just got back from my mates, the dog doesnt look that bad. He looks like hes shedding his coat, and the hot spots dont look too bad, really. My mate, quite sensibly, i think, has decided not to buy the vets food but instead is putting him on vitalin sensitive puppy food, which he was on when he first got him at eight weeks. He is going to keep him on this for six weeks to see if he improves, and then start adding different meats to see if it is an allergy. I still think the vet is a greedy robbing b*****d though.