# Ziwipeak



## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

I know there are some pretty educated food critics on here

Do you think Ziwipeak is all it's cracked up to be? Is the meat really grassfed/ grass finished ect? 

Is the company still small enough to be reputable?


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

Ziwipeak is a member of the New Zealand Petfood Manufacturers Association. One of the Association's objectives is:

"To encourage promote and support the highest level of quality and compliance in the production of wholesome and nutritious pet food products"

New Zealand Petfood Manufacturers Association - About the NZPFMA

Hope this helps.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

It is crazy expensive.


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## Liffey (Jan 12, 2017)

Jenny720 said:


> It is crazy expensive.


It would cost me $12/day to feed my dog Ziwipeak according to their guidelines. 

I just ordered a bag of their air-dried lamb because my dog has shown a lot of interest in their sample and I really want something other than kibble to supplement his food with. But there is no way I can afford to feed only Ziwipeak. May as well buy a lamb, raise it, slaughter it, and learn to air-dry its meat myself... lol 

No one I've talked to has ever heard of it other than on this forum, but I'll keep asking around.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Liffey said:


> Jenny720 said:
> 
> 
> > It is crazy expensive.
> ...


Yes ziwipeak I heard is a great food but I can't fathom the cost.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I've used it for training treats before, but it would be prohibitively expensive for larger dogs.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

My dogs love Ziwipeak. But yes, it is expensive. I use it a lot as training treats and during tracking. I do think it is worth the cost, though. Good company, great ingredients. If I were to feed my 55lb intact female just Ziwipeak for both meals, It would end up costing around $160-170/month for her. Definitely not a drop in the bucket, but it's more reasonable than some other non-kibble options.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

In 2015/16, Ziwi partnered with AG RESEARCH. 
So, I assume, being "under the microscope", that Ziwi would have to tow the line, because of New Zealand's detail to agriculture and the way they raise their animals.

_Per Ziwi: “All of our grass-fed meat and fresh seafood is sourced from sustainably managed, human grade, local farms that exceed strict New Zealand standards.”_

(the following is from AG RESEARCH annual report)
"Agriculture is New Zealand’s largest export income earner and AgResearch plays a key role in delivering new knowledge and technologies which underpin the pastoral, agri-food and agri-technology value chains. We do this by working closely with sector partners and our strategy is outlined in our Statement of Corporate Intent. 
We are the lead CRI in the following areas: 
Pasture-based animal production systems 
New pasture plant varieties 
Agriculture-derived greenhouse gas mitigation and pastoral climate change adaption 
Agri-food and bio-based products and agri-technologies 
Integrated social and biophysical research to support pastoral, agri-food and agri-technology sector development. 
We work with other research providers and end-users to contribute to the development of the following areas: 
Biosecurity, land, soil and freshwater management 
Climate change adaption and mitigation 
Food and beverage sector (including foods for human nutrition and health, food technologies and food safety)." 

"Our food research and development creates the knowledge and tools to develop high value foods and ingredients from pastoral-based industries, tailored to market and consumer preferences for quality, human health and well-being." (Page 2) 
"successful collaboration between AgResearch and premium red meat pet food producers Bombay Petfoods Ltd, K9 Natural Ltd and *ZiwiPeak Ltd* to support development of new super-premium petfood products and therefore boost exports in this rapidly growing market." (Page 14) 
http://www.agresearch.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AgResearch-Annual-Report-2015-16-FINAL-a.pdf 


Expensive? Yes, but, if your dog has health issues and you need a very limited meat based diet (and raw is not an option), to help identify OR control the health problems, Ziwi is the closest thing to raw feeding.

There are approximately 88 scoops in an 11 pound bag. If purchased from www.chewy.com on the "Auto Ship" program: 
BEEF is $135 *making each "scoop*" $1.54. (Lamb is about the same)
VENISON is $190/11# bag = $2.16/per scoop (Venison & Fish is about the same)

They have just changed their recipe to include MORE meat, so the price will be increased by a few percent and the largest bag will now be 8#'s.
_Per Ziwi: __ [FONT=&quot]We are proud to have over 98% fresh meat, organs, bone and seafood in all of our Ziwi air-dried products.
[/FONT]__ [FONT=&quot]The remaining 2% of our recipe, consists of essential vitamins and minerals, natural kelp, parsley and chicory inulin for a complete & balanced diet. 

[/FONT]_ _Even though the packaging is changing, you can still count on ZiwiPeak to stick to its roots of sourcing all their ingredients from New Zealand, which is renowned for it’s* free range grass fed farming and nutritionally rich fish. You can also count on them to continue to exclude grains, wheat, rice, GMO, hormones or antibiotics from all of their products!*_

 
It's fantastic for traveling! No refrigeration required.

Moms


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

The problem with all these catch-phases in agriculture is that unless there is a certifying agency, you can call a product almost anything "free range" "grass finished" and so on. If the "legal" definition is not being enforced or certified, it means next to nothing. At least that is how it works here, I don't know if NZ is any different. Are sheep ever finished at feedlots- is feeding grain common or is grass the norm? Might be, there is nothing special about "grass finished". All these things can be difficult to sort through.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Muskeg said:


> The problem with all these catch-phases in agriculture is that unless there is a certifying agency, you can call a product almost anything "free range" "grass finished" and so on. If the "legal" definition is not being enforced or certified, it means next to nothing. At least that is how it works here, *I don't know if NZ is any different.* Are sheep ever finished at feedlots- is feeding grain common or is grass the norm? Might be, there is nothing special about "grass finished". All these things can be difficult to sort through.


New Zealand is quite different from *most* companies in the USA concerning meat production. (not including Organically/Humanly raised meats)


*Animal health and breeding*
New Zealand's sheep and cattle are raised in free-range open fields year-round, and live on a natural diet of fresh pasture, grass and nutrient-rich clover - eliminating the need for grain feeding and nutritional supplements. A temperate climate also means animals do not need energy-intensive housing during the winter months. *Animal welfare standards in New Zealand are exceptionally high and are protected by legislation.*
*
*
*Government oversight of quality standards*
The New Zealand Government has *significant oversight and enforcement of quality standards *relating to food and agricultural products, which extends to bioactives. The country maintains genetically modified organism (GMO) free status and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) disease free status, as well as a strict enforcement of antibiotic—and hormone—free status in animal products.
New Zealand animals are raised and farmed to very strict standards of animal health and welfare and the use of hormones and growth promoters is banned.
*
*

Hope that helps!
Moms


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Momto2GSDs said:


> New Zealand is quite different from *most* companies in the USA concerning meat production. (not including Organically/Humanly raised meats)


Yeah. It's very different. I did a farmstay on the South Island, spent hands-on time with the farmers and lots of sheep. It's very different from the way (MOST) sheep are handled here.

I arrived skeptical, I left with a far different opinion. Obviously there will be exceptions. 

I didn't get hands-on time with cattle the way I did with sheep (frankly, I'm not really a cattle-person), but this is a picture I took. "Free-range" is not _always_ an exaggeration....


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Muskeg said:


> The problem with all these catch-phases in agriculture is that unless there is a certifying agency, you can call a product almost anything "free range" "grass finished" and so on. If the "legal" definition is not being enforced or certified, it means next to nothing. At least that is how it works here, I don't know if NZ is any different. Are sheep ever finished at feedlots- is feeding grain common or is grass the norm? Might be, there is nothing special about "grass finished". All these things can be difficult to sort through.


This is kind of what I am getting at. According to my research, there is a significant different between grass fed/finished meat and milk and feedlot/intensive farmed/grain fed milk and meat.

I was happy to hear WIBackpacker has actually been there and it seems like what they say is true? Not about Ziwipeak, I know you weren't researching the company, but the claims of how animals are farmed there compared to the US.

I'm gonna assume NZ does not have the corn subsidy which contributes either.

It is cost prohibitive, can't argue there, but I gotta say a three thousand dollar endoscopy is pretty darn cost prohibitive too, and no explanation for why her digestive tract is so inflamed. Common sense tells me there has to be a reason, that it doesn't make sense for her digestive tract to be so inflamed without an outside cause?? 

I have researched lamb before and there definitely are places that feedlot finish lamb. 

I know there is SO much wording that is just nonsense and people don't know better, like "no hormones added" on poultry. They never used growth hormones on poultry, that's cattle, but they slap that label on there to make people think this poultry is better when it's the same filthy diseased meat as the next package.

And "cage free" chicken. they never raised meat birds in cages, that was the egg layers. But people don't know the difference and so they go "oh this chicken is CAGE FREE" that sounds nice. In a barn of thousands of birds laying in their own feces because they are too fat to stand up for too long and can't' fly or roost even if there were perches. BLEH They clean out the barns once, when the birds go to slaughter at what, 8 weeks? I cleaned my chicken coop at least once a week but usually more. They were only in it at night, it was an open air barn, and still it stunk by mucking day. I can't imagine what those barns must smell like or how the birds even survive laying in that mess.

But I digress.

I just don't want to pay money like that if I am being lied to...


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> This is kind of what I am getting at. According to my research, there is a significant different between grass fed/finished meat and milk and feedlot/intensive farmed/grain fed milk and meat.
> 
> *I was happy to hear WIBackpacker has actually been there and it seems like what they say is true? Not about Ziwipeak, I know you weren't researching the company, but the claims of how animals are farmed there compared to the US.*
> 
> ...


That was my observation. Granted - it was a limited observation - but it _was_ first-hand observation. I had about 2 years of hands-on experience working w/sheep on farms in the US before I went to NZ, so I had baseline knowledge of what I was actually looking at.

Yes, some lamb is grain/lot finished here (US), but _generally speaking_, it is not as standard of a practice as it is for cattle. They are smaller animals, they mature to market weight faster, they are thriftier. Again, generally speaking.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

How do you feed the air dried? Needs to be rehydrated with a lot of water like THK? Looking for a good food when we go backpacking this Summer. I picked pup a bag and it felt light.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

They say you do not have to rehydrate it. I am feeding it either mixed with THK, in which case it is soaked, or I do wet it down on its own too. My boy gets chokey if he eats any dry food. It does not absorb much, nothing like THK, but I still wet it down


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> They say you do not have to rehydrate it. I am feeding it either mixed with THK, in which case it is soaked, or I do wet it down on its own too. My boy gets chokey if he eats any dry food. It does not absorb much, nothing like THK, but I still wet it down


Thanks. Was hoping you'd know.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

It actually does not rehydrate the way a dehydrated food will. At best, you are feeding Ziwipeak cereal, lol.
@Thecowboysgirl my guy had severe GI inflammation and the only thing that fixed it at the time was Stella & Chewy's. He can now eat small amounts of Ziwipeak as well. I actually think he could probably eat whole meals of Ziwi, but after dealing with diarrhea for so long, I'm a little afraid to try. I know both of these foods are expensive (Ziwipeak is far more reasonable than Stella & Chewy's), but it very well could make all the difference!


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## Liffey (Jan 12, 2017)

An 11lb bag of air-dried lamb is $134.90 on Chewy.com's autoship. 

My dog weighs 85lb. According to Ziwipeak's website he should be eating roughly 6 scoops per day. Let's say 5 though, because I'm not sure what "more active adult" means... He's not SUPER active. 

5 scoops = approximately 10.8 oz per day (Ziwipeak's website). 

11lb bag has 176 oz. So that's about 16 daily rations in the bag. That comes to a total of $8.43 per day. Assuming that all the math is relatively accurate. $253/month if he's eating only Ziwipeak. 

___

Anyway I do really like the idea of this food. If everything, or even most, of what they say about how they raise their animals and what's actually in the meat is true, I would be thrilled... But I can't afford $250 a month. I feel like mixing it with dry wouldn't be as much of a potential problem as mixing raw meat with kibble. 

It seems a little ridiculous to me to buy dog food that came from the entire way across the planet. But if it makes my dog healthy and he enjoys eating it, what can I do... 

I also really like that it comes in pre-cut "chips" or "flakes" .. Makes for really easy training treats !


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

Liffey said:


> An 11lb bag of air-dried lamb is $134.90 on Chewy.com's autoship.
> 
> My dog weighs 85lb. According to Ziwipeak's website he should be eating roughly 6 scoops per day. Let's say 5 though, because I'm not sure what "more active adult" means... He's not SUPER active.
> 
> ...


I really think that a dog tolerating mixing different types of food is totally dependent on the dog. I have two that can eat any mixture of kibble/raw/dehydrated etc. and be absolutely fine. My boy... not so much. However he can eat Ziwipeak on a track and then get the rest of his breakfast in the form of Stella & Chewy and not have any problems. Unfortunately, it just takes a little trial and error to figure out if your dog can actually tolerate mixing different types of food for the same meal.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

@GypsyGhost I've looked at Stella and Chewies. I was going to buy it and cook it for her but the bone is not finely ground so I couldn't. i am afraid to feed her straight up raw, she's been so compromised for so long and she's been on these whopping doses of antacids that i feel like her system is just not functioning properly enough to handle bacteria like they say healthy dogs can. I may have that all backwards. 

THK was my first try and then I added the Ziwi when her weight plummeted on the prednisone. Her weight is back up to normal now, and she is finally off ALL the antacids. 

I don't plan to feed either dog Ziwi exclusively but I am sort of pondering 1/2 raw or homecooked and 1/2 ziwi to cut down on bulk for when we travel and also to keep something complete in their diet in case my part is wrong.
@Liffey I totally agree about shipping meat halfway around the globe...it's crazy, and surely not very green. I'm just basically pretty spooked by the whole dog food industry right now and trying to plot my escape from it!! As soon as the freezer arrives, let the games begin!


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> @GypsyGhost I've looked at Stella and Chewies. I was going to buy it and cook it for her but the bone is not finely ground so I couldn't. i am afraid to feed her straight up raw, she's been so compromised for so long and she's been on these whopping doses of antacids that i feel like her system is just not functioning properly enough to handle bacteria like they say healthy dogs can. I may have that all backwards.
> 
> THK was my first try and then I added the Ziwi when her weight plummeted on the prednisone. Her weight is back up to normal now, and she is finally off ALL the antacids.
> 
> ...


I completely understand being terrified of making things worse with food! My boy had constant GI problems for 14 months straight. I put off trying Stella & Chewy's for a long time because it is so darn expensive. But we kind of hit a point where we had exhausted every other option (he had been on numerous kibbles, prescription food, regular raw, home cooked... you name it, I tried it), he was losing weight and pretty sick. So I tried it. And it worked. I think part of the reason he does well on it is because of the way it is processed (HPP). It takes care of a lot of the bacteria. He does not tolerate regular raw foods well at all. If your girl is atill struggling, I would highly recommend trying S&C and seeing how she does. It has been a literal lifesaver for my guy.

As for the mixing Ziwipeak with raw, I do that with my girl all the time and she does just fine. For the same reason... abundance of caution over not creating dietary imbalance.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Right now I would have to say she is not struggling, so I don't think I should change anything atm. I'm open to whatever going forward. The steroids are controlling her nausea really well, and her stools are consistently formed. She does still have some pretty bad gas sometimes. But, that's minor compared to where we started which was pancreatitis with inflammation of the whole tract, and chronic, worsening bouts of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. 

She has refused to eat raw meat for most of her life, too, but I can say with certainty she would eat literally anything right now because of the prednisone. She totally ate a squashed dead mouse on the side of the road, which is something this dog would just never do. She's always been such a prissy girl, dead things are yucky, poop is yucky. Now she is just doing nasty stuff and with nerve I have never seen. I looked away the other night and she slurped a big lick of salsa out of a bowl on the end table next to me!! She is ten and has literally never stolen food in her LIFE. None of my dogs do, so I'm not very careful with what is sitting where. I have to get it in my head that she is not herself anymore. The good news is she survived eating the salsa unscathed. I thought for sure that would send her into a tailspin.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> Right now I would have to say she is not struggling, so I don't think I should change anything atm. I'm open to whatever going forward. The steroids are controlling her nausea really well, and her stools are consistently formed. She does still have some pretty bad gas sometimes. But, that's minor compared to where we started which was pancreatitis with inflammation of the whole tract, and chronic, worsening bouts of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
> 
> She has refused to eat raw meat for most of her life, too, but I can say with certainty she would eat literally anything right now because of the prednisone. She totally ate a squashed dead mouse on the side of the road, which is something this dog would just never do. She's always been such a prissy girl, dead things are yucky, poop is yucky. Now she is just doing nasty stuff and with nerve I have never seen. I looked away the other night and she slurped a big lick of salsa out of a bowl on the end table next to me!! She is ten and has literally never stolen food in her LIFE. None of my dogs do, so I'm not very careful with what is sitting where. I have to get it in my head that she is not herself anymore. The good news is she survived eating the salsa unscathed. I thought for sure that would send her into a tailspin.


I probably wouldn't change anything if she is doing well, either. Why mess with what's working? Poor girl. I hope she stays stable from here on out. Digestive problems certainly are not fun.


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## Kirkiko (Jan 17, 2015)

I live in New Zealand and can say I actually never heard of feeding stock corn etc until I watched a doco that was based in America. Cattle and Sheep just get free range of grass and hay when there is no grass. I even did some work experience on a farm and they do so much work just moving cattle and sheep to different paddocks. I thought it was normal for cattle and sheep to just live on huge paddocks and eat grass, lol. Didn't really know that other countries don't do that. 

I also feed ziwipeak and it is very expensive. My girl gets raw fed in the morning and ziwi and the afternoon. She does well on it.and here is a pic of my girl


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

I actually spoke with Kimberly at ziwipeak at length. It really is the real deal. Their food is good stuff. One of the best commercial foods available, you can only do better if you get into the commercial freeze dried and raw - i can swing ziwi but those get really really pricey 

As for cost, for me it is actually cheaper to feed ziwipeak than purchase fresh grass fed and finished raw meat. 

For a long time I did half ziwi and half BARF or home cooked.

Also, their new tripe and lamb formula is absolute dog CRACK.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Kirkiko said:


> I live in New Zealand and can say I actually never heard of fSeeding stock corn etc until I watched a doco that was based in America. Cattle and Sheep just get free range of grass and hay when there is no grass. I even did some work experience on a farm and they do so much work just moving cattle and sheep to different paddocks. I thought it was normal for cattle and sheep to just live on huge paddocks and eat grass, lol. Didn't really know that other countries don't do that.
> 
> I also feed ziwipeak and it is very expensive. My girl gets raw fed in the morning and ziwi and the afternoon. She does well on it.and here is a pic of my girl
> Attached Images
> ...


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Gorgeous dog!!!! I'm sure ziwipeak is probably healthier then most of the meat people eat here in the USA. Our American meat is not even allowed in many European countries. I do wish ziwipeak was not so expensive. My mom visited Ireland and said their milk was something that she had never drank before -was incredibly delicious and was uncomparble to the milk we drink in the USA. It's amazing what healthy happy farm animals can produce and what they can share.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

@Kirkiko she really is lovely. 

Thanks so much for everyone's input, I really appreciate it.

I think I'd like to move to New Zealand lol.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

New Zealand is the real deal.

saw coverage of this and was duly impressed. 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...iver-granted-same-legal-rights-as-human-being

A River in New Zealand Gets a Legal Voice ? National Geographic Society (blogs)

in Canada we have Eco-Justice .


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