Question about ZiwiPeak

[emihym]

Hello, My name is Jin and I'm trying to feed my baby with ZiwiPeak (I can't feed Raw because of family) and I'm seeing Syrup in nutrition facts It's making me carefull about feeding this... Isn't Syrup made of sugar? Shoud I be feeding ZiwiPeak to my baby Daily..?? It's freez dried food which is really close to raw ... Plz HELP

Here's the Nutrition Facts of ZiwiPeak Daily Cat Lamb

Lamb, Liver, Tripe, Heart and Kidney, Chicory Syrup,
Green-lipped and Blue Mussel, Fish Oil, Lecithin, Kelp,
Vitamins and Minerals.

36% protein
29% fat
9% carb

[Zoshi]

Hello there Jin!

I'm pretty sure someone else could explain it better, but I did look around and find these info about Chicory Syrup:

Diabetes-Naturally Sweet Chicory Syrup

Sweet Nature

"Chicory Syrup (Inulin) has a mildly sweet taste, and is filling like starchy foods, but because it is not absorbed, it does not affect blood sugar levels."

So basically, it's a sweetener that wouldn't cause the bad side effects in people with diabetes/blood sugar problems that sugar would. :3 It could be true for ferrets as well, and they probably use it to give the food a better taste (ferrets love the sweet stuff).

Although, if I'm wrong, I do hope someone corrects me.

[sherrylynne]

Chicory syrop is a natural sweetner, but still is a sugar base. So I really think I'd be using it sparingly. I know there is a post on here by mustelidmusk, but since I can't find the one I'm looking for on here, here is another location for the same post!
ferretharmony.com/viewtopic.php?t=183

[mustelidmusk]

Hi!
You may want to consider feeding some freeze-dried raw diet in addition to the ziwipeak. I still use some ziwipeak mixed in with the freeze-dried raw.

Here are some freeze-dried raw products that use:
Wysong's Archetypal I (for ferrets)
Wysong's Archetype (for cats/dogs)***
AFS diet (Great value)
Stella and chewies freeze-dried steaks

*** the ferret version of the wysong's is extremely similar to cat/dog version- many fert owners feed the cat/dog version since it's about a dollar cheaper per bag. I suspect the cost difference is related to the label rather than the product.

Casey's Pantry carries all these great products and even sell little sample bags sou you can try out the products before investing - see the products for sale section on the forum, o Google Casey's Pantry

Anther thing to remember.....DO NOT buy Nature's Variety Freeze-Dried diet. It's inappropritae for ferrets because it contains large chunks of pumpkin seed (I've even found whole ones) that can easily cause intestinal obstruction.

I feed Nature's Variety FROZEN diet, which doesn't have big chunks of seeds in it - go figure

Unfortunately, the freeze-dried diets are not cheap...I feed two frozen raw meals per day under supervision to keep the stashing under control. I feed just enough so there are no leftovers, and I clean up the bowls and feeding dens. I leave out a small bowl of freeze-dried food during the day.

My husband is immune-compromised with chronic Lyme disease, so i need to keep a close eye on what happens with the wet raw meats!

Depending on your situation, you can cook the complete frozen diets, but you will lose nutrient content. Alternatively, you can provide a mix of freeze-dried raw, ziwipeak, and a small amount of high-quality, lo-carb, no-grain kibble.
Any of these options will be a big improvement over kibble alone.

I use mostly commercial products for convenience. I addition, I've mentored a number of ferrets that have IBD and special dietary needs. As a result, I'm pretty famialr with quite a few of the options that are available

You can always PM me if you have any questions since my work get s hectic and I requently lack the time to read a lot of the sections on the forum.

-jennifer