Dog Food
Ziwi Peak Hauraki Plains: A Deep Dive
Whether you’re the proud owner of one friendly pup or have collected a whole pack of doggie pals, we know that keeping them fit, healthy, and happy is always your number one priority!
But when you lead a busy life, it can be hard to know what diet you should be choosing to give your fur-panions the best life that you possibly can.
Well, fear not – because we’re here to help and today we’ll be breaking down the benefits of each ingredient in the Ziwi Peak Hauraki Plains Dog Food, and explaining why it’s crucial to choose a high-quality diet to keep your dogs healthier for longer.
Why a Healthy Diet for Your Dog is Important
The best decision you can make for your dog, is to choose a food that works for their needs. Just like us, dogs too are what they eat; and to be healthy, energetic, and happy bundles of fluff – we need to feed them dog food that will provide their bodies with everything they need to make that happen.
It can be challenging to know where to start. It doesn’t feel as simple as when it comes to choosing the healthy option with human food where it’s usually pretty easy to spot the nutritious or unhealthy options, but distinguishing between dog food isn’t quite as simple as us choosing a burger vs. salad at lunchtime!
And that’s why we’ve created an in-depth cheat sheet for you, the caring dog owner, to know for sure which ingredients your dog needs and why.
Ziwi Peak
Today we’re going to be focusing on one specific dog food, and that’s the Ziwi Peak Hauraki Plains dog food, a highly nutritious dog food that not only does good for the body, but tastes good to your puppy pal too.
But, it’s not just for your dog that Ziwi Peak aims to do its best; we give them extra points for caring about other factors such as supporting free-range farming to ensure that each of their ingredients are always ethically sourced. Now that’s the kind of company we can get behind!
With meticulously crafted recipes, they’ve worked tirelessly to make dog cuisine that has been specifically designed for health, energy, and of course – for a delicious taste that will have even the pickiest of eaters waiting at their bowl for dinnertime.
Ingredients
Let’s take a look at each of the main ingredients in the Hauraki Plains dog food recipe and the nutritional benefits they provide your dog.
Chicken
An excellent lean source of protein, Chicken also offers a great energy source, but without too many calories – making it a good choice for dogs prone to weight gain.
It also contains many other vital nutrients such as Omega 6 fatty acids that help your dog to maintain a glossy coat and healthy skin all year round.
And a vital consideration for those breeds prone to arthritis is that Chicken also provides your dog with essential amino acids and glucosamine, which helps to keep their joints in tip-top condition for even longer.
Eggs
You might be wondering why your dog needs eggs if they’ve already got chicken in their diet. Well, eggs offer a great source of much-needed vitamins, including vitamin A which is vital for muscle and nerve health. Vitamin B12 which helps to keep the brain functioning at its peak, folate for red blood cell production, iron for oxygenating the blood so that the body can create energy, and selenium for a nice healthy immune system.
Duck
Another lean protein source, duck also benefits from being a great source of phosphorous to help keep your dog’s teeth and bones healthy. Interestingly duck is incredibly low in saturated fats, yet it contains plenty of essential Omega fatty acids.
Full of vitamins, it’s an especially good source of B vitamins which help to protect your dog from many forms of cancer, and it also contains niacin which is excellent for regulating glucose levels (something to keep in mind if you’re the proud owner of a breed that’s prone to diabetes).
Turkey
Turkey is often misunderstood when it comes to our canine pals, and a lot of dog owners mistakenly think that dogs shouldn’t eat it.
This is because your Christmas turkey filled with stuffing and ingredients that aren’t dog safe – SHOULD NOT be fed to dogs, and so there’s a lot of info around the internet telling people not to feed dogs a turkey.
However, turkey itself when cooked specifically with dogs in mind is a highly nutritious and digestible meat, and because of this, it’s often recommended for dogs with digestive issues.
As well as being lean meat, turkey contains a whole heap of other benefits, including being a great source of selenium which helps keep the thyroid healthy. It also contains B12 which helps to keep your dog’s digestive system working correctly, phosphorous – an essential ingredient in building healthy bones, and tryptophan which is what helps to keep your dog level-leaded and calm!
Kahawai (Australian Salmon)
We all know that Salmon is incredible for us humans, this nutrient-dense food has long been hailed as an essential part of our diets, and this rings just as true for our four-legged friends!
Packed full of antioxidants, Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals – salmon is often used when rehabilitating rescue dogs as it packs such a punch in building up many areas of the dog’s health so quickly. From healthy skin and coat to strong bones – salmon is one of those ingredients that ticks every box.
Green Tripe
Many people hear tripe and the word that springs to mind is ‘yuck’, but ask any nutrition expert what word springs to mind and they’ll likely say ‘Perfect’, that’s right – nutritionally speaking green tripe is one of the most nutritious foods out there.
Tripe comes from the stomach of a grazing animal, and because of this – it contains masses of digestive enzymes, good bacteria, and an almost perfect ratio of calcium and phosphate. It’s essentially the doggie version of a probiotic! To learn more about the nutritional benefits of tripe, check out our article Tripe for Dogs: The Forgotten Superfood.
NZ Green Mussels
NZ Green Mussels are ethically and consciously harvested from the vast open waters of New Zealand.
A fabulous source of glucosamine which helps to keep your pet’s joints healthy, and with many dog breeds at a high risk of arthritis, feeding them dog food that contains glucosamine is one of the best decisions you can make as a pet owner.
Some veterinarians even suggest feeding green mussels as a natural anti-inflammatory for dogs that wouldn’t suit NSAIDs, such as those with sensitive digestive systems.
Organic Kelp
One of the richest sources of amino acids available naturally, kelp is known to help regulate glandular activity in the adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands. Especially beneficial to feed to dogs from their younger years as hypothyroidism is now a common ailment for many dog breeds when approaching middle age.
Some other benefits of kelp are its anti-inflammatory properties, its ability to help relieve itching, and its high calcium and iron content.
No Funny Stuff
Now that we’ve gone through all of these great ingredients that provide your dog’s body with the nutritious building blocks needed for a healthy life; we must spend a little bit of time talking about the ingredients that are often found in dog food but don’t provide a nutritional benefit.
These are what are often referred to as fillers, and are commonly used to bulk up food to provide the caloric intake that a dog needs, without really considering the nutritional benefit. Essentially this is the doggie version of junk food.
But we all know we wouldn’t feed our kids white bread and fries every day of the week, and it’s just as vital that we give the furry members of our family the best diet that we can too!
And that’s just another reason we adore the Ziwi Peak dog foods, with every single one of their products being grain-free, and containing no potato and no legumes.
Every one of their dog foods was created to mimic the dogs’ natural diet as closely as possible both with their ingredients and ratios. And with 96% of their ingredients coming from meat, seafood, organs, and bone, you can rest easy knowing that this food was designed with the health and happiness of your pet as the top priority.
I know what you’re thinking, wow with all these ingredients it can’t get better, or can it? Well actually yes it can! As well as prioritising your furry friend, the Ziwi Peak team also takes their social responsibility very seriously – making sure that every single one of their ingredients come from ethical and sustainable sources. With free-range and grass-fed meats, locally sourced poultry, and sustainably caught seafood just a few of the unwavering principles they hold firm to.
Give Your Dog The Best
Whether you’ve just welcomed your first puppy home, or are taking care of a senior dog that has been with you for many unforgettable years, Ziwi Peak Hauraki Plains Dog Food is a great food choice to keep them feeling at their best.
A premium food in every way, this is a food for owners who want the very best for their dogs, and while we know that premium ingredients come with a matching price tag; a great option for owners that simply can’t stretch their budget quite that far, is to use Hauraki Plains as a topper.
That way, you can be sure that your four-legged best friend isn’t missing out on the nutrients that will help them to live their happiest and healthiest life right by your side.
Shop Ziwi Peak Hauraki Plains
Full Ingredients List:
Chicken, Whole Kahawai, Duck, Chicken Heart, Turkey, Chicken Necks, Chicken Liver, Whole Eggs, New Zealand Green Mussel, Chicken Bone, Lecithin, Duck Bone, Inulin from Chicory, Dried Kelp, Dried Apple Pomace, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acidd, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast), Turkey Gizzard, Turkey Liver, Turkey Bone, Salt, Parsley, Preservative (Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols), Turkey heart, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid).
Resources:
Hauraki Plains Typical Analysis