James IS Loved (James Wellbeloved)

Member Name: Dan_Millard

Product:	James Wellbeloved
Date:	27/05/09 (236 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty, healthy, hypo-allergenic

Disadvantages: Price!

A year ago, I had never heard of James Wellbeloved. I was oblivious to any dog food not named "Pedigree" or "Bakers". Then, I became a dog owner for the first time, welcoming a beautiful Miniature Schnauzer in to my home. The breeder supplied a Pedigree puppy pack, including Pedigree puppy kibble. For the first few weeks, I fed her this but in the meantime I was researching nutrition and discovered that what I was feeding her WASN'T actually that great. This came as a bit of a surprise to me, as I have always thought Pedigree to be very high quality. I had a look at other brands, including Hills and Eukenuba, but eventually decided that the hypo-allergenic James Wellbeloved would be the food that I would feed my puppy.

Of course, a puppy's digestive system is very delicate so a gradual change was neccessary. After about two weeks, she was on 100% James Wellbeloved Puppy. I opted to buy the lamb and rice kibble. I always add a bit of boiled water to her food, and pour it out after a few seconds. This softens the kibble and makes it easier for her to eat. Also, it really brings out the smell which, to me, smells like an old farm, but to the dog it must smell heavenly because she wolfs it down everytime!

It is difficult to gauge the health benefits of feeding a quality food like James Wellbeloved, as I have no previous experience to go on, but she certainly is a lively dog with a wonderfully soft coat. She is full of energy and bounds around the local park. This is interesting to contrast was another Miniature Schnauzer from the SAME litter that lives near by me. She is fed a bit of everything, occasionally Pedigree, sometimes Bakers, sometimes scraps from the table. She is a completely different dog. When they are up the park together, my Miniature Schnauzer will run around endlessly, while her sister will just plod along next to her owner, uninteresting in running at all. She is noticeably fatter than, too. However, I'm a bit hesitant about attributing this 100% to the diet, as the personalities of the dogs could just be very different. But I have convinced my friend to start feeding her Miniature Schnazuer James Wellbeloved, so if she perks up in the next few weeks then I know it is the diet to thank.

Anyway, more specifically on the James Wellbeloved product. They come in a variety of flavours, in both puppy and adult; Lamb and Rice, Turkey and Rice, Fish and Rice. I have only ever fed my dog on the Lamb and Rice variety so this review will be based purely on that. I believe the smallest bag you can buy is 2KG, which at the moment is priced at £6.99 in my local Range store. This does seem expensive for dog food, especially compared to some supermarket food, but I think it is worth it for the sake of the dog's health.

James Wellbeloved has NO animal derivatives, which Pedigree, Bakers and all other 'supermarket pet food's' have in abundance. All the ingredients are 100% natural. This was a major selling point for me. The nutritional information on the back confirms the quality of the food.

After six months, it is suggested that small dogs switch to the adult variety and large dogs switch to junior. As I own a Miniature Schnazuer, I have started buying the adult version. They come in the same flavours and packaging as the puppy food, but I have noticed that the kibble itself is slightly bigger. This came as a bit of a shock to my dog and she didn't seem too keen on it compared to her puppy food. So, I bought a few poutches of the James Wellbeloved wet food, andd mixed a tiny bit of it with het kibble. She soon got back in to the swing of things and now wolfs her food down as usual.

I would also like to mention the great treats that James Wellbeloved supply. I always buy the Minijacks, as I feel they are the perfect treat. Crunchy, tasty and healthy, they are ideal for training or just when you feel your pet deserves a treat! I have also recently started purchasing the Crackerjacks, a larger variet of Minjacks. These are ideal to give if I am leaving her for a few hours, as they are so large she cannot eat it quickly, it will take her at least 5-6 minutes (after she has played with it). This lessens the seperation anxiety.

To sum up, I am glad I discovered James Wellbeloved and I think my dog is better for it! Some may say that it is expensive, but you get what you pay for and I think my dog deserves the best.

Summary: Despite the price, it's worth buying your dog James Wellbeloved as it will bring the best in them.