Ziwi Peak Air Dried Dog Food Review (Dehydrated)
Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Ziwi Peak Air Dried Dog Food receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4 stars.
The Ziwi Peak product line includes the 6 air-dried dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| Ziwi Peak Lamb | 2 | A |
| Ziwi Peak Mackerel and Lamb | 5 | A |
| Ziwi Peak Beef | 3.5 | A |
| Ziwi Peak Venison | 5 | A |
| Ziwi Peak Tripe and Lamb | 2 | A |
| Ziwi Peak Free Range Chicken | 3.5 | A |
Recipe and Label Analysis
Ziwi Peak Beef Recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Ziwi Peak Beef
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Beef, beef heart, beef kidney, beef tripe, beef liver, beef lung, New Zealand green mussel, beef bone, lecithin, inulin from chicory, dried kelp, minerals (dipotassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, zinc amino acid complex, copper amino acid complex, iron amino acid complex, manganese amino acid complex, selenium yeast), salt, parsley, preservative (citric acid, mixed tocopherols), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid)
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2%
Red denotes any controversial items
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
Beef is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is beef heart. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing to us humans, heart tissue is pure muscle — all meat. It’s naturally rich in quality protein, minerals and complex B vitamins, too.
The third ingredient is beef kidney, an organ meat low in fat and rich in protein and essential minerals.
The next ingredient is beef tripe. Tripe usually consists of the first three chambers of a cud-chewing animal’s stomach. As unappetizing as it may seem to us humans, tripe is favored by dogs and sometimes even includes the stomach’s contents, too.
The fifth ingredient is beef liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The sixth ingredient is beef lung. Beef lung is a protein-rich organ meat that’s also low in fat.
The seventh item is green-lipped mussel. Mussels are clam-like animals notably rich in glucosamine and omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients proven to support long-term joint health.
The eighth ingredient is beef bone, an excellent source of natural calcium.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With 3 notable exceptions…
First, we note the inclusion of inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and typically sourced from chicory root.
Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.
Next, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
And lastly, this recipe includes selenium yeast. Unlike the more common inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite), this natural yeast supplement is considered a safer anti-cancer alternative.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Ziwi Peak Air Dried Dog Food looks like a superior dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44%, a fat level of 35% and estimated carbohydrates of about 13%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 46% and a mean fat level of 34%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 13% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 75%.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a dehydrated product containing an abundance of meat.
However, with 60% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 31% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for animals on a low fat diet.
Ziwi Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Ziwi through April 2024.
No recalls noted.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Ziwi Dog Food
Ziwi Peak is a grain-free air-dried raw dog food using a generous amount of named meats and organs as its dominant source of animal protein. Unfortunately, because of its unusually high fat-to-protein ratio, this product may not be suitable for some animals and thus earns only 4 stars.
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A Final Word
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