I have been feeding my 18 month old mini schnauzer JWB lamb and rice for ages.  Has anyone noticed a change.  I noticed that it doesn't smell the same - the smell is rather bland, and it doesn't mix as well with warm water - previously the coating used to loosen and make it smell quite strong.  In addition, my boy just doesn't seem to be as enthusiastic about it.  He normally laps it up and doesn't take time to breath but now he seems to stop half way through as though he isn't really enjoying it.  I have noticed that JWB seems to have been taken over by Royal Canin and I wonder whether they have changed something.  I have got some Burns samples coming to see whether these are more tempting.  Has anyone else noticed anything different about JWB?

Hi,

I feed JWB can't say noticed any difference dogs adore it ,however Royal Canin have taken over it and run from the same office :-)

Briony:-)

In what kind of timeframe are we talking?  If its very recent, then I have a new bag about to be opened in the next couple of days so I'll have a sniff and observe (although I don't wet it so I can't help there) but if you're talking over a long period of time, I've only been using the lamb a few months so can't help there!

Cynic that I am me wonders if the fact that JWB has been taken over by pedigree meands there has been a change in the formulation?

Surely not ;) :D

I think I bought it about 6 week's ago.  I am convinced that something is different - his skin also appears to be a little irritated - he never scratches normally.  My Burn's samples have arrived now.  Going to experiment with one side of bowl normal feed and a few new kibbles on the other side to see which he prefers. Another question though, my boy is approx 9 kg and I have been feeding him probably a bit less than 200 g JWB each day - he's a lovely size.  The Burns leaflet says that I should feed 100 gms each day.  That seems a really small amount.  What do you think?  I was thinking that over a week or so I will change over and go for an imbetween amount and see whether he looks OK on it.  I can't understand why the amounts would be so different, there is less protein in the Burns but more oil.

You do not say what variety you are feeding your dog however JWB does include linseed in its products which can lead to itchiness.

Most Burns varieties if I remember correctly do not contain linseed or potato protein.

Oil, moisture etc will all have a bearing on how much to feed.  Remember oil is calorifically dense therefore logically you should feed less if you do not want an overweight pet!

Protein levels - as they are both dry they both probably have a moisture content around the same eg 9 - 10% if they do not then remember you have to do a calculation first before making a comparison.

JWB contains fillers such as SBP which will affect quantities fed; I think only one of the Burns varieties contains this.

Tohme....please share....which variety of Burns is it??
Jo
:)

canine active and extra contain SBP the former also contains linseed.  The other varieties are linseed and SBP free

Dammit, and I switched to JWB for my itchy dog!

I can't get Burns in my area and Naturediet had too runny after effects.

Back to the drawing board!

I have been feeding him adult maintenance lamb and rice.  Tohme, so please, what would you do if you have been feeding approx 200g each day (JWB packet guidance is 225g each day) and want to switch to Burns with a packet guidance of 100g per day.  How much would you start with?

Jessthepest - you can get Burns on mail order.

Tried the Burns fish and lamb, the lamb is the favorite. Had some fun doing the experiments.  Putting 3 pieces of kibble down in different orders and the Burns lamb won everytime.  Switching gradually is going to be hard.  He's leaving all the JWB kibble and eating the Burns.

Hi Scattergood, I've considered that, but you need to be an organised kind of person to buy dog food on mail order !!  I would constantly be running out and having to wait for more to be delivered and having to feed something else in the meantime, messing up any good work I had done by feeding Burns and messing about with her digestion.  I'm going to try and remember to ask in my local pet shops if they would consider ordering it in for me, or looking about in pet shops near to my relatives but even then, it puts the responsbility on them to remember to buy it and to bring it to me so at the moment, I'm thinking of Burns as a non-option temporarily!

Jessthepest,

Another option would be to ring Burns and ask for the names of any stockists in your area and the areas nearest you, that way you can decide who is closest and if its feasible to collect it regularly. (A stockist in your next county could be closer than one in your own county ;) )

Good luck - it's excellent food.

Dill

I think i might - Millie won another sample of Burns at a show today so we now have 3 samples in the cupboard and I think someone's trying to tell me something!

LOL, I emailed Burns yesterday with my questions about local stockists - today the postman knocks on the door with ANOTHER 2 samples!!!!  Waaaaaaaaaaah, Mr Burns is trying to take over my life!

i was only chatting recently about this ..yes I think it's different when it'soaked it just falls apart and smells quite bland ..a few dog people i know have noticed it as well

Re JWB. The lamb and rice which I used to feed my dogs-don't any more-has lost its blue sticker which said something like 'with fresh lamb'. To me that means they are using different ingredients.That is my polite way of saying cheaper. If they are doing that to the lamb and rice I'm sure they are doing it to their other varieties. Just a thought.
A few of my friends who also used to use their food tackled them at Crufts about it and got a load of  waffle.

Ah, interesting, hadn't noticed that the blue sticker had disappeared.  Glad that I'm not just imagining it.  It is really irritating how they feel they can just change the ingredients without people noticing. 

Don't know if this helps or not Scattergood, but at Leeds ch. show I was told that JWB HAS changed its ingredients. BUT. It wasn't by the JWB stand, it was another dog food company.
My youngster can't tolerate JWB at the best of times and yet her mum has eaten it for years with no bother. Youngest does have a very sensitive tum though.

Well we've changed to Burns now and he loves the taste - poos are not yet quite as firm as they should be but at least he's not walking away from the food.  Both me and my OH have also that he is less hyper.  I thought he was going through the Kevin stage but it appears to have been the food.

Strange I feed all mine on JWB they used to love it. All of a sudden wouldnt touch it changed to Autarky they love it and poo less..

I have only just changed my labs food from pedigree to jwb, so i can not comment on a change in the food, now I am beginnig to think maybe i should try burns, may get in touch with them for a sample.
carol

Funnily enough I have been researching on google tonight for JWB and other than the JWB site (of course!)  all photos of JWB show the bags with the blue sticker on, which I agree, is no longer there although none that I found were big enough to zoom in and see what the blue sticker said!

Leomad, that's exactly the problem I had.  One minute he loved it then I got a new bag and I got that look "what the hell is this you're trying to feed me".

Hi Scattergood Maybe they changed the recipe mine never used to come up for air. If one had turned their nose up I wouldnt have noticed, but all three, thought it might have been a bad bag but tried another.. They wouldnt touch it.... Fussy Beggers...

I always used James Wellbeloved and have noticed a difference too, I e-mailed them and this was their reply:-

Dear Sharon

Thank you for your email.

With regards to your email, no we haven't changed anything in the lamb and rice kibble. The ingredients and production methods are still the same.
Although we use the same ingredients, we can not guarantee that each bach is going to turn out exactly the same, they can vary in texture and smell.

If we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Regards
Hayley Jones
Customer Services
Nutritional Advisor

01935 601945
HJones@crownpetfoods.co.uk

I belive that JWB wAS taken over by Royal Cannin Two years ago who in turn have Now have been taken over by Peddigree . Whilst The ingredents may be the same, its possible that the food is now being produced  using  one of Pedigree
extruder plants that may   make a differance   sort of like for example dose food taste better from a microwave or an old style oven.ones fast and convenient the other slow and relible.AT 

Try explaining that to my mini schnauzer.... :)

no need its seems he has worked it out for himself , Smart Dog -FOR JWB Now read Peddigree 

Hi, Ive got a little mini schnauzer that was very fussy and a horrable tummy, she has now been on Oscar's Gluton free diet for 5 weeks and has been fine. They deliver to your door but sent a nutritionalist out first to discusse my dogs problems and decided which kind of diet she needs. The site is www.oscars.co.uk if you or anybody else fancy's taking a look.