# NW Naturals raw, and Ziwi Peak



## Custom Billet (Mar 10, 2018)

Hi everybody!

I have been feeding Shasta NW Naturals, and a few other brands since she I got her at 9 weeks old. She is 18 months now. She has always been an itchy pup. Had allergy tests done, and basically they told me that she is allergic to everything in Oregon. I live in the Willamette valley. The grass seed capital of America.... The allergy list is huge. 

I tried injections, and every different antihistamine on the planet, etc... Nothing worked. I tried trials of different frozen raw foods, staying away from anything "hot". My holistic vet told me to stay away from a list of proteins that are considered hot like chicken. I just didn't want to go to kibble.

I had to do some traveling so raw was almost impossible to keep cold enough. I had to throw away a lot of expensive food. This gets very frustrating....

Just for fun, I grabbed a bag of Ziwi Peak beef to see if she liked it. I know, I know, it is ridiculously expensive! She loved it of course! I used it for training treats for a few days, and the jumped in and bought the 8.8 pound bag for $130!!!! Over the course of a week I transferred her over to the Ziwi. 

She ate slower, and didn't act like she was starving all the time like she was on the NWN. She was pretty lean at 59# a couple months ago. I couldn't get her to gain much weight. She was eating a pound of NWN beef per meal, 3 meals a day.

On the Ziwi, she gets 2 scoops per meal, 3 times a day. Looking in the bowl, I felt like I was starving her. There is no way an animal that size can survive on that amount of food. Slowly over the next month, she put on a couple pounds. Second month, a few more pounds. Her fur is softer that it has ever been. She doesn't have any more flakes on her skin. Her itching had dropped by 75%! She still scratches here and there, but no where near what it used to be.

So then I am thinking, great, I need to start another business just to pay for my dogs food. Ok, she is worth it...... But then I looked at the amount she was eating. 1 little bag will last her 2 full weeks! On the NWN, 3# a day, and the case of 25# was $110. It was only lasting 8 days. I am saving a ton of money going with a much more expensive product.

So my question is, can a food trigger other environmental allergies? Can it make it look like there are sensitivities in her blood when it really is caused from the food? I know NWNs puts a lot of garlic in the beef mix. I never liked that part. When I tried to talk to them about the garlic, they were less than friendly on the phone. Customer service was horrible.

My other question is, has anyone stayed on the Ziwi for long periods of time? Any issues? The only downfall I have seen is in her stool. The first part comes out pretty solid, then it turns into cow patty. She only goes once a day, sometimes ones every 2 days. Any advice on making her stools more solid? She gets a raw egg and yogurt multiple times a week.

Thank you for any advice!


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I use Ziwi as an emergency back up due to the cost. It’s supposed to be a good, solid food. Allergies are cumulative so it’s possible a food ingredient can push the reaction over the top when other triggers are present.


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## Custom Billet (Mar 10, 2018)

LuvShepherds said:


> I use Ziwi as an emergency back up due to the cost. It’s supposed to be a good, solid food. Allergies are cumulative so it’s possible a food ingredient can push the reaction over the top when other triggers are present.


It is crazy expensive, but it seems to be cheaper than the least expensive raw food. I am very fortunate to be able to afford it at this time. Who knows what the future holds...

She just finished up her 2nd heat cycle. I am hoping her metabolism will finally slow!!!

When she was about 6 or 8 months old, she was very thin. Healthy, but thin. I was feeding her a pound of food, plus a half pound of cooked sweet potatoes per meal. She just has a crazy metabolism, but low on the energy scale. She is not super active. We will play for 15 min or so, and she just wants to kick back and relax. We walk 2-3 miles in the morning, and she passes out when we get home.

I was hoping for a little more of an active dog, but I'll take her. Her personality can't be beat! She is one of a kind.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

Custom Billet said:


> It is crazy expensive, but it seems to be cheaper than the least expensive raw food. I am very fortunate to be able to afford it at this time. Who knows what the future holds...
> 
> She just finished up her 2nd heat cycle. I am hoping her metabolism will finally slow!!!
> 
> ...


Not in California. It's a good food I'll feed when we're on trips or camping but feed a local raw or Primal for less than Ziwi. Easy on the potato, rice carbs, they don't need much if any.


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## Custom Billet (Mar 10, 2018)

ausdland said:


> Not in California. It's a good food I'll feed when we're on trips or camping but feed a local raw or Primal for less than Ziwi. Easy on the potato, rice carbs, they don't need much if any.


Primal raw? I tried it, same itchy issues, and it costs more here for the quantity I have to feed her.


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