ziwi must have a loaded wallet. I understand they eat less than they would on cheap food but here the 8oz bag was $8 which I could never afford but the pieces are perfect for training treats. I could see it with the tiny dogs especially those "teacup" size dogs.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

is it a kibble, frozen raw or something you rehydrate?


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Just looked it up. I have two small dogs, and there is no way I would pay that much for food. It's like 5 times more expensive than Canidae, which is also great quality food. Rip off.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

InkedMarie said:


> is it a kibble, frozen raw or something you rehydrate?


They call it raw without the thaw. It is a total dog food it has meat,organ,vitamins,etc. It looks nothing like kibble it is a little flat square that is a brown color. From what I gather it is the next best thing to raw. The ratings on it are off the chart, I don't think there is a kibble on the market that would beat it. You feed a fraction of the amount of traditional kibble, according to the bag a 22lb size dog only needs 3oz of the food daily. 

Would I call it a rip off,doubt it. This would be the perfect food for someone that really wanted to feed raw but was worried about getting it wrong. Is it expensive,YES and thats why I could never feed it solely because I have big dogs. But if someone has a small dog to me it is the way to go. But thats just my opinion.


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Yes I definitely would not call it a rip off and it really can't be compared to dry food. Here are the ingredients for the one I feed:
INGREDIENTS: Venison - Meat (min. 65%), Liver, Tripe, Heart and Kidney (min. 19.5%), Chicory Inulin, Green-lipped Mussel (min. 4%), Fish Oil, Lecithin, Kelp, Vitamins and Minerals, Parsley, Naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, additives: Vit. D3 592 IU/kg, Vit. E 7.4mg/kg, Copper (copper proteinate) 9.8mg/kg. Calories 1794 KJ/100g.

It does not contain any fillers that dry food does and it resembles a raw diet. I do agree that it's very expensive though that is why I only use is as part of their diet. If I was to only feed my dog's Ziwipeak - 11lbs and 14 lbs I would need 2 of the 2.2lbs per month (a little less) so it would cost me $44 which is still not that bad. You really do feed a tiny amount of it. My dog is also allergic to every type of kibble out there so it's great for dogs that have special needs like mine.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

momof3 said:


> Would I call it a rip off,doubt it. This would be the perfect food for someone that really wanted to feed raw but was worried about getting it wrong. Is it expensive,YES and thats why I could never feed it solely because I have big dogs. But if someone has a small dog to me it is the way to go. But thats just my opinion.


this is why I'm feeding NV frozen raw along with Instinct LID to one of mine.


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

InkedMarie said:


> this is why I'm feeding NV frozen raw along with Instinct LID to one of mine.


o
It would be interesting to see what the price difference would be for you. Your buying 2 products now,I wonder if it would be cheaper to just buy one. I also was worried about getting the raw diet correct and when I tried some chicken and my guy wouldnt eat it I just went back to what I was doing. The vet said today he wonders if there has been some change in the way his current food was made and that may have caused him some issues. Hot spots he said were something that lots of dogs in the south have and told me about some stuff that I could try. I told him I have switched to Orijen he said he felt that was a quality food though it isn't for all dogs but if my dog did well on it then there was no reason not to feed it.


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Orijen is a great food - I personally haven't tried it because it has way too many protein sources for my allergic boy. I have tried the Acana which is more limited but my chi just itches on every single kibble we ever try to add. A lot of time hot spots are caused by allergies - can be food or environmental or both (mine has both). I would try a food with a different protein source than what you are feeding and more limited as well - that is the best way to figure out food allergies. Some good ones Nature's Variety Instint, TOTW - the 2 non-chicken formulas, or even Orijen fish, or the Acana fish or lamb.
It's nice that your vet didn't try to push Science Diet on your right away  That's what I've gotten at every vet and dermatologist appointment. I finally found a local holistic vet which actually promotes raw - I was shocked lol. He's a keeper


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

InkedMarie - if you have a Pet Supplies Plus in the area all the NV raw is on sale right now in NY so maybe by you too since they are a chain. I got the chicken 3lb medallions for $10, bison and venison 3lb medallions for $14


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

I've been feeding TOTW Pacific Stream for 2yrs now and I love the food. My vet and myself aren't totally sure what is causing the skin issue at this current time as he hasn't had trouble in years. I am trying Orijen and hoping that I can go back to TOTW before to long,maybe his system just needed a break. Today I noticed a little less itching not a major change but it was something I noticed.


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Maybe you can try adding some additional salmon oil to his food. I also use some Honest Kitchen supplements - one of them is Sparkle which is for skin and have had good results. A lot of people say it helps their pups with skin issues. I know this has been a horrible season for allergies as well so maybe that's it too


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

I haven't tried that type of Salmon oil. Though I tried some when he first started with the skin at 6months and it really didn't agree with him,maybe it was to much for a pup I don't know but thats when I found TOTW and I have had such great results I hate to change him but maybe a change would do him good for a short time and try going back later. Orijen will probably be what I go with but I may also add a little Ziwi to his food as well.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

momof3 said:


> o
> It would be interesting to see what the price difference would be for you. Your buying 2 products now,I wonder if it would be cheaper to just buy one. I also was worried about getting the raw diet correct and when I tried some chicken and my guy wouldnt eat it I just went back to what I was doing. The vet said today he wonders if there has been some change in the way his current food was made and that may have caused him some issues. Hot spots he said were something that lots of dogs in the south have and told me about some stuff that I could try. I told him I have switched to Orijen he said he felt that was a quality food though it isn't for all dogs but if my dog did well on it then there was no reason not to feed it.


I paid $32 for a 12ct of the NV frozen burgers. For my dog to be on this only, I would need 28 burgers per month which would run me about $64 for 24 burgers, not quite enough so I'd have to buy 3 packs that first month. if I fed beef, lamb and bison, it's a buck or so cheaper, rabbit a few bucks more expensive. It's something I may do at some time, I'm trying to get him on a wider variety and not just kibble!



TinyTails said:


> InkedMarie - if you have a Pet Supplies Plus in the area all the NV raw is on sale right now in NY so maybe by you too since they are a chain. I got the chicken 3lb medallions for $10, bison and venison 3lb medallions for $14


I'm in NH and no Pet Supplies Plus, just Pet Co and Pet Smart for larger chains but thanks for telling me!


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

InkedMarie,
It almost seems that you could feed ZiwiPeak cheaper than what your feeding now. I think Tinytail posted she is feeding 2 dogs that equal a 25lb dog and she is only paying $44 per month for food which is actually less than what your paying now. So it might be worth looking into. I like NV products but when it comes to how much of X and Y are in each medallion you don't know what your actually feeding,since they don't tell you the percentage of stuff,which from what was explained to me could cause your dog to lack something in their diet.Maybe thats why your doing the kibble as well,I don't know but its something to ponder.


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

I actually only feed Ziwi as part of their diet but if I was to feed it as full diet it would cost me about $44/month. I like to give my pups a variety so I feed them a small medallion each of NV in the morning, or Ziwipeak if I don't have it thawed. Then I also use the Ziwi as treats during the day since the pups come to work with me. At dinner they get THK which I like to use so I can easily add their daily powder and liquid supplements  I make sure to feed them half of their portion in the am to leave room for the daily ziwipeak they get through the day (I'm the process of switching from NV to Primal after these bags are used up since I have learned that they use denaturant in their meats - which I read means the meat is not human grade). I would definitely stay away from the NV rabbit formulas since they source their rabbit from China. Some people might think I'm crazy for not just using one food lol but I wouldn't want to eat the same thing everyday either. I think they benefit from having different foods in their diet.


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## saitenyo (Sep 9, 2011)

I've given their cat food to my cats before (got a sample bag from my pet store). It does seem like a great food but I agree on the price. I assume it's the process used to produce the food? As any time I've looked at dehydrated raw it's always insanely expensive, above and beyond frozen raw. 

So I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with it as a food, I just feel like there are enough great alternatives that are more cost-effective.

The primary benefit I see in dehydrated or freeze-dried raw is if you need raw that doesn't need to be kept cold for whatever reason. I.e. going on a car trip with your dog, need to leave a meal out because you'll be gone overnight and don't want to use kibble, etc. I just find it too expensive to feed on a regular basis.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

TinyTails said:


> I actually only feed Ziwi as part of their diet but if I was to feed it as full diet it would cost me about $44/month. I like to give my pups a variety so I feed them a small medallion each of NV in the morning, or Ziwipeak if I don't have it thawed. Then I also use the Ziwi as treats during the day since the pups come to work with me. At dinner they get THK which I like to use so I can easily add their daily powder and liquid supplements  I make sure to feed them half of their portion in the am to leave room for the daily ziwipeak they get through the day (I'm the process of switching from NV to Primal after these bags are used up since I have learned that they use denaturant in their meats - which I read means the meat is not human grade). I would definitely stay away from the NV rabbit formulas since they source their rabbit from China. Some people might think I'm crazy for not just using one food lol but I wouldn't want to eat the same thing everyday either. I think they benefit from having different foods in their diet.


You're right about rotating foods, it's the best thing you can do. I am currently feeding NV frozen raw; where did you read about denaturant? I've never heard of that but if you have a link, I'd like to hear about it. There is a lady who lives about 45min from me who will sell me a case of frozen, just today, she gave me Primal prices. I may look into this


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

I was advised about it on a chihuahua forum I am part of, then I started googling it and a bunch of stuff came up about it.

http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_Diet/thread/651276 

http://www.catster.com/forums/Food_and_Nutrition/thread/651106/2

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yo...w-black-coal-like-pallets-aka-denaturant.html

"Thanks for emailing! What you are seeing is denaturant. Denaturant is an edible coloring that is required to be placed on meat going to a pet food facility. Processing facilities usually do not label products intended for pet food with the USDA mark of inspection, so they must have this coloring applied. This coloring must be applied because product without the USDA mark of inspection legally can’t be processed as human food. Sometimes the denaturant can remain visible, but usually is mixes into the protein and is not seen. The denaturant is edible and safe for consumption, although we can appreciate your concern. Thank you for contacting us so that we might have the opportunity to alleviate any concern you might have and provide and explanation."

Sincerely,
Customer Service
Nature's Variety

They make is seem like it's not a big deal but I think it is, I don't need additional chemicals in their food and it can also mean their meats are not fit for human consumption. Sucky since NV was very available in my area, but now my store will be ordering Primal for me. Primal actually seems better anyway since their formula's have a single protein better for my allergy boy. The NV raw has more than one protein in it if your read through the ingredients.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

thank you for the links, Tiny Tails. Very interesting reading. The only question I have is, the links above are almost 2yrs old...how do we tell if they're still using denaturant now? If they are, I have no interest in continuing with the food. I do have another entire bag of patties in the freezer; I bought them in Maine and I'm not able to return it so i'll use it up and try Primal. Thanks for the info!


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

TinyTails said:


> Yes I definitely would not call it a rip off and it really can't be compared to dry food. Here are the ingredients for the one I feed:
> INGREDIENTS: Venison - Meat (min. 65%), Liver, Tripe, Heart and Kidney (min. 19.5%), Chicory Inulin, Green-lipped Mussel (min. 4%), Fish Oil, Lecithin, Kelp, Vitamins and Minerals, Parsley, Naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, additives: Vit. D3 592 IU/kg, Vit. E 7.4mg/kg, Copper (copper proteinate) 9.8mg/kg. Calories 1794 KJ/100g.
> 
> It does not contain any fillers that dry food does and it resembles a raw diet. I do agree that it's very expensive though that is why I only use is as part of their diet. If I was to only feed my dog's Ziwipeak - 11lbs and 14 lbs I would need 2 of the 2.2lbs per month (a little less) so it would cost me $44 which is still not that bad. You really do feed a tiny amount of it. My dog is also allergic to every type of kibble out there so it's great for dogs that have special needs like mine.


i have small dogs....and if i could find out from where they extracted the lecithin, which is usually soy, but this is not an american food, so i don't know....and if i were ever to go back to kibble, this would be the one.


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## firehawk (Jul 31, 2011)

momof3 said:


> You feed a fraction of the amount of traditional kibble, according to the bag a 22lb size dog only needs 3oz of the food daily.


But is it satisfying to the dog to only eat 3 oz of food? If they came up with a super concentrated human food that gave us all the calories and nutrition in a single cube, we'd still crave the sensations of eating and fullness. We'd still feel hungry despite having been fully nourished. Doesn't that happen with dogs, too?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Kibble has lots of air and fiber in it. Fiber fills the dog's stomach but doesn't help with sating the appetite like the fat in Ziwi Peak. If you want the dog to feel like he/she has really eaten wouldn't feeding raw be a better option than kibble? My dogs could down their kibble ration in less than a minute. Max takes 5 to 45 minutes to eat a raw meal. What sort of meal makes you feel better, a nice bowl of chili or a good session with an artichoke, working on getting a baked potato just right and picking meat from a chicken joint? I know I want more chili but can stop with a proper serving of the other! If I make my morning fruit smoothie with non fat yogurt I am starving in an hour but if I simply use regular fat yogurt the smoothie lasts me until lunch time. I was astounded at how much better Max is on high fat raw than low fat kibble, that 15% fat in most kibbles is not enough for dogs.

Those dehydrated meat/bone/organ foods are weird and I would have a very hard time feeding a dog properly on one. I failed at EVO as the amount of food he needed was tiny and I was still overfeeding him and this kind of food is even worse!


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

Overeating is something humans do and people think that a dog should eat till they walk away from the dish. My feeling that it isn't healthy for us and it isn't healthy for our dog. A proper diet is a way of life,if you don't stuff yourself until you have no room left in your stomach your stomach doesn't stretch to accomedate it, thus on days you don't overeat you don't feel hungry
. I have stated mine on Orijen with a little Ziwi mixed in. I must say that the itching has almost stopped and his stools are getting smaller. I loved TOTW and it is a wonderful food but I must say the results I'm seeing right now is gonna make it real hard to go back.


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## firehawk (Jul 31, 2011)

Kathyy said:


> Kibble has lots of air and fiber in it. Fiber fills the dog's stomach but doesn't help with sating the appetite like the fat


That's one of the main reasons low fat products make people fat. You eat the high carb low fat foods and you're still hungry, so you keep eating. 


I wish I could afford better food, but I think even if I were a millionaire I'd still have a hard time justifying spending $9/pound for dog food. Especially when my life experiences have shown me that my dogs can be just as healthy and happy on less expensive foods. I honestly don't care what other people feed their dogs, although I will admit to having a bit of a negative reaction years ago to the woman in line at the grocery store explaining how her dogs will only eat chicken wings and liver right before she pulled out her food stamps to pay for them. My puppy is showing signs of being allergic to either corn or wheat, so his wheat free/corn free food is the most expensive I've ever bought, and the only place that sells it is a foofoo pet boutique. I'll look and see if they sell the ziwipeak stuff. They're really good about handing out samples, and that should be cool for treats.

I should've stayed in premed instead of switching to education. lol


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## abi88 (Jul 2, 2008)

firehawk said:


> That's one of the main reasons low fat products make people fat. You eat the high carb low fat foods and you're still hungry, so you keep eating.
> 
> 
> I wish I could afford better food, but I think even if I were a millionaire I'd still have a hard time justifying spending $9/pound for dog food. Especially when my life experiences have shown me that my dogs can be just as healthy and happy on less expensive foods. I honestly don't care what other people feed their dogs, although I will admit to having a bit of a negative reaction years ago to the woman in line at the grocery store explaining how her dogs will only eat chicken wings and liver right before she pulled out her food stamps to pay for them. *My puppy is showing signs of being allergic to either corn or wheat, so his wheat free/corn free food is the most expensive I've ever bought, and the only place that sells it is a foofoo pet boutique.* I'll look and see if they sell the ziwipeak stuff. They're really good about handing out samples, and that should be cool for treats.
> ...


No dog should be fed corn. Period end of story.
I also feel the same way about wheat....but that is something that others can have issuses with.


And as far as paying $9/lbs.....I agree to an extent with having a hard time stomaching that.......HOWEVER, my 5 pets are raw fed...and unless I splurge and buy something SUPER fun for them I dont spend over 1.25/lbs...most is WELL under $1/lbs!:wink: (None of the dogs and cats have ever been healthier or happier! and Ill NEVER go back to kibble....I dont care if I have to stop eating...I will to keep my pet carnivores eat what they where designed by nature to eat!)


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

i agree there are foods out there that are just as good and I really don't see how I personally could afford to feed 2 labs Ziwi so they will have to wait and get a sample bag as a treat every now and then. I think for now Orijen is probably the only thing I can budget for just one of the labs the other will remain on TOTW with the hopes of having them both back on it again before to long. But the Ziwi food is still the strangest looking stuff I've ever fed a dog.


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