ZiwiPeak soon to Launch in Sweden
Wed, Jul 28th, 2010 8:51:01 am
The ZiwiPeak brand of 100% natural premium real raw meat ingredients from New Zealand is soon to launch in the Swedish market.   Says Nigel Woodd ZiwiPeak Director, "this is an exciting development for ZiwiPeak and for the Swedish pet food market and Swedish Dog & Cat owners who will soon be able to buy and feed their beloved pets this amazing totally balanced range of Cuisine (daily food) Treats and Oral healthcare products."
We have been very successful in other Scandinavian markets as the Scandinavian culture understands feeding a raw diet and has reacted very positively to the availability of ZiwiPeak." Our Swedish Import and Distribution partner will be Rydberg & Rydberg Co AB who are based in Skogas.
Per Rydberg, the owner of Rydberg & Rydberg says "ZiwiPeak is unique. It is leading the market globally as a totally 100% natural real meat pet food brand that is gently air dried but is still real raw meat.   The clear point of difference is that ZiwiPeak has all the benefits of feeding a raw diet but with all the convenience of shelf stability.
We are very excited about the opportunity to be distributing ZiwiPeak in Sweden and know that the dogs and cats will just love the taste.   The pets' owners will soon see the difference to their pets health and wellbeing" says Per.   The planned launch date for Sweden will be advised shortly but expect to see the brand as from September 2010 onwards.
Swedish customers and retailers can contact Rydberg & Rydberg at the following address:
Per Rydberg
Rydberg & Rydberg Co AB
Phone +46 (8) 777 0125
Email: per@orijen.se
Website: www.ziwipeak.se
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ZiwiPeak Pup Bear has hit the teenage years!
Tue, Mar 30th, 2010 12:43:04 am
One of our ZiwiPeak puppies - Master Brown Bear Hutchinson-Smith is showing his Mum and Dad that he's wanting to look hip in his teenage years by trying out and sporting a new piece of jewellery -The Fish Hook hanging from the lip.  Due to discomfort and realising that having a Fish Hook hanging from one's lip isn't as great as it's cracked up to be, it ended up with Bear's parents having to make an appointment with Dr Liza to have it removed.
Dr Liza, now shares her story of Bear and the Fish Hook.
One of the many things that I love about being a vet is that you never know what will unfold on any given day and one learns to expect the unexpected.  Another delightful aspect of vet work is that there's usually some colourful character (the animal or owner or both!) to work with.
One night I received an after hours emergency call from Brown Bear's owners... the gorgeous 1 year old ZiwiPeak chocolate lab had been investigating the content of the fishing tackle box and now had a fish hook stuck in his lip.   He had been was pawing at it in an attempt to dislodge it and was quite uncomfortable.
I arrived to be greeted by a tail wagging Bear who clearly hadn't discussed the pros and cons of body piercings with his owners! I've known Bear since he was born and the slightly sheepish look he had was different from the innocent puppy expression that he donned when I had seen him last. The two lovely young chaps looking after him held him as still as they could while I examined the extent of the hook's invasion but Bear was not happy about being still, he would have rather been playing!
It was clear that Bear would need to be sedated in order for me to remove the hook properly. I injected Bear with a wonderful sedative and within a few minutes he was snoozing beautifully on the lounge carpet.
The hook was caught inside his lip with the barb fully imbedded. To remove it I needed to push it completely through his lip and once it was through we cut off the barbed end of the hook with some wire cutters and then finally slipped the rest of the hook out from the site of entry.
Fish hooks can sometimes be very dirty and cause infection at the site of penetration so I carefully disinfected the area and gave Bear a dose of anti-biotics, stopped the bleeding and then we were done.
The beauty of the sedative that I love to use is that it's fully reversible so I gave Bear the reversal to wake him up and advised the guys who were lying at Bears side throughout the procedure that it should take 5 or 10 minutes for him to come around.
10 minutes later we were all still at his side patting him and talking to him, awaiting his return to consciousness. The guys were a little worried about the delay and I assured them that some animals can take longer and all of his vital signs were stable so we had nothing to be concerned about.
Another 10 minutes went by and Bear was still snoozing away apparently enjoying his drug induced restful slumber, the guys beginning to grow impatient as they still had a lot to do before the night was over.
I lifted Bear's head to hopefully give him some stimulus to respond to and the next moment he stood up excitedly wagging his tail and looking at us as if to say "What happened, what did I miss?" to which he received the reply from his loving owner "Bear, you just milked that for everything that you could, didn't you!".
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Chogiyo a Mini-pin is on ZiwiPeak
Wed, Feb 10th, 2010 6:00:08 pm
Hello ZiwiPeak,
After days of researching for a natural dog food that is 100% Kiwi, we were very excited to come across your product.   We have managed to locate a store locally in Christchurch called Cyberpets who carry the full brand and were very helpful.
Our bundle of joy, Chogiyo, who was brought to NZ with us in 2008 from Seoul, South Korea.   A Mini-pin, 6 years old, and still full of life!  Thanks ZiwiPeak
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Spanish Cats with Diarrhoea
Tue, Dec 22nd, 2009 10:51:24 am
Dear Nigel:
I am MarÃa from Spain, and I wrote to you two weeks ago asking for information about ZiwiPeak because my two cats, Breizh and Nuba, were ill with diarrhea and they couldn't eat almost anything.   I was sorely disappointed because for two long months I tried a lot of different brands of cat's food but none of them seems to work with my cats.   But everything changed when they began eating ZiwiPeak and now I'm very happy to tell you that both of them are perfectly healthy.  There is no trace from their diarrhoea and their stools are now smaller and compact. And the most important thing: they love the taste of ZiwiPeak! Of course, I think that this is the best cat's food on the market.
Thank you very much for making such an excellent product.
Best regards.
MarÃa, Breizh and Nuba.
Dear Maria,
Thank you for your enquiry to the ZiwiPeak website about feeding ZiwiPeak dry food to your cats. Firstly we are sorry to hear your cats have not been well recently.
The ZiwiPeak formulations are based on a natural hunting diet that the animals would have hunted and eaten in the wild. The ingredients are a mixture of meat and organs in the natural fall ratios so it is a fully balanced diet for the cat. It is the most natural cat food on the market.
We can not see any reason why you could not feed ZiwiPeak to your cats providing you introduced the food slowly over 5 days and did not overfeed the cats.   We recommend that you follow the feeding guide carefully as ZiwiPeak is an air dried real meat and organ diet. This means that you need to feed a lot less to the cats than you would if you were feeding baked biscuit type product.
ZiwiPeak also has a moist product in a Can that is available to also use in conjunction with the dry food.   Maybe you could use a mixture of ZiwiPeak moist and dry to help the cats.
I have also copied your email and my response to our Spanish Distributor who can help you with where to buy the ZiwiPeak products.
Once again thank you and I hope that we are able to help you.
Kind regards, Nigel
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Dear Sir/Madam:
My two cats have problems to digest any kind of dry food and I would like to try with ZiwiPeak.   They were ill with diarrhoea two months ago and since that moment they can only eat wet food.   Vets don't know what is wrong with them. Is ZiwiPeak dry food suitable for cats with digestive intolerance?
Thank you for your help.
Best regards Maria
Katja's Story to ZiwiPeak
Tue, Oct 27th, 2009 4:22:01 pm
I mentioned, my wife Pauline and I are huge fans of your products and probably owe our Shepherd's life to them. Â Katja - see photo attached - is our 10 year old German Shepherd who has been with us since we were first married. Â We originally adopted her in New York and proceeded to take her with us on job assignments to Boston, North Carolina, Hong Kong, and now Nelson, NZ (our current home).
She is truly our "baby" and a key member of our family.  About six months ago she became very ill and simply refused to eat anything that we offered her.   She has always been a "finicky" eater but in this case her weight dropped precipitously and our vet cautioned us that if we could not get her to eat soon that we may have to put her down.  Of course, we were greatly saddened and worried by this prospect.  Luckily, our vet stocked and recommended ZiwiPeak dog food as an alternative for her diet.   We tried this and I am happy to report that Katja not only ate the food but thoroughly enjoyed it.  In fact, she really won't eat anything else at this point - with the Lamb being her personal favorite.  Now -  as you can see from the photo - she is at a healthy weight is the happy, active, healthy dog that we always knew.
With best regards,
Dennis Hamann
ZiwiPeak launches in Hong Kong
Tue, Oct 27th, 2009 4:21:13 pm
ZIWIPEAK PARTNERS WITH PET ETC LIMITED FOR HONG KONGÂ MARKET
ZiwiPeak Limited and Pet Etc Limited, a leading Distributor in the Hong Kong Pet Food and Accessories markets, have entered into an exclusive Importation and Distribution Agreement which will see Pet Etc selling and distributing the 100% all Natural range of ZiwiPeak products to the Hong Kong independent specialty pet store and Veterinary markets.
Nigel Woodd, ZiwiPeak Director says, "We have been looking for the right partner for the Hong Kong market for some time and following very positive meetings at recent trade shows the decision to partner with Pet Etc developed resulting in this great opportunity for both Pet Etc and ZiwiPeak.  ZiwiPeak is delighted to have formed a solid relationship with a very focused company such as Pet Etc."
Viviene Cheng, one of the owners of Pet Etc has been in the Pet food business for a long time.   Viviene says "ZiwiPeak gives us a unique opportunity to be offering the highest quality range of completely balanced pet foods, treats and chews on the market.  ZiwiPeak is an amazingly good brand and will make a substantial difference to the health and well being of the cats and dogs in Hong Kong.   It is targeted at the rapidly growing Natural/Organic end of the market as pet owners become more discerning about what they feed their beloved pets."
Pet Etc will be launching ZiwiPeak in late October 2009 when their first shipment of stock arrives from New Zealand.  The brand will be supported with striking point of sales material all available in both English and Chinese.  The website will also be translated into Chinese to support this key market.
ZiwiPeak Launches into the Prestigious UAE Market
Thu, Oct 1st, 2009 4:19:06 pm
ZIWIPEAK LAUNCHES IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW MEDICAL CENTRE VETERINARY MEDICINE & EQUIPMENT TRADING CO LLC (NMC)
ZiwiPeak has partnered with New Medical Centre Veterinary Medicine & Equipment Trading Co LLC (NMC) to launch the prestigious ZiwiPeak brand into the exciting United Arab Emirates pet food market.
The ZiwiPeak brand was launched to the UAE market by NMC and ZiwiPeak on Saturday 29th August 2009 to a group of Veterinary professionals who attended the presentation of the brand and the unveiling of the ZiwiPeak range.  NMC will be the exclusive Importer and Distributor for the ZiwiPeak brand and is excited about being involved with the world's leading 100% All Natural Real Meat pet food brand.
Dr. Vikram Sharma, Business Unit Manager for NMC "we have been searching for the right brand to bring to the discerning UAE market and ZiwiPeak has ticked all the boxes as it is totally natural with 100% real meat ingredients all sourced from New Zealand.  It is the best quality Dog & Cat food on the market and we know with ZiwiPeak's formulation based on what the animal would have eaten in the wild that it will deliver great nutritional results for all our pet owners in the UAE."
Nigel Woodd, Director of ZiwiPeak said at the launch in Dubai "at ZiwiPeak we are proud to be associated with NMC for the UAE market and we know ZiwiPeak will deliver outstanding nutritional benefits for the pets and their owners. ZiwiPeak is a global breakthrough in pet nutrition as it is real meat based on what the animal would have eaten in the wild but it is shelf stable.
ZiwiPeak delivers all the benefits of a natural real meat diet but the convenience of shelf stability.  It is the best pet food brand in the world."
Mr. Vijayan Nambiar, Chief Operating Officer along with Dr. Vikram Sharma Business Unit Manager, both from NMC, along with Nigel Woodd from ZiwiPeak are pictured unveiling the ZiwiPeak product range at the launch.
ZiwiPeak says 'HOLA' to Spanish Cats & Dogs
Fri, Sep 25th, 2009 4:16:05 pm
ZIWIPEAK PARTNERS WITH POCURULL S.L. FOR SPANISH MARKET
ZiwiPeak Limited and Pocurull S.L., a leading Distributor in the Spanish Pet Food and Accessories market, have entered into an exclusive Importation and Distribution Agreement which will see Pocurull selling and distributing the 100% all Natural range of ZiwiPeak products to the Spanish independent specialty pet store and Veterinary market.
Nigel Woodd, European Sales and Marketing Director says, "we have been looking for the right partner for the Spanish market for some time and following a very positive meeting at Interzoo 2008 discussions developed resulting in this great opportunity for both Pocurull and ZiwiPeak.   ZiwiPeak is delighted to have formed a solid relationship with a very focused company such as Pocurull."
Joan Pocurull, the owner of Pocurull has been in the Pet food business for a long time.  Joan says "ZiwiPeak gives us a unique opportunity to be offering the highest quality range of completely balanced pet foods, treats and chews on the market.  ZiwiPeak is an amazingly good brand and will make a substantial difference to the health and well being of the cats and dogs in Spain.  It is targeted at the rapidly growing Natural/Organic end of the market as pet owners become more discerning about what they feed their beloved pets."
ZiwiPeak will be on display at the Pocurull stand at the upcoming 'Iberzoo Dog Show' in Zaragoza being held from 24th September to 27th September at the B12 venue.
Call in to see the ZiwiPeak range and get some detailed information about this fantastic brand from New Zealand
ZiwiPeak's Spoilt Dog & Cats in New York
Fri, Sep 11th, 2009 2:07:01 pm
Fluffy and Fido get top-notch treatment and fancy feasts
THESE may be hard economic times, but there's an animal-loving A-list out there who still have the means to spend big, and they're quick to justify why Angus steak is favorable over Alpo. Of course, even a novice penny-pincher knows a good knock-off or alternative.
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The upper crust of cats and dogs enjoy their air-dried beef, not to mention lamb and venison. Lucky for them, ZiwiPeak, a luxury pet food company from New Zealand, offers the protein-rich meal in jerky-style dog food cut into bite-size squares. A 14-ounce bag of Cat food is $14.99, and a 2.2-pound bag retails for $28.99 at the Pet Market (224 W. 72nd St.; 212-799-4200).
"My 15-year-old Lab-greyhound mix Roofy won't eat dry food alone, even when it's mixed with soft canned food," says Jeffrey Lamb of TriBeCa. "But when I top off her bowl with ZiwiPeak, she immediately finishes the bowl." Bargain $ubstitute: Ziwi-Peak treats, $7.99 for a 3-ounce bag at the Pet Market.
A romp in the dog park is most pups' definition of a great time. But heavy rains make the experience unpleas¬ant for dogs who hate getting wet. Plus, some dogs don't play well with others. For the pet elite, however, an indoor workout can be just as satisfy¬ing thanks to luxury retailer Hammacher Schlemmer, which offers PetZen's canine treadmill in two sizes: small ($549.99) and large ($899.99) (Hammacher.com).
The ju$tification: "It could save you the cost of a destroyed couch," explains dog trainer Pups can get their Denise Herman of Brooklyn's Empire of the Dog. "If your dog has proper outlets for his stim¬ulation, then he won't treat your home as a chew toy."
Bargain $ubstitute: A stay at Unleash Brooklyn, which recently installed a PetZen treadmill, is $43-$50 per night.
Pets love to share their human friends' bed, but not all owners want Fluffy up in their fancy. Luckily, Hastens' organic mattress, which is made of entirely chemical-free components, provides an alternative. Of course, it also costs as much as $12,000, so clever pet owners are buying Hastens crib mattresses - a relative bargain at $365 - and putting them on the floor for Fluffy instead (Hastens, 80 Greene St.; 212-219-8022).
The ju$tification: "We haven't diagnosed chemical sensitivities in dogs yet," says Dr. Heather Peikes of Animal Allergy and Dermatology in Chelsea. "But changing a dog's bed at least once yearly helps with dust-mite allergies." Bargain $ubstitute: A machine-washable fleece dog bed, $27.90-$93.90 at west-pawdesign.com.
Julia Szabo
Pebbles the Chihuahua
Mon, Sep 7th, 2009 5:17:01 pm
I really just wanted to express how happy I am with your products.
I have had so many problems with my 1 year old Chihuahua over the year I've had her, she's so picky with her food and I have not been able to find anything she likes UNTIL a friend in the USA suggested I try ZiwiPeak.
My pup just LOVES it and it has made a huge difference in her energy levels, her stools and even her coat.   I'm forever grateful and have been suggesting your products to all my friends.
Thank you so much for creating such wonderful products, keep up the great work.
Pebbles is such a fussy little Chihuahua but I'm so glad that she loves your food so much - makes it easier for me rather than cooking every night!!
A ZiwiPeak Warm & Fuzzy
Mon, Sep 7th, 2009 2:06:01 pm
Hello ZiwiPeak
We have talked several times in the past regarding your wonderful food....but I thought I would share with you the most recent finding.
As you know we have been feeding our Maine Coon boys your canned Venison for quite some time now.   Recently I placed an order with our pet food supplier, but when I went to pick it up I was informed there was a problem getting the food due to a "border issue".  Although I did still have a few cans left, I decided that perhaps I better try another brand if getting the food was going to be a problem. I carefully looked at all the brands and choose Nature's Logic....that was the best I could find.  Well the boys were not impressed, and ate very little of the food....even with coaxing with treats on top.
Throughout the week I did notice they were not themselves. Oscar my big suck was not his cuddly self....and even showed aggression towards Fozzy. Fozzy did not come around as much for attention, and both boys just did not seem content and happy.  After a week I decided to open one of my few remaining cans of ZiwiPeak......and instantly the boys came running, gobbled the food.....and slept the entire day away....content as can be.
They are both back to themselves....playing and being big sucks!! Â I returned to the store and immediately placed an order for 2 cases of venison....hoping that it will arrive before my cans run out. Â Again....my boys thank you for your awesome product.
Regards,
Gloria Duggan - Canada
ZiwiPeak's New NZ Distributor
Tue, Sep 1st, 2009 2:04:05 pm
ZiwiPeak has some great news for our New Zealand market.
Over the last three year's we have been encouraged by the growth of ZiwiPeak in our New Zealand market with the number of Pet retailers, Vets and Health Foods stores coming on board and believing in the journey of ZiwiPeak and understanding our philosophy on how nature intended Cats and Dogs to eat a natural meat diet.
As the market has grown we have realised that we needed to review our plans and the focus of our brand in New Zealand.   A key component to this review has been the level of service that we can offer to our existing customers and to engaging with new customers who want to offer ZiwiPeak to their pet owners.
It became clear to us during this review that a key opportunity was existed to significantly improve the distribution and availability of the ZiwiPeak brand nationwide.   We have therefore made a decision to appoint a New Zealand distributor so we can give even more focus to our existing clients and to grow ZiwiPeak strongly for everyone's benefit for the future.
We are delighted to announce that we have formed a strategic relationship with Kong's Ltd and have appointed Kong's to handle the Sales and Distribution of our ZiwiPeak brand for the New Zealand market.
Kong's Ltd are located very close to ZiwiPeak in Tauranga so this will strengthen the opportunity to work closely together for the future. Through Kong's proven sales and distribution system we believe that ZiwiPeak will go from strength to strength and will provide many opportunities for our retail and veterinary partners.
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ZiwiPeak- Attending the World Dog Games
Fri, Jul 10th, 2009 2:01:01 pm
ZiwiPeak will be attending the 'World Dog Games' in Sydney from October the 30th to the 1st of November.
You can see the World Dog Games site at http://www.worlddoggames.com where it's dished up as a weekend DOGFEST packed with experts from Australia and around the world, a breed showcase, dog sporting demonstrations, competitions, exhibitions and stands full of shopping-all under the one woof, held at ACER Arena. It's likely to be the biggest canine event ever held in Australia!
I will be there supporting my Importer/Distributor for Australia Prestige Pet Products so look out for our stand, meet the people and come and view ZiwiPeak showing off a truly Natural balanced 'REAL MEAT' diet for Dogs and Cats globally.
See you there.
Kimberly Mitchell
Shanghai emails ZiwiPeak
Thu, Jun 25th, 2009 1:38:01 pm
Lynn Jiang from Shanghai emails us:
Lynn asks:Â Â My dog loves ZiwiPeak cuisine and treats very much, and I was just wondering how do you pronounce your brand name ZiwiPeak?
Your help would be highly appreciated.
Thanks
Regards
Lynn
Hello Lynn
Thank you for your email. I am glad that your dog loves ZiwiPeak, and remember that it is so healthy.
How do we pronounce ZiwiPeak? We say it:
'Zee Wee Peek'.
I hope this helps.
Kind regards
Great! Thanks for the prompt reply!
I know why my dog loves ZiwiPeak - you guys value your customers so much, and by right of this philosophy, you're able to provide us with the high quality food!
Yes, he's very healthy, look at him....
Thanks again and best regards
Lynn
ZiwiPeak and the Italian Connection
Thu, Jun 11th, 2009 12:51:01 am
Zoomark 2009 Bologna
The ZiwiPeak 100% Natural Real Meat pet food brand from New Zealand was presented at Zoomark 2009 from a very eye catching and high profile stand located in Hall 16.
There was no doubt that the ZiwiPeak brand stood out in a class of its own at the show with its unique proposition of:
- - 100% natural real raw meat and organ ingredients
- - All ingredients sourced from the beautiful clean and green New Zealand
- - No artificial ingredients but most importantly;
- - No fillers, grains or added carbohydrates
- - All real raw meat and organs gently air dried to be shelf stable
- - A fully balanced diet based on what the big cat or wolf hunted and ate in the wild
The very large number of visitors from Italian Veterinarians, Pet Store owners and staff, buyers and other International visitors all made the same remarks once they had investigated the ZiwiPeak brand:
"This brand is outstanding in quality of ingredients used and the solutions that it provides to the domestic Dog & Cat."
"No other brand in the world offers the pet or the pet owner all the benefits of eating a real raw diet but the convenience of being able to store the product at ambient temperatures."
"The opportunity to sell a globally unique brand of this quality which solves so many of the animals health problems caused by modern commercial pet foods is outstanding."
"There are many so called NEW pet food brands being launched but they are all the same, they have added carbs to make them cheaper and they use very little real meat if any. ZiwiPeak is the only brand that does not do this. It is a true breakthrough in pet food nutrition."
And so on...............................
Our Italian partner Veter-Zoo S.r.l. received many very interested sales enquiries for follow up and the European Sales & Marketing Director, Nigel Woodd, also made many new contacts for other global markets interested to distribute ZiwiPeak.
A great success all round for ZiwiPeak
Training the Natural way with K9 COMMS
Tue, Jun 9th, 2009 4:52:01 pm
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Amichien Bonding®
Sue Murray/K9COMMS - The 'Dog Listener' for New Zealand talks about naturally training your puppy or dog.
This language is not new - dogs speak it to each other. Their ancestors, the wolf, use it within their packs.
Over time, we the human have lost touch with nature and formulated what we think is the way to communicate with our canine friend resulting in all sorts of problems.
More often than not an owner gives their dog the wrong signals and in doing so the dog comes to the conclusion that it, not the owner, is the leader of the domestic pack.
Hopelessly unequipped to perform this role in a world it does not understand, it reacts in all sorts of ways, most commonly by becoming stressed, aggressive, obsessive and overprotective.
Time to take the pressure off our dogs.
‘Amichien Bonding'® is based on 4 main components. Each is simple, non-confrontational, gadget and drug free. This is not a ‘quick fix' but when implemented consistently, this soon becomes a way of life.
This method of training is suitable if:
- You have a genuine respect for your ‘best friend' and want to improve your relationship with him/her.
- You want to learn a gentle, pain-free, method of communication.
- You are experiencing behavioural problems with your dog and want to overcome them resulting in a less stressed environment in your home.
- You are contemplating or have a new puppy joining the home and want to avoid all those problems that could occur down the track.
- You have or are considering taking in a rescue dog. These unfortunate creatures have been let down by humans sometimes more than once, so frequently present are some extra challenges that can be overcome.
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Taya the Kitten from Australia
Fri, Jun 5th, 2009 2:28:01 pm
Hi ZiwiPeak,
I wanted to send you an update on our darling kitten Taya and how she's been doing on your food. I contacted you in late January with some enquiries after we had fed Taya 'Orijen biscuits 'which was causing us great concern about pet foods in general and because she also had food allergies so we were looking for a lamb product, the daily cuisine, to introduce after we had ascertained that Taya could eat raw lamb happily. Well she has done marvelously on your product! We put some down morning and night in conjunction with some raw meat strips for her to tear apart and she seems very satisfied. She is now eleven months, has a beautiful shiny coat, clear bright eyes and is of excellent weight, condition and temperament.
We did have quite a scare at the start of February though as she started to display Orijen Syndrome symptoms of hind limb ataxia. Taya became very wobbly and shaky on her rear legs with a loss of coordination, strength and agility.   However, despite us being so terribly frightened that she would decline into paralysis, she did not  . In fact Taya soon started to regain coordination though she greatly limited her activity to not jumping more than 30cm or so and only playing with balls or ribbons that were run along the ground instead of all the flying feather toys and cat dancers that she used to love leaping for.
It has taken a long time for her to regain full strength and she still gets the occasional tremor in her rear legs and has an unusual rear leg stretch and sometimes odd gait when running but she is now 99% recovered. All through this, though, she did not lose her appetite or any weight, as many cats did. Indeed Taya continued to gain weight steadily, much to our delight, especially as she had such difficulty putting on weight previously due to her food allergies.
Taya's elimination diet was put on hold when she started to display symptoms of the hind limb ataxia so we were very dependent on your product during this time and we feel it really helped her recovery no end to be on such a superb product that she did not lose interest in despite not only her illness but also the lack of variety.   We were incredibly relieved too that even with all the antibiotics, cortisone and other medications she was put on, she did not have an upset stomach once and maintained perfect stools and regularity - all this from a tiny kitten that started off having so many problems eating and digesting food even without the Orijen problem or other medications thrown into the mix.
Needless to say we are delighted with your product and so very confident and happy with it.
While as yet we have only been feeding ZiwiPeak Lamb Cuisine, next month, all still going well with Taya, we will be restarting her elimination diet and hopefully she will tolerate ZiwiPeak Venison so that we may start feeding her the venison variety too.   It is so great that your products are single protein and perfect for cats like Taya, it makes the difficulty of finding a suitable product so much easier.
Anyway, sorry for the very long email but we are very pleased that you make such a wonderfully product and that it is available to us. We tell anyone who will listen what a good product it is.
Thank-you so very very much for contributing to the care and good health or our very precious Taya!
With the warmest regards, Â Candice Maddison.
Maximus - The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Wed, May 27th, 2009 5:03:23 pm
Matt Bell asks ZiwiPeak for advise on diet for his Maximus.
Hi there ZiwiPeak,
I have a male 'Cavalier King Charles Spaniel', who is twelve months old this month and almost half human.
Up until about four months ago we had him on Royal Canine but he grew bored of this and we have been trying to get him to eat a range of foods since.
From not having an appetite he then started to bite his skin and so we took him to the Vet who took a sample of blood and faeces.  It turned out he had blood in his faeces.  The Vet then suggested a Hills Z/D dry food however he won't eat this either and started to bite even more.
We understand that Cavaliers are very sensitive dogs, therefore we want to make sure we are feeding him the right food.
We have discovered ZiwiPeak and have him on your ZiwiPeak Venison moist Cuisine food.
Is there anything else you would recommend that we feed him?
Thanks
Matt.
I answered Matt by phoning him and then followed up with various emails.
I advised him to please continue with the Venison moist Cuisine food so that he settles and is happy but then advised him to start on our air-dried Cuisine food in Venison, Venison & Fish or Lamb when he thought he was ready for it.
I also asked Matt to contact our Vet Dr. Lisa Schneider for a second opinion.
Matt very kindly sent us a photo of Maximus which you see included in this story.  Rather gorgeous.
Matt has since emailed to say Maximus is doing really well and is eating and not biting his skin anymore which we are thrilled about but in one of his most recent emails I asked him something that I hadn't picked up on at the beginning -
"Are you letting Maximus graze during the day?"
Matt came back and said - "well yes".
My advise to him was don't as dogs or cats should never be allowed to graze on their food all day.  They wouldn't in the wild and to be fair it is not healthy for them.  I suggested a nice big juicy bone is just the thing for him.
All the best Maximus.
Fighting Yours Pet's Food Allergies
Mon, May 11th, 2009 3:47:14 pm
Tracey Virginia/New Hampstead-NY asks ZiwiPeak about Allergies.
I have a 11year old, 50lb/23kg English Springer Spanies, male, who has severe food, indoor and outdoor allergies.
I have just ordered for the first time the ZiwiPeak Venison cuisine 11lb pouch from a local retailer.  I notice that there is a very low fiber amount in it and my dog has anal gland issues.  I am afraid this will aggrivate it.  I was going to add some organic canned pumpkin to boost up the fiber.
Do you have any suggestions?
Also, he is pretty much a laid back couch potato and I was hoping you could tell me the amount of food to give a 50lb/23kg couch potato to keep him at this weight.
Thank you.
ZiwiPeak answers:
When we developed ZiwiPeak we involved the pet nutrition experts amongst ourselves our Vet in Holland and Massey University and of the issues I discussed was the fibre.  How this was explained to me is that fibre is a concern with a lot of diets (in human and in pet's) in that most of what is in most pet diets is 'binding' to the animal, particularly the grain based products, and they need added fibre to help stop that.
Our product, ZiwiPeak being natural has the natural fibre percent from the natural diet and will not bind and will naturally pass.  Also the absorption rate by the body is so high (greater that 95% protein absorption) that
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Question from Hong Kong on ZiwiPeak's Cat Cuisine
Tue, Feb 24th, 2009 4:22:01 pm
Hello - Aleksandra Djurisic from Hong Kong:
Comments: I have been using your food for quite some time for my three cats and have been very happy with the results.  I buy it from the US since it is not available in Hong Kong, but since this is the only dry food that my IBD cat can eat, and it has good quality ingredients I don't mind the expense.
However, after seeing recent news with melamine scandal involving Fonterra and imported iron supplements, I would appreciate if you could let me know what vitamin and mineral supplements are there in your Daily Cat diet, what is the country of origin and whether you perform any tests on raw materials (especially for melamine and cyanuric acid).
Hello Aleksandra
Thanks for your enquiry.
Firstly I am working on potential distributors in Hong Kong, so hopefully you will not have to buy out of the USA for too much longer!
Now on the vitamins and minerals, the minerals we use (iron, copper, zinc) are organic formed amino acid complexed minerals.  They are not synthetic and are the best on the market.   All from natural sources, human grade.
The vitamins available for petfood and human food are manufactured from base products; you cannot buy "extracted" vitamins, for pets or humans.   We again use the human grade vitamins.
What we use is not artificial and be assured, these are the best available on the market, they are from New Zealand.
We do not use melamine of course have tested negative for that and cyanuric acid.
I hope this clarifies this for you.   ZiwiPeak is the best and we use the best ingredients.
Kind regards
ZiwiPeak
Pip Dean - Lenny the Cat is finally back to Health
Mon, Feb 16th, 2009 2:04:01 pm
Comments: Hi guys,
I want to congratulate you on your wonderful tinned ZiwiPeak Cat food which my cat can't get enough of.  Lenny has been a dry food eating cat all of her 9 years, and she's been very healthy all those years.
Then 3 months ago she was taken terribly ill with complete kidney failure and added to this, the vet detected a heart murmur which hadn't been present during a check up only months before.   She was in hospital for over a week with all sorts of drugs and fluids pumped into her.
The day we brought her home she also developed fluid on her lungs from all of the extra fluids going in.   She'd lost a lot of weight as she'd not really been interested in food whilst in the hopsital.   The first night we're sure she nearly died, she had such a job to breathe and even a couple of steps exhausted her also her back legs were almost useless to her which we later found out was a sign of the latter stages of kidney failure.
Somehow she pulled through that first night and the vet told me if I could get her weight back up by the end of the week she'd have a chance so I mashed up the wet food that I'd come home with and got it to a consistency that would fit into a syringe and for the next few days I force fed her with around 24 of these each day.  She soon got used to it and by the end of the week she had turned a corner.
I did a lot of research on kidney failure and read that the dry diet that she'd been eating all her life had probably contributed to her disease, which was heart breaking to discover.
I wanted to find a food that had a similar meat content to that found in the wild, minimal fillers like grains and minimal additives.   I searched and had NO luck whatsoever in NZ - there simply wasn't a product so I left my search for the good couple of weeks and tried her on different commercial wet foods found in pouches in the supermaket and at the vets.   She rejected each and every one.
Then a couple of weeks ago I went into my vet - Petvet in Lower Hutt and found your product on their shelves and I grabbed a handful of the tins, brought them home, dished up the first one to see my Lenny absolutely wolf it down!   She can't get enough of your fabulously healthy vension and mussel cat food.  THANK YOU.
3 months on I have her weight back up to normal, her coat is shiny and she is naughty and nosy again.   We're also giving her fish oil and homeopathic remedies and we hope she will live (despite her damaged kidneys) to be a very old cat.
I hope your cat food is soon sold in every vet clinic and I hope to see it on the supermarket shelves also - it is the BEST cat food on the market and more pet mums and dads need to know just how good it is compared to what's currently out there.
Sincerely Pip Dean
Flip and ZiwiPeak
Tue, Feb 10th, 2009 1:22:12 pm
I had emailed you back in September about feeding ZiwiPeak to my Sheltie Flip on our trip to Finland for the World Agility Championships.   I forgot to write a follow up email until now.
Flip did amazing at the World Agility Championships in Helsinki Finland, he placed 14th out of 75 dogs and had Canada's highest individual placement in its history of sending a team.
Flip enjoyed the ZiwiPeak food, he has a very sensitive system and I have to be picky about what he eats.   His energy level remained the same (high energy/ high drive dog) and he had no issues other than a bit of a dry coat (which he struggles with depending on the season).   It was a fantastic alternative to feeding the RAW diet (which he normally eats) and I will use it again when we attend the World Agility Championships in Austria next year.
Thank you, to ZiwiPeak for such a great product and for helping fuel Flip in his World agility endeavors.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Boldt
ZiwiPeak on Irradiation in Australia
Wed, Jan 28th, 2009 11:03:01 am
Thanks for your emails regarding Irradiation.  To put you all at ease regarding ZiwiPeak here is our statement.
We are able to send ZiwiPeak to Australia under our RMP with our drying profiles.
I know that AQIS or anyone else in Australia do not touch ZiwiPeak because of our certification.   The Meat Act 1981 has been superseded by the Animal products Act 1999 and we are fully registered.
We have NZ Food Safety (new name for MAF) registered HACCP and Risk management Plans and certification to export to everywhere.
I hope that this assures you that ZiwiPeak is not irradiated.
Regards
ZiwiPeak
Sue Murray-K9COMM-The 'Dog Listener' for New Zealand has her Christmas Message
Tue, Dec 16th, 2008 2:44:01 pm
In my last contribution to ZiwiPeak's site, I talked about buying a puppy for Christmas. This time I would like to address the issue of where to buy it from should you decide to add to your family.
Firstly think about the type of dog you would like, consider your lifestyle and level of activity. Remember all dogs can be great family dogs if given the correct set of rules and bought up well.
If you are seeking a particular breed then the NZ Kennel Club (www.nzkc.org.nz) has a very comprehensive list of breeders and is a good place to start.  You might also want to find the local club for that breed and go to one of their shows or contact their club secretary who will be able to give you some information.
Avoid falling into the trap of getting your dog from a pet shop no matter how beautiful it is or how exotic the shop may be. I say this for many reasons and just cannot condone pet shops selling puppies.
Unlike getting your puppy from a reputable breeder, you are not able to ask any questions about the puppy, you are unable to view the mother or father (sometimes you are unable to view the sire if it has been a stud dog but you should be able to view the Mum). You are unable to see the nature of the mother of the puppy, her condition and the conditions the puppy was raised in. The owners are not available so that you can see how they respond with their own dog(s), this will give you an idea of how this puppy has been raised.
It simply is not a natural environment for a puppy to be raised in, behind a glass screen. They are not being properly socialized and are missing out on many of the vital lessons to be learnt. The other thing to do is to avoid taking a puppy that is younger than 8 weeks old. The mother teaches the puppy so much up to this age. Remember that a good breeder will be there to give you back up support, usually for the life of the dog.
Lastly there are many beautiful dogs and puppies awaiting a loving owner at the local SPCA, Council Dog Pound, Humane Society and there are even breed specific rescue organizations. If any one is requiring any further information on any specific breed organization please feel free to contact me as I have a comprehensive list of them.
Have a great and safe Christmas. Remember the old saying: ‘A Dog is for Life, not just for Christmas'.
I thank 'ZiwiPeak' for their continual support and wish them a great Christmas and look forward to working with you all in 2009.
Take care and love those pets of yours, they are lucky to have you.
Sue
K9COMMS
ZiwiPeak at the Helsinki Vet Congress
Thu, Nov 6th, 2008 1:42:01 pm
ZiwiPeak and Finland business partners VisioNet OY attended a three day Vet Conference from the 29th to the 31st of October in Helsinki.
Shown in the photo's below are Sari Vahakoski and Harri Mikkola who are the ZiwiPeak Importers and Distributors for Finland.
Peter-ZiwiPeaks Founder with our TM's in the USA
Tue, Oct 28th, 2008 5:14:05 pm
ZiwiPeak had there first Sales Blitz supporting Petersens a speciality 'All Natural Pet Products' distributor in Colorado and New Mexico.
After their three day blitz Peter and our ZiwiPeak sales team line up for a photo.
From left to right:
Kathy Long-Director of Sales & Marketing - South East & Texas
Gerry Stewart - Territory Manager - North East
Peter Mitchell - ZiwiPeak Founder- New Zealand
Christy Bedard - Territory Manager - South West
Tim Deares - Territory Manager-Â Mid West
Tammy Wong - Territory Manager - (not in photo) - North West
LA Daily features ZiwiPeak
Tue, Oct 28th, 2008 3:26:25 pm
October 20, 2008 10:24 PM
By Adam Gropman
Photo by Sonia Paulino. Click image for entire slideshow.
As a dyed-in-the-wool cat person, I'm a bit of an undercover double-agent at this swanky, Downtown dog party. Sharp, creative urbanites, dressed from crisp casual all the way to downright glamorous, serenely mill about or sit in the spacious, L-shaped patio of J Lounge near 11th and Olive, well-behaved, fastidiously groomed canines leashed to their sides. For humans, there's a backdrop of edgy yet tasteful techno-house music and an elegantly minimalist outdoor cocktail bar, while the sacred beasts enjoy- among other things- complimentary healthful snacks, bowls of water, and a specially built 600 sq. ft. patch of real grass.
The gathering, sponsored by high-end, downtown pet-related businesses Pussy & Pooch and Bark Avenue, is technically open to dogs, cats and, I suppose, other domestic animals, but this night clearly belongs to the dogs. There's talk of a cat having attended earlier with its human, but alas, there's now not a pussy in sight.
I've long felt that L.A. has a strong dog-loving culture -- perhaps due to the perfect weather, the access to scrubby mountain trails, and the tendency here toward human loneliness and solitude -- and this soiree epitomizes two strong trends: the intersection of dog-appreciation and cutting edge entrepreneurship, and the widespread elevation of dogs, in recent years, from "member of the family" to "prized and cherished Number One Son."
Tables on the patio host gourmet vendors, their items as attractively packaged as Grey Poupon or Pinkberry. Souplements are a line of natural soups, Wagalicious a locally sourced raw-food diet and ZiwiPeak an ultra-premium line of food featuring air-dried meat from New Zealand. There's even something called "dog beer," a beef-flavored, grain-based beverage for man's best friend, and I'm disappointed when told it's non-alcoholic. I'd think that with all the pressure that comes from their recent star status, dogs may need to get smashed once in a while.
Angus from West L.A. is just chillin'. He's black, fairly young and doesn't say much. Actually he doesn't say anything at all, cause he's a Scottish Terrier, but I think I'm vibing him well enough to know that he's OK with his owners, Alex and Heather, well-educated professional types in their 30s who think nothing of zipping across town on the 10 Freeway so Angus can get his party on.
Nearby, but clearly in a different clique, are Parker, a golden-colored, partially blind 11-year-old Welsh Corgi and Ellie, a grey and dark-spotted Chihuahua. Their owner is Caroline, a pretty fashion design intern in her 20s with long brown hair who lives in a Downtown loft with her mom, two cats and the aforementioned duo. I soon realize her dogs keeping to themselves is not due to any social elitism, but rather that Parker's sight impairment, along with his body-image readjustment -- he lost 35 pounds on Caroline's homemade brown rice and ground turkey diet -- must leave him shy. And as for Ellie, she's a boney, shivery little thing, barely poking out of Caroline's shoulder bag.
"I love dogs. I spoil them and dress them up and pretty much treat them like humans," says Caroline, indicative of residential Downtown's emerging dog sub-culture. "I love it, our dog goes to Bark Avenue three days a week for day care. A lot of people in our loft building go. And so they all have the same days, and it's like groups. We see them at the dog parks all the time. It's kind of like a community, almost."
Friends Margaret and Steve, early 30s and both graphic designers, hang out over in a comfortable living room-like side area. She lives in Silver Lake where most of the retail businesses are dog friendly, and tonight has brought Ketchup, her black and white terrier/miniature poodle. Steve is currently pet free, but is strongly considering the step into dog-owner-hood, no doubt with some encouragement from the quite handy Margaret, who used to bake organic biscuits for all of her friends' dogs and has built her own a hot magenta, fake fur bed. She doesn't have to buy many things for Ketchup anymore, as her friends keep showering the lucky pup with gifts, the last being a squirrel's tail attached to a tennis ball -- an active dog's two favorite things in the world, combined.
I decide to put on my "fearless journalist" hat and ask them about the "C word" -- cats. Steve doesn't hide his apathy-bordering-on-disdain for the creatures. "Cats are cool" says Margaret, diplomatically upbeat. "But they could care less. I am definitely a dog person, unless it's a cat that acts like a dog... and those are few and far between. I want that unconditional love."
Tags: Bark Avenue, Downtown Los Angeles, Loft, Nightlife, Pussy & Pooch, Souplements, Wagalicious, ZiwiPeak.
Miss Coco meets her Charlie Brown
Tue, Oct 28th, 2008 2:13:07 pm
Decision time is coming up for our chocolate Labrador -  Miss Coco to have puppies.  She's two and a half now and has been looking for sometime for that all round guy - handsome, intelligent, caring, great physical body and healthy and its been hard, as there aren't alot out there.
Well this week through many emails (showing photo's off) and phone calls, Miss Coco had her first date with hunting and fishing legend Charlie Brown a chocolate Labrador from Taupo.
The response from Coco was very positive as he ticked all her boxes and as for Charlie Brown he was simply infatuated with her.
The engagement and marriage will be taking place around the third week of November so will keep you posted on the honeymoon.
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One Chihuahua at a time
Fri, Oct 17th, 2008 1:44:17 pm
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ZiwiPeak's pet food is good enough for humans to eat - and pampered pets are lapping it up. By Caitlin Sykes
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PET FOOD is probably one of those things you don't think too much about. But while normally neglected by the rest of us, thinking of pet food has proved smart business for Peter and Kimberly Mitchell.
The Mt Maunganui-based husband and wife are founders of pet food company ZiwiPeak. The company's dried and canned products are designed to emulate the diet a wolf or big cat would eat in the wild. But at US$105 for a 5kg bag of the company's dog food, for example, it's the swelling global ranks of super-pampered pooches and pusses the company is cashing in on.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS PARKER
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Managing director Peter Mitchell is a meat industry veteran, and ZiwiPeak is the culmination of his experience and passion for the product - particularly venison.
The Southlander started his career herding deer out of the bush and onto farms in the late 70s. When the country's second deer-slaughter facility was built in Tauranga, he shifted north and worked in the plant to supplement his deer farming income. "That put me in great stead to understand the product and the opportunities of the industry," he says.
When he later set up an exporting company, selling meat into the North American and European markets, he became aware of the other 50% of the carcass not available for edible cuts. Thinking about adding value to those leftover bits led to selling ingredients to pet food manufacturers. But supplying raw ingredients made the business susceptible to commodity cycles.
It was then Mitchell saw a niche for an all-meat pet food with no carbohydrate fillers, which was shelf-stable and had all-natural, New Zealand ingredients - fish, mussels, lamb and venison.
With their commodity business still providing cashflow, the Mitchells bought some land in 2001 and set up a small pilot factory (since expanded and now employing 20 staff). They spent the next two years developing their product and IP, used experts to develop the brand and launched in the US market two years ago. "It's the most advanced market in its sophistication, and the new trends and innovation come out of the US," says Mitchell.
And the trend is towards spending big money on pets. Lars Wulff, co-CEO of Mud Bay, a chain of 14 health-focused pet stores around Washington state, says projected annual growth in the US natural pet product market over the next four years is around 14%. Products like ZiwiPeak, says Wulff, are increasing in popularity as affluent, educated and health-conscious pet owners realise the same type of carb-loaded diet that's good for them is not necessarily good for their pets.Â
InterZoo
Tue, Oct 7th, 2008 12:14:13 am
ZiwiPeak at Interzoo- Nurneburg Germany May 2008
The ZiwiPeak team headed to Germany this May to attend the largest tradeshow which is held every two years in Nurneburg.
In hall seven we set up our largest trade stand ever and were overcome by the continuous flow (over a four day period) of distributors coming to find us.Â
If you want to know more about Interzoo for 2008 please go online to:
www.interzoo.com
Below are photos that were taken showing the ZiwiPeak stand.
Hi again, Sue Murray from K9COMMS.
Tue, Oct 7th, 2008 2:08:18 pm
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I am excited to tell you this month about ‘Southern Star Dog Foundation' which was founded after a phone call to me from a concerned Mum of little Adam, who has little sense of danger, managed to wander off his property, to run amidst the birds on the waters edge.Â
When found after a frightful search, his parents realized that they need another safety net, beyond near-constant supervision, fences and a tracking device and so Patty Dobbs Gross, founder of North Star Assistance dogs in USA, and author of The Golden Bridge;Â NZ Specialist Dog Trainer Guus Knopers, Adam's parents and I threw our weight together in a determined effort to help other children like Adam, through the placement of Assistance dogs - bred and trained here in our own beautiful country.
Adam's dog Bambi will be coming from the USA organisation North Star Dogs, also the sister organisation to Southern Star. So how will a dog like this help little Adam? She will be trained to perform special tasks like the little pup you see in the photos which has also been donated to our organisation:Â
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Our Mission
Our mission is to select, train and place assistance dogs with children, and under particular circumstances with adults, who face social, emotional and educational challenges. The majority of children we serve are on the autism spectrum, however we also create Southern Star placements for children suffering a loss or coping with a serious illness.
As a non-profit organization, Southern Star appreciate and value the support of ZiwiPeak who are donating their premium brand of food so that our dogs can have the very best start nutritionally.Â
Personally I am thrilled to be a part of this organisation which is going to make such a difference to the lives of children.
Cheers,
Sue
K9Comm & ZiwiPeak come to Jimmy's Rescue
Tue, Sep 9th, 2008 4:45:16 pm
It always saddens us when we hear the story of a poor animal abondoned, living in poor conditions where the owners have given up on them.  This is one of those stories that never made the news but has touched me personally.  His story was one of those sad ones.
One afternoon I received a call from my local SPCA to see if I might be able to help them with a dog they had uplifted.  I said I would come in and see him as they were not sure if there was anything that could be done for him.
I was greeted by the sad but beautiful big brown eyes of a cute little tri- coloured foxie cross aged about seven months.  His physical condition was appalling weighing just around 7 kilos, absolute skin and bone.
Jimmy had been kept in a kennel and run for the past five or so months of his life.  I was shown the photos of him prior to uplifting and I just cried.  How could someone do this to a dog or to any animal?
He lived in a very expensive kennel and run which was cluttered with bowls from a dinner set, never collected just stacked one on top of another, never cleaned but that matched the rest of his environment.  His kennel was littered with faeces and what should have been bowls of clean drinking water also contained urine and faeces.  This little guy was so neglected, underweight and abused.  So how could I turn my back on him?Â
Due to insufficient exercise, Jimmy's back legs had not developed so he walked a little like a crab.  At home he didn't know how to eat a bone, play with my other dogs or even just play.  He would spin around in a circle so fast that it was hard to see his tail from his head and he would salivate and lick his back end on both sides.  It was a truly pathetic sight to see a dog so stressed.  He would also jump up and bark and then pull the grass out of my lawn.  Anything new stressed Jimmy and would send him into this ritual.
I will update you on Jimmy's progress but to date with the thanks to ZiwiPeak for supplying some much needed top of the line nutrition for him, Jimmy now almost one year old currently weighs in at 17.5kgs with a beautiful glossy coat.
I will continue to work with Jimmy and feed him well with ZiwiPeak which has made a huge difference to his life.
Stay posted.
Â
Regards
Sue- K9Comms.
Thinking of a new addition?
Wed, Aug 6th, 2008 4:07:01 pm
Sue Murray- K9Comm
Many of you may have made or are thinking of making the addition of a puppy to your household over the past weeks so this time I would like to touch some of the important things to consider when bringing one into your home.Â
As you know I use the methods of Jan Fennell ‘The Dog Listener' as her approach is not one of harsh treatments or gadgets but by establishing yourself as the leader of your dogs pack so they feel no pressure to have to look after you.Â
By using this method termed ‘Amichien Bonding', we find that by setting kind, clear boundaries for your puppy from the beginning that they are much happier and less stressed.   They are willing to co-operate with us because they want to, not out of fear or because something will be thrown its way or he will be screamed at.   This method is outlined in Jan's books, ‘The Dog Listener' and ‘The Practical Dog Listener' or through her DVD.   Alternatively I also teach ‘new Mum's and Dad's' this in consultation form.Â
Another vital area to cover is nutrition. A good balanced diet as close to the dog's ancestors, the wolf would eat, is definitely what I promote and feed my own dogs.  For growing puppies, make the investment in good food or you will end up spending the money at your vets.Â
When their nutritional needs are met and you have a strong, healthy puppy, they are also balanced in other areas.   Check out the ingredients on the back of the packet, read the small print and when you see those words that you are unsure of, take the time to find out what is really going into your dog's daily food intake.   It will pay dividends, trust me.
Enjoy.
Regards
Sue - KPComms.
Tiffany, Bandit and Kiwi
Wed, May 14th, 2008 5:39:20 pm
I am writing this email to thank your company for making this awesome dog food.
I have two very picky Chihuahuas - Bandit and Kiwi and they go crazy for this food!
Regarding Bandit, all I have to say is "ZIWIPEAK" and he will do anything I ask of him.  He starts jumping up and down, barking, whining, squealing and it really is a sight to see all for his precious ZiwiPeak.
Now Bandit has two favorite things, his Kiwi and his Ziwi.
Kiwi actually came into my life pre-ZiwiPeak.  She was so tiny as a puppy (she is only three and half pounds fully grown) that when she slept curled up she looked like a fuzzy brown Kiwifruit. Â
When I first saw the bag of ZiwiPeak from New Zealand I knew it very well might be the perfect food for them since she is a Kiwi.
I have never seen this kind of reaction over any food let alone their own dogfood.  We give them the Lamb formula Cuisine air- dried food and have yet to try any other formulations.
I don't ever write to companies telling them something is great, but in this case I had to.
This product is so unique because it is food specially formulated for a dog not leftover scraps ground up into cheap kibble.
That really means something to me because I love my dogs and want them to be happy and healthy.
I tell everyone I know to try it for their dogs as it is so worth it.  I wanted to say thankyou for making a high quality nutritions food and bringing happiness to my dogs lives, especially Bandits.
So keep it up as I want your company to be a dominant force in the pet food industry and I don't ever want Bandit and Kiwi's supply to ever run out.
Santa Maria - My Spanish Dog on the 'Camino'
Thu, Apr 10th, 2008 5:23:01 pm
Hello to you all and may I introduce Santa Maria my dog on the 'Camino' in Northern Spain.
I travelled to Northern Spain just recently and walked the 'Santiago de Compostela' - 'Camino' a road that St. James the Apostle first walked in the 9th century and spans the northern landscape of Spain.  Quite a feat to walk but wonderful all the same as I have never experienced such energy on a walk as this one delivered.
Why I have this photo of Santa Maria is I meet this lass at O Cebreiro a small but very old village 1300ft above sea level in the province of Lugo, lying outside the pre-Romesque church called Santa Maria looking very sad.  It amazed me that so many people walked passed and never even acknowledged her but I did and a friendship developed which to this day haunts me.
I noticed as I passed her that her neck looked sticky and on further investigation I noticed this dog was very sick.  She was termed by the Spanish as abandoned and for everyone that lived in this village they hated abandoned dogs with a passion as in O Cebreiro and most of northern Spain there are alot.  Prominently German Shepherds, these dogs if lucky work guarding cattle and sheep for farmers but most are tied up as guard dogs or abandoned.
Santa Maria was a dog who I suspect managed to free herself of her terrible steel spiked collar and escaped as this was why her neck was raw and outlined the size of the collar that had been around her neck.
I immediately took action and dived into my pack for a tube of Uguvities cream which she let me put around her neck and didn't flinch a inch.  I then noticed she was fairly thin so left her to seek out our Spanish guide to go and talk to the hotel kitchen and ask for meat scapes which after a long conversation and a few bribes managed to come up with a complete bag of meat for me.  I snuck up to the church and called her over behind trees by the grave site and emptied the bag and she tucked in to my enjoyment.
The next morning she was back at the church waiting patiently for anyone to give her food and a pat and when she saw me rose to greet me for a cuddle and let me once again put another thick row of cream around her neck.
Walking back to the front door of the hotel for breakfast I was rudley interrupted by a huge dog that belonged to the owners of the hotel .  He barged through in front of me, through the dining room to the kitchen and returned with a huge meaty bone twice the size of him.  This did amuse me but a plan was formulating in my head to obtain this bone and give it to my new friend.
I watched patiently and observed that he was king pin around the village and was showing off to the other abandoned dogs the large bone he had in his mouth until such time that a abandoned dog came too close to him and he put the bone down and ran after him.  What an opportunity I thought .  I set off grabbing the bone and putting it under my jacket all of which Santa Maria saw me doing and as I headed back to the church she followed after me to where the grave sites were and sat patiently as I delivered the bone to her for breakfast.  Mission accompanished I gave her a cuddle and walked back down the road.
Setting out for the day I headed back to church to say goodbye but she was gone.  I was sad but knew she had food in her stomach and hopefully the cream would heal her wound.   As I walked I never knew I would come across her again but as I was taking a break she came from nowhere and sat by me and so my new friend and I walked the rest of the day together.  Unfortunately my crew at the end of our day walking were moving to another village so goodbye's were in hand and as I attended her neck once again and fed her sadness came upon me as I said my goodbye's.
My last day on the Camino saw me having another last break before walking into the city of Santiago and who should come and sit on my feet but Santa Maria.  I was in shock not to mention everyone around me.  My dog had walked 102kms to find me.
In the photo attached to this story you see her eating a big piece of meat which was my last gift to her before entering the city.  I felt ill as with tears in my eyes I said goodbye and asked two Spanish guys to tell her to go back on the Camino.  From this moment on I realised that Santa Maria had given me an awesome walking experience which I will never forget and didn't really understand until I returned home.
There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her and would love the opportunity to return to the Camino to find her.
Perhaps thats my next adventure?
Enjoy.
Kimberly Mitchell
ZiwiPeak
Wolves-Yellowstone National Park/USA - Sue KPCOMMS
Tue, Mar 4th, 2008 5:20:07 pm
Hello again and it is nice to be back to Summer having just spend three weeks in the USA mainly in Yellowstone National Park and Indiana where it has been well into the minus degrees with plenty of snow.
The purpose of my visit was to observe 'Wolves' in the wild and also to attend a three day intensive seminar on 'Wolf' behaviour.
The seminar was held at 'Wolf Park' situated in Indiana where there are a number of Wolves living in captivity in large areas.
It was amazing to see them up close howling, mating and performing all of those behaviours we see in our domestic dogs.  As it was the breeding season were unable to interact with them as emotions were heightened but this was offset as being the best time to observe their behaviour.
I then followed this up by flying to 'Yellowstone Park'Â to spend three and a half days in the company of some of the most experienced trackers, cinematographers and photographers (publishers of their own books and work for National Geographic), biologists and those with PHDs and Masters in the subjects of 'Wolves' and behaviour.
WOW, what an experience for me.  Here we watched the Wolves in their own natural habitat through spotting scopes.
One big question that was covered at both venues was that of feeding and eating patterns.  Two mains points made in the discussion was that the Wolf will first eat the main organs, ie. Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Tripe and then the meat/bone of the animal. Â
They do not eat the stomach contents.
In winter they tend to eat the subcutaneous layer of fat first for obvious reasons.
Well, I could write pages and pages about this wonderful experience but IÂ will keep this for another snippet of news.
 Watch out and until next time.
Sue Murray - KPCOMMS
Helping People and their Canine Friends
New Zealand
Heather Vadum McNamara and Silkie's Severe Yeast Infection
Fri, Feb 29th, 2008 5:19:01 pm
My dog, Silkie has suffered from a severe yeast infection and the loss of most of her hair for five years.  I have tried every diet known, every cream known and everything I could find on the internet to help my dog.  I have even taken her to the Veterinary College in Guelph Ontario.  The first year I spent $7000.00 dollars on baths and diets etc.  All the Vets would say she had severe allergies.
I developed my own theory that the fillers, grains, corn chemicals and preservatives etc used in most dog foods even the most expensive prescribed foods turn to sugar which help fuel the development of yeast.
Well my dog has been on KiwiPeak or ZiwiPeak for about four months now.  I am happy to say that although she is not totally yeast free she has 95% of her hair back and is back on the road to being healthy.Â
A woman who washes her recently told me what lovely hair she has and I said well she has just recently had her hair return.  On this comment she remembered Silkie and was amazed at the change in the dog.
My Vet is going to contact the head dermatologist at the University and tell her about Silkie's case.
I wish I had found your product five years ago.
Thanks so much.
Heather and Silkie.
Skin Allergies
Fri, Feb 15th, 2008 5:13:30 pm
Hi to you all,
My dog is a two year bichon/poodle and for his entire life I have given him home cooked food because he will not eat dog food (and I have tried every make on the market).  He suffers from skin allergies and has been extremely itchy most of his life.
Two weeks ago I tried your food and for the first time in his life he ate a whole bowl of food!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I don't know if it is wishful thinking on my part but his itching seems to have decreased also.
His past diet was New Zealand Lamb and locally grown organic vegetables with vitamin and mineral supplements.
I tried your ZiwiPeak Cuisine Venison and Fish recipe because the store in Seattle had that as a sample and he loved it.
You do not list the vitamins and minerals and so I do not know if I should continue with the supplements or not.
Please could you e-mail me with the vitamins and minerals included in the Venison and Fish and also the Lamb recipes.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely.
Â
Our Vet Replies:
Canine Communication with K9.COMM
Thu, Jan 31st, 2008 4:49:01 pm
Hello to you all and Happy New Year for 2008.
By now we are well underway into a New Year which promises to be a great one for ZiwiPeak and K9.Comms I am very sure.
I have a very exciting year ahead with Jan Fennell, 'The Dog Listener' returning for further courses and talks plus her son Tony is making his way to New Zealand for the first time to hold the 'Advanced Course in Canine Communication'.
On the 30th January, I am heading off to the USA to further my education into the behaviour of the 'WOLF' and how that can be translated into what we see in our domestic dogs.  I plan to spend three days in Indiana at the 'WOLF PARK' attending an 'Intensive Behaviour Seminar'
'WOLF PARK' is dedicated to the conservation and education of 'WOLVES'.
I am then travelling up to Montana and spending seven days in Yellowstone National Park observing the 'Wolves' in their natural environment under the watchful eye of Jan Fennell and two biologists who are going to guide the trip.  We are also being treated to evening talks by local experts.
Although it is going to be major shock going from our fabulous summer to -20 degrees, I am excited about seeing these amazing creatures and learning more in depth as to how their behaviour relates to our domestic dogs plus their eating patterns and lots more.
This is the best time to observe 'WOLVES' as it is the mating season so behaviors are heightened - so, there is much to learn and to be able to pass onto my clients and of course wonderful to share with ZiwiPeak as their Cuisine 'Real Meat' food is based on what a 'WOLF' would eat in the wild and how they eat it.
So next time I will report back on this amazing journey and how the 'WOLF' which I have observed really behaves and how I can incorporate this in my training.
Sue - K9.COMMS
Stanley drops the kilos on 'Ziwipeak'
Thu, Jan 24th, 2008 4:49:23 pm
Stanley is my eight year old Labrador who is a treasured family pet and who is also a well known and lovely character at our exclusive Bed and Breakfast accomodation the 'Peace & Plenty Inn at Devonport in Auckland.
Stanley was getting to be a real roly-poly as like most Labradors he was prone to a healthy appetite and to putting on weight.  He had ballooned up to over 43kgs and wobbled as he walked.
My dog walker Susie Londer changed his diet and his exercise routine and after that he started to drop weight.  Suzie recommended Stanley change to 'ZIWIPEAK 'and that combined with his daily walks has turned his life around.Â
He lost over 8kgs in just six months.
He's like a new dog, he's full of life, his eyes are brighter, his coat shines and even his grey hairs don't seem as obvious.
He enjoys two tins of ZiwiPeak Cuisine moist food a day and the occasional raw or poached egg.
Stanley is really popular with our guests at the Peace & Plenty Inn and he really enjoys going for walks with them especially now that he is a shadow of his former self.
Thanks ZiwiPeak.Â
Judy Machin
Peace & Plenty Inn Devonport Auckland New Zealand.
