Light On The Waist, Big On The Taste (James Wellbeloved Light Bites)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	James Wellbeloved Light Bites
Date:	21/04/09 (180 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Healthy, natural, low in fat/calories, value for money, good for teeth

Disadvantages: May be a bit boring for some dogs

*What are James Wellbeloved Light Bites?*
These dog treats are part of the highly popular James Wellbeloved brand, established and well trusted manufacturers of a wide range of healthy and wholesome dry complete feeds for dogs, cats and ferrets and also a selection of wet food and treats for dogs of all ages from puppy hood through to the senior citizens of the canine world.

*The product itself*
Whenever a new dog treat becomes available on the market, it is never long until Grace and Benson sample it. Variety is the spice of life for us humans and of course, it is no different for dogs! I don't like to think how painfully boring it must be for dogs to eat the same food day after day, so for this reason, I like to make sure my two always get a widely varied diet to prevent them getting bored and to keep introducing new tastes to them as to keep things interesting.

The pair of them are complete and utter walking dustbins, they really will eat anything, it doesn't even matter if it is edible or not, if they can get it in their mouth, they will try to chew it up and swallow it so thankfully, buying treats for them is a pretty easy task. They're too active to put on any weight so I don't need low fat treats, they don't have any allergies so I don't need specially formulated treats and lastly, as I mentioned, they'll eat anything, so I can buy pretty much any dog treat on the market knowing they will be gratefully received!

One of the more recent treats they have sampled are these Light Bites by James Wellbeloved. Grace and Benson are fed their complete food and do very well on it and I love what the brand stands for- they only make their pet foods from healthy, wholesome, natural ingredients, quality rice, fresh human grade meat, vitamin packed veggies and very little else. No artificial junk, no animal derivatives and no cheap bulking fillers. So I was happy to pick up a couple of bags for the dogs to try knowing I would be getting a good, value for money product which was also good for the dogs.

The Light Bites are a relatively new treat I believe and are a bit like a canine version of Snack A Jacks! They're basically meat flavoured rice cakes, each Bite contains just 8 calories, is low in fat and has no added sugar and is made from just three ingredients- whole rice, turkey and sunflower oil. Compare that to the ingredients list of a Pedigree treat and you'll have no trouble choosing which would be the best treat for your pet! They're also hypo-allergenic which means they contain none of the ingredients which are known to trigger skin allergies and stomach upsets in dogs, such as beef, gluten, dairy products, egg or wheat.

Each one is around 2 inches in length, so a nice sized treat, in the shape of a bone, is quite thin and has the appearance of a rice cake, you can clearly see the bits of puffed rice and then the turkey flavour dusted on the top. To look at, they seem quite boring but have a rich, meaty aroma to them which will make them inviting to your four legged friend.

Lastly, the rough texture of the rice will help assist in keeping teeth clean and gums firm and healthy and the rice provides an easily digestible source of sustainable energy whilst the sunflower oil helps promote a healthy, shiny coat.

*Packaging*
Like all the James Wellbeloved products, these Light Bites come packaged in a quite old fashioned looking packet, which is foil lined and has a resealable strip running across the top which helps to keep the treats fresh and crunchy even after opening. On the front we are told the product name along with the company logo and a few pieces of information about the product. On the reverse you will find all the usual information you'd expect to find such as ingredients, feeding guides, nutritional information and contact details for James Wellbeloved.

*Price & Availability*
As James Wellbeloved is, what's called, a 'specialist brand', their products are only available in pet shops and from specialist suppliers, you will not find James Wellbeloved in supermarkets. I purchased my 75g packet of Light Bites from Pets At Home for £2.09.

*My opinion*
I used to joke that my dogs are better fed than me, but lately I'm beginning to realise it is actually true! They get the best of everything from the premium ranges whilst I'm left with supermarket basics most of the time! But after all, they're here for a good time, not a long time, so I spoil them rotten everyday.

Because they are both such active dogs, not sitting still for a moment during the day and getting at least 2-3 hours of exercise everyday, they are able to get away with eating a fair variety of treats without putting on any weight as they simply burn it all off. Whilst they are not fussy with what they get, I do regulate what they have, making sure they don't get too many treats from the poor quality Pedigree or Bakers ranges and trying to buy the premium treats wherever possible.

So I was very pleased when I discovered James Wellbeloved had brought out these Light Bites. Grace and Benson love the Crackerjacks which are their other treat offering, so I had high hopes for these, and of course, James Wellbeloved are an excellent brand making their products only with high quality ingredients and leaving out all the junk. A couple of packets made their way into my trolley and I took them home to see what my monsters thought of them.

Upon opening the packet, I was hit with a rich, meaty smell which actually smelt like turkey and rice- which was obviously very good seeing as that is what these treats are made from, and it was also a refreshing change from the horrible stench that some dog treats have. Seeing as the packet was only 75g, I wasn't expecting there to be many treats but having a peep inside I was pleased to find there was at least 20 or so treats inside, they are obviously just very light, which I suppose is to be expected as they are made almost entirely from puffed rice.

Grace and Benson were waiting eagerly at my feet for one so I gave them one each to see what they made of them, of course not without making them give paw first, as much as I love them, they don't get nothing for free!! They had a quick sniff and that was that, they were gobbled up within a few seconds. They obviously enjoyed them but that's nothing new, so I gave my friends little dog one to try. Alfie is a little Shih Tzu, much fussier than my two and he wouldn't even give the Light Bite a try, so they might be a bit too bland for fussy dogs, but needless to say, my two were more than happy to get rid of it for him!

Running my finger over the Light Bite they did feel quite rough so they're obviously quite good for teeth as the slightly abrasive texture will help scrape away plaque so it's nice to know they are getting some benefit from them as well as enjoying them, there was a lot of crunching coming from the dogs whilst they were eating one so they are infact, probably a good option if you are looking for a treat to help with dental care. As the ingredients are all very simple and easy to digest, there is thankfully no nasty surprises from the other end of the dog either.

I do find them a bit limited in means of different ways to feed them however. Normally I like to buy treats which can be stuffed into Kong toys or used for other various games and the like but you can't really do much with these Light Bites other than simply hand feed them. Of course nothing major, just a little whinge of mine.

Another slight problem with them is that they are very light and being small too they don't make a very filling snack for Grace and Benson. Whereas a couple of Bonio's will fill a hole for them, a couple of these have no where near the same effect, but that said, they are good to take out on walks as they are light, easy to slip a couple in your pocket, they have no real smell to them and they're very clean to handle.

Overall, a decent enough treat. They're very healthy and I like that they are made from fresh natural ingredients, its nice to know the dogs are getting something good inside of them and they're not a bad price either. To be honest, I think they are quite boring and a lot of dogs will probably agree, even my two got a bit fed up after their first pack. I will continue to buy them occasionally but there is a lot of much more exciting treats out there!

Summary: A nice idea and good for a change, but not the best out there.