Since it was time to switch my pup to adult food I decided to switch from Hills Science Diet to James Wellbeloved. The package says it is especially suitable for dogs with skin problems.

I am not sure if it is coincidence or not, but this week Abby started to lick herself around her tail more often. Tonight I noticed she seem to have licked so much the hair has come out at the base of her tail and down a bit in a long bare patch. To add to that, her poop has become softer, which I attributed to the switch, even though I have been careful to mix the new food in with the old. She has a very varied diet anyway with little or no problems, so it's strange that switching dog food could have that much of an effect. Makes me think more and more about a BARF diet.

So, I'm off the James Wellbeloved to see if that helps. Has anyone else had problems with this brand?

Stacey

Exactly the same Stacey. I have Rough Collies who had never had skin problems. Some years ago, having used Omega Tasty for 10 years or so, I tried JW because of the quality of the ingredients. After a week I had two with hot spots! I changed back to Omega and the problem was resolved and never recurred.
I've now settled for a combination of Dr Johns and raw - mainly raw but with a couple of days a week on complete, just in case I can't get raw or I'm travelling with my girls.

Thanks, it helps to know others have experienced problems with so-called allergen free food. I have eliminated the James Wellbeloved from her diet and she has stopped itching.

Stacey

Yeh we used it a while back, great coats but did not help with hot spots, mucky sore ears, interdigital cysts etc... tried everything else, all the sensitive ranges and special recipes nothing worked until we fed the BARF route... it worked brilliantly until one of them was a bit loose and I found a one inch plus piece of bone in the mess, what with that scare and problems sourcing meaty bones we went on to NatureDiet which has been brilliant for two of them but the third one again is starting to itch a lot more and we have just this morning come back from the vets after having her itchy smelly left lug hole checked out again... vet suggested JamesWB! It looks like we are again starting down the raw diet route for her... the other two will have to finish off the bulk order of NatureDiet first (12 cases!! Doh) I would seriously consider the BARF route the transformation was amazing, my plan now is lots of Chicken thighs (digesting the smaller bones should not be too much of a problem) and fruit and veg mixes for her to see if we can solve the itchy smelly ears?

Itchy skin at this time of year could be an allergy to pollen. Yesterday at the Windsor show I stopped at Dorset Herbs to buy some Evening Primrose tablets and they have a wonderful pamphlet about dog health. They feed BARF, but even their literature mentions that plant allergens and not diet may be the cause of itching.

Anyway, taking Abby completely off the James Wellbeloved for just 24 hours has stopped her excessive licking below her tail. I'm going to put what's left out for the foxes. Right next to the rabbit hole in my front garden. :-)

Stacey