Bil-Jac

I'm surprised by how many positive reviews there are for this product. Bil- Jac has got to be the king of marketing, because somehow, they've convinced you all that stuff that would NEVER be tolerated in any other "premium" brand are perfectly good, nutritious ingredients.

The whole "Ten Pounds of Fresh Chicken used to make every Fifteen Pound Bag" campaign is seriously misleading. So, they expect you to believe that all but five pounds of that bag is chicken?
Fresh chicken is a high-moisture food, at about 75% water content. Dry dog food has a 10% water content. So, when that chicken is cooked and dehydrated to make the dry kibble, it's reduced in quantity by about 65% on average. Suffice it to say, you aren't feeding your dog as much meat as you think you are.

Another thing that Bil-Jac does is claim that their by-product meals are "organ meat only". So what? By-products ARE organ meats, regardless of what brand you buy. The problem with by-products is that they're going be skin, intestines, and other less nutritious organs. I would much rather see liver or heart in my dog's food.

If you're okay with by-products in your dog's food, we'll just have to agree to disagree. But please don't fool yourself into thinking that Bil-Jac's by-products are better than Purina's, or Iam's.



Bil-Jac disagrees with the well-known theory that corn is bad for dogs. In fact, they go so far as to say that using corn is better than using rice. They put together a nice little page on why:

http://www.bil-jac.com/_extras/corn.php

Now, that all looks great on paper, but how does it work out in real life?


"Corn has the highest total antioxidant activity (more than double) compared to rice, wheat, or oats. It also contains a higher amount of antioxidants than many fruits or vegetables. (Cornell University)

"Slow cooking corn releases up to 900% more antioxidants. (Cornell University)"

I'm actually a little more comfortable with the inclusion of corn in pet food knowing this. However, while antioxidants are important, that seems to be their only valid reason for putting corn-meal so high on the list. If corn had any other nutritional benefit for dogs over rice, oats, barley, etc,
I'd love to hear about it!

Don't think I'm just passing this off because I'm some anti-corn monster. I just understand that other carbohydrate sources have their own benefits, and I'm not going to jump on some corn bandwagon just because corn has us beat with antioxidants.

"Finely ground corn (corn meal) is 99% digestible for dogs. (University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover)".

But, are they ABSORBING 99% of corn? Honestly, I'm a bit confused about what they mean, exactly, but I can guarantee you that if you feed your dog 10lbs of cooked, dried corn over the course of a week, he'll produce more than 0.1lb of feces.


If corn and by-products don't bother you, just Google "Menadione sodium bisulfate complex", and "BHA". THEN tell me you think Bil-Jac loves your dog.

All the by products and ground corn. This is not good food. I also think it is funny when you talk to a rep they think that by slow cooking the product it makes it better. How will slow cooking turn low quality product into good food. This is just a scam. Buy anything and it will be better then this stuff. I won a bag at a dog show once and none of my dogs would eat it. that is when i looked into it and saw how poor it was.

Have you ever considered how your dog food is manufactured, and WHO actually makes it?

The vast majority of dry dog foods are manufactured through a 60-year-old technology called extrusion. High heat, high humidity and high pressure are used to flash cook (in seconds) POWDERED (not fresh) ingredients, resulting in hard, dense kibble that's not very palatable and hard to digest. Nothing is cooked separately in this process. Everything's prepared all at once. If your dog's food is hard kibble, it's extruded. Everything at Petsmart and PETCO is extruded, with the exception of Bil Jac.

Amino acids are very heat sensitive, and are damaged, if not destroyed by the extrusion process. Complex carbohydrates are not broken down during extrusion, resulting in symptoms that many pet owners wrongly attribute to grain allergies. Dogs simply cannot digest complex carbs, and problems often result. To top it off, extruded food is not fresh, desirable food. It's overcooked, dried out food.

WHO makes your dog food? Most likely Mars, Menu Foods or Diamond. These companies make most of the world's dry dog food. Virtually every well-known label is made by SOMEONE ELSE. The problem? No quality control, meaning safety problems, leading to recalls. And sick, sometimes dying pets.

The massive 2007 recall of pet foods containing fillers tainted with melanine (a toxic derivative of coal) resulted in the deaths of hundreds of pets, and thousands becoming seriously ill. Does anyone recall Diamond's response? They "tested" their tainted food on dozens of dogs and cats. All became seriously ill, and most died.

Diamond manufactures food for dozens of labels, including Taste of the Wild, a popular "high end" brand. Do you want to feed food manufactured by people who kill dogs and cats in an attempt to protect their bottom line?

So, let's see: Complex carbs that can give my dog problems, no fresh ingredients, overcooked food with compromised nutritional values, lower palatability, recalls and safety issues - and oh, did I forget? NOT ENOUGH MEAT. Extruder machines don't work properly with high percentages of meat, so your food falls short of the 60 to 80 percent meat that dogs need in their diet.

BIL JAC is 66 2/3% fresh chicken. Good thing, check. Bil Jac is made through a dehydration process, resulting in FRESH, nutrient-dense food with intact amino acids. Good thing, check. Bil Jac contains organ meat (the law requires organ meat to be listed as a "by-product"), providing your dog with optimum nutrition and the amino acid arginine, which boosts a dog's immune system, helping to keep your pet healthy. Good thing, check. Bil Jac contains top quality corn, cooked SEPARATELY for 40 minutes, at a low temperate - releasing a ton of antioxidants for your dog and breaking down complex carbohydrates, creating an easy to digest simple starch and a great source of energy. Good thing, check. Bil Jac has been making their own dog food for 63 years and has NEVER HAD A RECALL. GREAT THING, CHECK!

So, let's see: No complex carbs, fresh ingrediets, properly prepared and easy to digest food, with meat content that actually meets a dog's nutritional needs. What's there not to love?

Bil Jac is based on SCIENCE, on creating a well balanced, optimum diet for your dog. Most dog foods aren't, and those that seem to be fall short because of their inferior manufacturing process.

Bil Jac, with its high percentage of meat protein, has added years to my Rottweiler's life. If I'd kept him on Blue Buffalo he'd have been gone years ago. We all know there are health benefits to eating well, and Bil Jac, with excellent, properly prepared ingredients, trumps all other dog foods in every area. Give it a try - for most dogs, it's the healthiest and tastiest dry dog food you could ever feed.

For you NO CORN NO WHEAT NO SOY fanatics: Do some research, please! Educate yourselves. Dogs are not total carnivores. They should have 60 to 80 percent meat in their diet, and they do need a source of simple carbohydrates, for energy. Bil Jac provides both, while extruded dog foods provide neither. It's NOT grain that causes problems for some dogs, it's the manufacturing process (extrusion) which fails to break down complex carbohydrates.

This is the science of the issue, and I hope it's been helpful for you.

I have been feeding my new maltipoo puppy and my other two chow mix Bil-jac now for 3 weeks and my maltipoo have just gotten worse on scratching,licking and biting herself. They all love the food ,but they drink alot of water now and pooping alot too. I know my maltipoo seem to have food allergies, but I have tried everything and she won't touch it. My chow mixes was on purina one and beneful mix for many years and they did pretty good, except for the red paws and ear infections. Vet said it was seasonal allergies, but I think it was food allergies. My female chow suffered from an inner earinfection one night and had now balance for a week. took her to the ER and they had no explination on why?. Now I think it was the purina one and beneful they were on. I have tried nature's recipe, natural balance L.I.D,avoderm,FROMM surf & turf, and my maltipoo won't eat it. I read about Taste of the wild grain free, but it's made by Diamond company that had a lot of recalls and don't trust the company. Is there anyone who knows what food to try for my maltipoo with allergies. I think it's the chicken or the corn. She was on IAMS from the breeder and she had almost no tearing and now she have alot of redness around her eyes.

We had all three of our dogs on Bil-Jac Select. It was getting too expensive. SO we switched the Great Dane (3.5) and the Beagle (15) to a mix with Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice. We thought it was a good product and were trying to save some money. Within 3 weeks of opening the bag of Diamond, our HEALTHY Great Dane has died and our Beagle has started having seizures. Our 3rd dog who was only getting the Bil-Jac is still doing just fine. I can't for sure say that it was the other food that caused these problems, although the vet sure seems to think so. We switched the Beagle back to Bil-Jac right away and he seems to be doing a little better. I would give anything to get my Great Dane back. Screw saving $30 on a cheaper bag of food. We lost our beloved family member and spent over $1200 in vet bills (so far). I can only kick myself and be angry with myself for switching. They were doing so great on Bil-Jac. We will NEVER feed anything else again.

I used to give Science Diet to my dogs but they began to refuse it so I tried Bil Jac. They both love it and have never had any ill effects from it. My Yorkie is quite tiny and the little kibbles suit him just fine. My other dog is very, very picky but she likes her Bil-Jac. I do worry about giving them the best but after reading lots and lots of reviews on just about every dog food I've decided that Bil-Jac is a good reliable food.

WE have 2 chihuahuas and one chihuahua/bosten terrier mix. We had much trouble with sensitive stomachs and many vet bills dealing with the sensitive stomachs. I ran into a sample of Bil-Jac at the pet store. We tried it and our little dogs (3 , 4 , and 7 pounds) love it and have done very well on it for the past 2 years. Its easier to chew ( we have one with sensitive teeth) and yet it provides a good crunch. They have been very healthy with no vet bills other than well check and shots since we have been feeding this pellet type food. Thanks.

While I did recently find out that Bil-Jac is a 1-star food, I've learned to take reviews, even on big name websites, with a grain of salt. Even all of the 6-star foods have major complaints in them about SOMETHING wrong in the food. My two dogs were on Bil-Jac and their digestion and coats have definitely improved.
Recently, I adopted a puppy from the shelter and I decided I would feed him Nutro, because I've never had a dog not like it and as a previous promoter at Petland for it, I felt very safe. Not only that, but online it also had a 4-star rating. My new puppy won't touch the stuff. He refuses 3 other foods that I've bought him, only eating when he's starving and even then, not finishing his bowls. However, he steals the Bil-Jac from my other dog's dishes whenever he gets the chance. I figured after 2 1/2 weeks of this run around that he's telling me what he wants. He sits there and eats all of his bowl of Bil-Jac each time I set it down. It's still beneficial to him and while there is no 'one food' for every dog, he's definitely chosen Bil-Jac.
If when he gets older he still refuses my preferred brand, I won't be opposed to feeding him Bil-Jac. I was always most worried about fillers in the foods, and it has none in it, so if he's happy and eating, I'm fine.
Sometimes your dogs can tell you things that reviews can't, and while it's important to research your foods (for you AND your canine companions) sometimes you just have to listen to the desires of who will be eating the food.

On another note, typically I have the stance of "If the dog won't initially eat it, leave it there for three days and the dog will start eating eventually." But with how scarcely my dog touched his food, I felt he wasn't getting the proper nutrition or amount of food, and as a puppy, there's no way I could starve him. We'll see if I'm a softie when he gets older, but for now, I'm happy with Bil-Jac.

we recently rescued my two year old boxer who was extremely skinny when we got her. We tried numerous dog foods and she would snub her nose up to all of them and would not eat. we heard about bil jac and bought the frozen food and the rest is history... she has gained weight and looks healthier than ever!!!

My dogs were on a premium dog food, when I heard Bil-Jac had a food. It was not available in the store I frequented.
I knew about Bil-Jac from the dog shows, so decided to try it. I DID switch right over, and had no diarrhea! I also am using the 1/3 less, and my dogs are doing great on it!
I was impressed by the fact the main ingredients are Chicken and Chicken organs, and that it is slowly cooked to preserve the heat sensitive nutrients.
I also heard that it is manufactured only two hours after the chickens are "dispatched", because their plant is so close to the Tyson and Purdue plants.
I also knew, from the dog shows, that is it produced by a single family, and not a corporate conglomerate, like so many other foods.
The peoples names are Kelly, and Bill and Jack were/are two of the sons.
I am very pleased with how my dogs are doing on it, and seem to like it even more than the previous food. Also, all the ingredients are from here in the US, which means they are fresher as well.
It says to have water available, but I have always put some water on my dogs' food, and still have done so with this.
I am extremely pleased with this product, the stools are great, (small, firm, and dark, which means the food is being well absorbed by the dogs system, and that it surprisingly doesn't smell as bad as it used to, when I pick up the yard!)
Count me a fan of Bil-Jac!

It stinks!

This links says it all...BTW, the "great" Bil-Crap got a 1-Star rating. Count em'...1...the lowest rating!

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/sho wproduct.php?product=73&cat=all

Bil-Jac has never been recalled and for people that truly love their pets that should be extremely important when chosing a brand of dog food to feed. I feed Bil-Jac to all of my dogs and that is a lot of dogs ! I have many rescues mixed and purebred a like. I also breed chihuahuas. I have never had any problems with Bil-Jac and it does give them a shinny show coat as well as make them healthier in general. If you were to see the difference in my adult dogs that have eaten Bil-Jac their whole lives compared to dogs I have bought as adults that were on other foods you would be shocked ! Their coats are so much better. Their skin is so much healthier. My German Shepherd has a fantastic coat thanks to Bil-Jac and when I got her she was in horrible condition. Many dogs I got as adults had dry flaky skin and hot spots until they ate Bil-Jac. It does give them very hard stool which is a good thing and makes it easier to clean up if there is any accidents. Most of my clients that switch to other foods end up with their dog having health problems. Bald spots and dry skin are just a couple of things that usually happen. My dogs all have extreme muscle tone yes from eating Bil-Jac ! A lot of people down Bil-Jac for having chicken organ meat and for not deboning their chicken but bones and organs supply nutrients (calcium and amino acids) your dog needs from their food. The people dowing those ingredients are people that promote brands of dog foods that have been recalled. It is true Vets do not always know what food is best and usually recommend some really bad foods. Most Vets also give vaccines with leptospirosis in them to toy breeds of dog knowing it can cause an allergic reaction and kill them. Some of them want your dog to get sick because then they make more money. Just as recently as even late 2009 many pet foods that were recalled in 2007 have been killing pets again. I lost a dog to expensive tainted food and have fed Bil-Jac ever since then. Well guess what ? I have not ever lost a dog to tainted dog food since I switched to Bil-Jac so it is not just about ingredients is it ? It's about being able to trust the company that makes your dog's food. If another brand of food claims to have better ingredients and has been recalled then the ingredients in their food don't really matter. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that chicken meal and fresh chicken meat are two different things entirely. Chicken meal is rendered and for those of you out there that think it is better than fresh chicken well rendered means it is cooked in very high heat which destroys protiens and amino acids. Once they are destroyed the body can no longer put them to any good use. So if a bag of food says 26 percent protien and the main ingredient is chicken meal well there is no real guarantee that all of the protien in that chicken meal has not been destroyed and therefore can not be used by your dogs body. This statement is not just an opinion it is a well known scientific fact that cooking food in very high heat destroys many nutrients in the food. My dogs have extreme muscle tone because of the fresh high quality protiens that Bil-Jac contains. Every dog I have ever gotten that has been on other food puts more muscle on eating Bil-Jac and if the protein was inferior well that just would not be the case. I don't have all the time in the world to sit around and argue about dog food but I will give my opionion that I have gathered from experience and scientific facts. You know what I love about Bil-Jac ? I love that my dogs are still alive and living well ! I love that I will never again have to worry about any of them dying because of the food I fed to them. I do think that any person out there that feeds a dog food brand that has been recalled is not the brightest light bulb in the pack =] Don't take it personally ! The truth hurts and that is why people get so mad about what I have to say. If they could see past the anger and actually took the time to read only the facts they would know for a fact I am right. Another thing is dogs are not omnivores so all these hollistic/natural foods with loads of grains fruits and vegtables are not what a dog should be eating. That kind of food would be good for a fennec fox not a dog. Maybe a dog like a Cavalier might do better on a food like that because they are at high risk for heart disease. In humans heart disease has been proven to be reversed by a vegetarian diet. As far as allergies well a dog can be allergic to anything beef corn,chicken,grass,carpet,antibiotics and yes even people ! So the food you choose might also depend on what allergies your dog may have. Since Blue Buffalo people have decided to try to pick on me for no good reason I decided to add some things about their food as well. What good do LifeSource bits do if your dog wont eat them ? A lot of people have that problem and that means your dog is not getting all the nutrients that they need from their dog food. Also what if a dog ate way too many of them ? Too much of a so called good thing can still be detrimental to your dogs health. The higher than normal to lethal levels of zinc in Nutro food has already proven that for a fact. If you read the Blue Buffalo reviews you can see that their food is for a fact lesser quality sad but true. One lady had her dog on the food for at least a month and it still had diarrhea. When you start a dog on Bil-Jac you do not mix it with the other lesser quality food they have been eating because that only causes and pro-longs severe diarrhea because the other food you are mixing in is made in a completely different way that makes it of lesser quality. I know this from experience. Any dog I have got that has been on other dog foods has litterally recovered switching over straight to Bil-Jac in a matter of days if it even took that long. They also eat the food on their own in a matter of days because Bil-Jac is mostly chicken. Instead of weeks and weeks of mixing in chicken in the hopes that they will eat the food. Bil-Jac has a patent on how they make their dog food. That means no other dog food in the world is made this special way which preserves nutrients. Yes they have control over the way their food is made. They aren't sell outs like Blue Buffalo that pay other people to make their food and then turn around to point the finger blaming them when it gets recalled. If they can't even be honest with the world about where it is their food is made after it needing to be recalled then they are not a trust worthy company. http://www.itchmo.com/where-is-blue-buffalos-food-really-made-521 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2008032 9210604AAYKRuE
I personally will never ever trust a dog food company that has had to recall food because if they were such a great company then they would have never had to so. All of these other companies hate Bil-Jac and are just jealous that they were not a part of the recalls. They were picky about what goes into their food before the recalls and that is why they were not involved in them. They are just as picky now if not more picky. Even their peanut butter treats have never used recalled peanut butter because they care about the quality of their products not money.Futhermore all of these people saying bad things about BHA need to realize the foods they feed Blue Buffalo and Nutro both contain fish meal which is preserved with ethoxyquin. Which is so bad that it is banned from use in foods fit for human consumption. Even BHA is allowed and widely used in foods fit for human consumption. Read about ethoxyquin and fish meal here http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#commercial Don't come try to argue with me about the ingredients of my dog food when you obviously don't even know the ingredients of your own dog food as well as you think you do. Ethoxyquin is not used in human grade foods. BHA is used in human grade foods. Do your own research soley based on the facts and if a brand of pet food has been recalled. If it has 148 pages of almost nothing but complaints. If the company is currently being sued for being proven to have killed pets recently well then obviously it is not a good food to feed your pet. If you still decide to feed your pet a food that has been recalled please remember you are putting your pet's life at risk. I have more personal stories from my experiences with Bil-Jac at my website on the puppy page. www.littlechihuahuas.com

This is the key ingredient list for Select Adult copied directly from the Bil-Jac website today. I order my food directly from Bil-Jac to my door and the bag has the same list on it.

KEY INGREDIENTS:

Chicken, Chicken By-Products (organs only, source of arginine), Corn Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Brewers Dried Yeast, Oatmeal and Flaxseed

Bil-Jac is so amazing, at first I used another brand, but when my friend told me all the great advantages of feeding this to my babies, I became curious. I was a little scared to switch their food at first because I had used the same brand forever. Then you have to worry about how the dogs stomach is going to react or if its gonna do them good or bad so alot fo thought went into switching over. Then I went over to to breeder friends house for the first time to get a baby and when I saw how amazing my friends dogs were I had to try it. Their coats were perfect and so silky soft, and not to mention their weight looked great. Not too fat or not too thin. When I tried it my babies ate it all so fast. I was so glad they loved it, and I didn't have any trouble with their tummys getting upset or anything. And now all I feed all my babies is Bil-Jac, I will never change their food ever again. Their is no reason when I finally found the most perfect brand, and they love it every time. They look amazing, they have the softest coats anyone has ever seen. I get so many comments on them anywhere I go. And not to mention they are in perfect health. I recommend this to anyone and everyone!! My vet even recommends it now, thanks to the perfect condition my babies are in. This food is also great because it has never been recalled. Unlike other brands to where thats all you hear about you can trust the makes of Bil-Jac. I really liked that about Bil-Jac, everything that is put into Bil-Jac is all healthy for your baby to eat. None of that extra crap they throw in their. And they put a lot of care into making it. I completely recommend it to everyone!!

3 dogs 3 Bil-Jac lovers.

We have a Boxer mix and a Boston Terror, I mean Terrier! We bought our first bag of Bil-Jac after meeting a Bil-Jac rep at our local Petsmart.

They went crazy. We then decided to buy a bag of the frozen Bil-Jac and add a bit of that to the dry food. Oh my gosh, they went crazy and now all I have to say is "Bil-Jac", pull out the bag from the fridge, and they both go wild. The Boston stands up and dances and will not relent until I place her bowl on the floor.

Needless to say, the food is demolished in a matter of a minute.

We will continue to buy ONLY Bil-Jac.

Thanks for a great product.

Sincerely,

Mike and Heather Redden
Lawrenceville, GA

My dog was such a picky eater. We switched (from another high-end dog food) after she simply wouldn't finish her meals. We even tried mixing in leftovers, and this got very tiring. However, she always finishes her Biljac food, even seems excited to eat in the morning! Now I don't have to worry about her getting enough to eat. I haven't had to take her to the vet for anything other than routine checkups, and I think her healthy diet has a lot to do with this. I don't make a whole lot of money, but nutrition is an investment in my dog's lifespan, which I'm willing to shell out for. Thank you, Bil-Jac!!! My Lucy is a year old lab mix from the pound, and she is rambunctious as ever.

After reading about all the by products and food content in this product I wouldn't even consider it for my dogs. My dogs live on a diet of Steak alternated every other day with chicken plus Vitamins as a supplement. My female Pit is 18 years old and still going strong. We have recently aodpted a new Dog from the ASPCA, it was an abused dog and extremely thin. Since home and on this diet of steak and chicken he has gained 20 lbs and most of it in the form of muscle. Most kennels who breed dogs for strength will advise a diet of raw beef for added muscle, it works!

I hope all of you who are complaining about preservatives in dog food are fanatical organic food eaters. Because YOU are getting hundreds of times more chemicals in YOUR food than dogs get in theirs. For those companies which say there are no preservatives in their food, is that bag of food still "fresh" and healthy after sitting around in warehouses, in stores and in your house for 6 months? Not sure I can swallow THAT one! Most of you who eat popcorn probably eat microwave popcorn. I have never had a dog yet who would touch the stuff!! Yet cook up a fresh pot on the stove and they love it. Any decent vet will tell you NEVER to make a sudden switch in dog-food (unless it is life threatening to continue with the present food) but to gradually introduce the new food so that your pet can adjust to it. Like you, if you ate a diet solely comprised of fish, then started to eat steak, you would probably have an upset stomach. I hope all of you are making an equal fuss about the anti-biotics and growth hormones given to the animals that YOU consume!!!

Some formulas look better then others but most contain by-products and corn and glueten. Something I would stay away from.

Bil-Jac

Is well balanced and highly nutritious and easily digestible.

Organ meat and Chicken are the first ingredients and the cooking process is unique and yes it does make a difference. The corn in Bil-Jac is not your typical kernal corn that is hard to digest etc... It is finely milled and cooked at a slow even temp. Infact the meat and starches are cooked separately for proper starch conversion and digestion.

They have never been apart of a Dog Food re-call ever!
Made in the USA and produced here!
They do no commercials and use word of mouth
The food is cooked slowly to protect the quality and vitamins, amino acids etc....

Plain and Simple this is a very good dog food. Your dog may need something else but it does not change fact that this is good food.

I can't understand why some people keep saying and or writing that Bil-jac has nasty by products? That is not true. The use fresh Chicken and Organ meat only as their first two ingredients. Also, other by products are not necessarily bad for your dog and if used they are clean and still have nutrition. It's just that Organs are the most nutritious for all dogs, wolves, tigers etc.... This is true all you have to do is watch the animal planet.

For the required standards of " regular by products" please check what that means and you will find it's not he ugly stuff you think. All parts of a chiken or other animal can be used! Even the Wolf shakes the stomache of it's kill before it eats it to empty the content. Nature is amazing.

Lets not forget that Dogs, Bears and other mamals are also scavengers and will eat a lot of junk even in the wild. So use alittle common sense when feeding your animals and realize there is no such thing as absolutely the right way. WE all like alittle junk and we all scavenge a little.

AS for the preservatives there is too much hysteria out there about BHT etc... It's in our food and there is no evidence that it kills anyone at all or gives you disease. It migh if you ate it in huge doeses every day of your life. But you would also die if you ate three bottles of Aspirin right? So lets all get real.

Bil Jac is good! and I reccomend it. Visit their website and get the full story so you can understand before you decide.

Some dogs live 14 years on old roy or moist and meaty! while a better quality food is best sometimes junk works.

Don't let these internet blogs and poorly trained, informed etc.. so called nutritionist who only took 80 hours of study scare you into anything. Corn is not horrible it simply depends on how much corn, how is it processed, where did it come from etc... Raw corn obviously is not good so avoid that right!

Be advised that preservatives in Bil Jac and others ae so low that they pose no health threat what so ever and be aware that we eat these same preservatives too.

Good luck searching and finding the right food for you and your dog. Bil-Jac is a good choice and has an excellent track record of sales and quality.

Did you know that many movie and TV Dogs are Bil Jac Dogs? Yep (Universal Studio movies and TV shows )

One popular Bil-Jac Dog is Eddie on Frazier!


Bil-Jac is what my dog chose and they thrive on it so for us it is a perfect fit! They are very healthy dogs too!

Good Luck to all and use your own best judgement. You'll find the right dog food for you and your best friends.

amy

I train dogs for a living, as such I am often hounded by many dog food reps trying to get me to push their brand. I get a lot of free gifts (bribes) like t-shirts, totes and food and treat samples. I keep the shirts and totes, because, hey! a free t-shirt! The food samples I give to friends if they already happen to feed their dog that product. Bil-Jac is the only sample that I will actually give to my dogs. I find the ingredients and cooking process to be pretty decent, not enough to switch from their current brand, but good enough for a change every now and then.
People always want me to tell them that there is one food that is perfect for every dog and that is not true. Some foods are great for some dogs and terrible for others. Do your research and find the brand that is right for your dog. Vets are one resource, but not always the best, take their advice in conjunction with others. Pet nutritionists are another resource, but again, not always the best. I know a lot of pet nutritionists, and most (not all) of them got their training from an 80 hour course, usually sponsered by one brand of food or another. Most do not know more than the average person who has done their research. I do not say this to disparage, but to let you know that you should take their info with a grain of salt. The ingredient list on food is good, but leaves out most of the story.The internet is a terrible place to get information on pet food. It may be convenient, but is full of misinformation and contradictions. If you really want to know about dog food, it is worth it to drop some money on real research based on actual studies.
If you feed your dog this brand or any other brand, and your dog is thriving, stick with what works.

Biljac has gotten an unfairly bad rap.This dog food is better than the critics think it is,and the results speak for themselves.Biljac`s exclusive process makes the difference.It is not hype,or "propaganda".It is based on common sense.The meat portion of the food is processed at temps high enough to kill pathogens but low enough to protect the amino acids,the grain is processed at higher temps to improve its digestibility.This requires cooking the two separately before combining them in the final product.While Biljac does contain the much-maligned CORN,the aforementioned process makes the corn more digestible and also greatly reduces its impact on blood sugar,compared to other dog foods containing corn.Biljac dog food also doesnt use corn as the primary protein source.So again,it doesnt have the same negative effects as corn used in competing foods because the amount of corn is relatively low(the corn content of the senior formula is even lower,being combined with oatmeal)There is also no conclusive data that BHA or sodium propionate is dangerous to adult dogs or puppies,especially at the low levels found in biljac.And the chicken by-products used in bilajc(for the umpteenth time)is composed of organ meat,not guts,heads,beaks or eyeballs.There is alot of misinformation out there about biljac and other brands based on nothing more than assumption and hysteria.My dad has known the kelly brothers for years(thats how i got a job there)and he knows they are producing a good product.So for those wishing to try biljac,feel free to do so.If it doesnt agree with your pet,return it for a refund.

when we first bought our pug puppy at 10 weeks old from a very loving and responsible breeder she had other beautiful dogs around the house too (a doberman,french bulldog,and mama pug,and brother pug). she recommended biljac since that is what all the dogs were eating. so we kept him on biljac with no problems. then i got on the internet just surfing around and came across the top rated dog food site. after reading all the scary things posted by people who recommend holistic and natural dog food,well i had to run out and change my dog to blue buffalo!what a mistake that was, our poor little guy started itching and scratching himself bloody! so then we switched to natural balance duck and potato ,still itching and scratching nonstop,poor guy was miserable! so after taking him to vet for antibiotic and steroid shot to stop the allergic reaction to who knows what is in either or both of these holistic and natural foods and 250$ later,he is back on his biljac,thank you. remember people,dogs arent rating these dogfoods,people are. so just like so many biljac dog parents have commented what works for one dog may not for another. i dont knock you people who feed your dogs natural and holistic dogfood,so dont knock me for feeding my dog a food that doesnt send him into an allergic fit! our pug spins around and dances when he sees me getting ready to put his biljac into his bowl(ceramic,not plastic,of course) just say the word biljac and he perks up,so adorable. so to the people who would say to me that i am so terribly uninformed and cant sleep at night knowing i am feeding my dog biljac,go eat a twinkie and relax!

This is a great food! The previous poster is making assumptions about the ingredient list. I have seen improvements in both my dogs while on this food. The only thing I can say to watch out for is to make sure and feed a bit less that the recommended feeding amounts. The food seems to be very concentrated and therefore you do not to feed as much.
The dogs love it, it is highly digestable, small stools, shiny coats and lots of energy!
My dogs love gizzard, hearts, liver and other meat that I would find distateful. That doesn't mean that it is bad for them!

Why is this food on the premium dog food shelves at so many pet stores?

Bil Jac is HORRIBLE. The propaganda machine behind this food is intense and focused, dispensing misinformation and sleight of hand rather than facts... or better yet, actually providing a GOOD dog food.

Bil Jac SAYS that one of their chicken by-product ingredients is "organ meat only." That is a lie. By-product is by-product is by-product, and it's all waste product unfit for human consumption. If Bil Jac really DID use good, clean organ meats in their formulas, they would list those organs the way other manufacturers do... as "chicken liver, chicken gizzards, chicken kidneys, chicken heart, etc." But they cannot do that, because that would be blatant lying. Chicken by-products are made up of beaks, feet, bones, diseased carcasses, unformed eggs, meat scraps, fat scraps, tumors, blood clots, dirty innards, and assorted other slaughterhouse waste. Period.

Bil Jac SAYS that their food is better because it is EXPANDED rather than baked or extruded. That is a lie. The reality is that cooking is cooking, and if you are making a product with meat, that meat has to be cooked to kill and stave off bacterial growth. It doesn't matter how it's done, it's all cooking, and it all denatures nutrients in the same manner, despite what Bil Jac says.

Bil Jac SAYS that because they use good, whole meat sources, they don't have to add in fat like other companies do. Well, when you are using low quality waste meat and animal scraps, those sources are going to contain much more fat than the good muscle and organ meat used by true premium foods. Chicken by-products are full of chicken skins removed from skinless breasts and thighs for human consumption. Chicken skin is full of fat... that's what makes fried chicken so crispy and delicious. Again, Bil Jac lies.

On top of the lies, they use chemical preservatives that are PROVEN toxins and cancer causing agents. They use cheap fillers. They are one of the few brands using not just one but TWO doses of by-products in many of their formulas. And they also use corn, a cheap filler that is also an allergen for many, many dogs. They then put representatives in the pet stores, spreading the lies and doing little demonstrations, dropping kibbles of the food into water and showing customers how it dissolves, claiming that this means it's a more digestible food than other brands. It's ridiculous, and proves NOTHING.

Bil Jac foods are abysmal. The company is disingenuous. That's all that really needs to be said.

Every dog is different, just like people. Dogs have allergies and preferences just like humans; that being said what is good for one may not be best for another. We see this with dog shampoos all the time.

I have fed my dogs: Hills Science Diet, Nutro, Purina Pro Plan, Benefil, Iams and Pedigree. We have to buy sensitive stomach for our Standard Poodle and Senior for our 5 y/o spayed Boxer (she has a weight problem and is always hungry).

We tried Bil-Jac once, after feeding them (6)- 5 lb bags of frozen my Boxer lost 7 lbs, and she never complained of hunger. Her energy was vastly improved. She began acting like a puppy again. Also our barfing Poodle had no episodes of vomiting and she also had a lot of energy, and I didn't need to feed her as much. What amazed me was that they ARE HAPPIER. They love mealtime now, and play in between meals.

If your dog does not do well on it, please try another brand. I can only speak for my own awesome experiences. I am very happy with the food, and the based on the evidence it is best for my dogs. I drive an hour to my nearest dealer to buy it and it is worth it.
Lori, Indiana Nurse

As a dog trainer and owner, I have read just about every bag to be placed on a shelf at both Petco and Petsmart. And I can tell you several things, not only about Bil-Jac, but any other food you care to name.

Yes. I see how many times the "by-products" are cited here. Did anyone bother to read what was in the parenthesis right behind that? "Organs only". Gibblets. Livers, hearts, gizzards. The parts of the chicken that actually have any nutritional content. People get so caught up in buying things for their dog that sound appetizing to them. Have you ever seen a nature program in your life??? Wild dogs, wolves, all canids capable of bringing down game don't go strip the muscle meet off a leg, or snack on the backstrap. They eat the guts of whatever animal they happen to be taking down. There is no bone meal, there are no hot dog parts. There is no ADDED FAT. Every single kibble food, from Hills, to Solid Gold has fat added to it. In Bil-Jac, the only fat you get is that fat that came off the chicken.

And molasses. Bil-Jac has been using it as a FIBER source, but since so many people (and other food representatives) think of it only as a sweetener (check out all the other premium brands that use beet pulp which has the same function), they've done away with it. Recently, they've changed to use oatmeal and yams for fiber.

Now the corn. If you are so scared of it, and honestly believe that it is an evil, evil thing, that your dogs will eat, and poop, without having gleaned any nutrition or benefit, fine. Or if you believe that corn is the only allergy your dog has (without having done an allergy test), stay in your house and lock your doors. Know why? More dogs have external allergies than food allergies. The result of overbreeding and being in the wrong climate is what is wrong with most peoples' pets. Sun sensitivity, grass and pollen allergies, fabric irritation, chemical reactions with your house cleaners and detergents are more likely to cause your dog to itch uncontrollably, scratch their runny eyes, or make them lose their fur than a food allergy. Your vet can't help you if you won't do an allergy test. All they can do is tell you that "Corn is bad", or "Stay away from this brand". Without an allergy test, you will never know. So many chemicals and grains are used across that board, in all dog foods that it's impossible to figure it out on your own, unless you are willing to make your own dog food.

The difference between holistic and organic.
Organic means certified. It means that the components of your dog food were raised and slaughtered in a certain way. Here's the catch. You can have organic by-products. You can have organic chicken sphincters. You can have organic wheat chaff. Just saying that something is organic does not mean it will necessarily be good for you. That being said, Blue Buffalo and Organix are both sealed with the Blue Ribbon for being organic. I don't have a problem with either, though I've been told by several clients that their dogs don't particularly care for the wellness pieces in Blue.
Holistic is a buzzword. It means the sum of all the parts. We have come to associate it with a full meal, each part to the benefit of the others. As far as nutrition is concerned, it is meaningless. It buys into the consumer mindset of a "balanced diet". Foods such as Ultra and Solid Gold use it. It appeals to a person's sense of what's yummy. "Oh look! It has cranberries and blueberries and sunflower seeds and and lettuce and deboned chicken breasts!". Sure, all of these things might be appealing to your dog to (especially if you have as many hoovers as I do), but are they at all necessary to HIS balanced diet? The next step is Beneful, that likes to tout it's "Human Grade Ingredients". The sad truth? (they really are).

On that note, all I can hope for the people who are outraged by the presence of corn syrup in the treats, is that you put as much effort into examining your own people treats. A cookie is a cookie.

In all, I have been very happy with Bil-Jac. I have twelve pups, ranging from German Shepherds to Pembrokes, and they've all done exceptionally well with it. Shedding is decreased, muscles are lean, attitudes are improved.

For the people who've had negative reactions in their pets, vomiting and the like. I hope you didn't go by the feeding guide. On any premium food, the feeding guide is what is recommended for maybe a starving shelter dog or stray. No healthy animal should eat that much. A client of mine who also feeds Bil-Jac has a 175lb Irish wolfhound rescue who eats maybe six cups a day. My largest German Shepherd who tops out around 130lb, eats only three cups a day. They DO NOT NEED much Bil-Jac.

For the people who are outraged at the BHA or BHT, consider this.... other premium foods that do not have any preservatives, are preserved by the way they are cooked. The heat compression technique used to make a kibble makes a near indigestible food product. Take a handful of whatever kibble you use and put it in a full glass of water, see how long it takes to break down. Heck, go ahead and stir it to speed up the process. You know what happens when you put Bil-Jac in water? It dissolves. It's THAT MUCH easier for your dog to digest (which is part of the reason you feed them less). So go ahead, take your preservative free kibble, I'll feed my dogs something that wasn't meant to last several decades.

It does not matter what the food is, if the dog won't eat it it, it is worthless. Bil Jac is the only brand that I have found that all 5 of my dogs (Great Pyrennes, Hound, Golden Retriever, Spaniel, Beagle) will eat consistently. They seem to be doing well after 2 years on this diet and there have been no unusual problems and no events that my vet attributes to food. My vet does say that getting the dog off people food, which was the only thing they would eat consistently prior to Bil Jac, is definitely a good thing.

Having said that, I am appalled at the ignorance of the "if its not natural don't eat it" group and the lack of common sense (obviously an oxymoron) displayed. One poster in particular, seems to have a thing about propylene glycol. He describes his experience with propylene glycol as an aircraft deicer. Yes, it is used for that purpose, simply because it lowers the freezing point of water (melts ice). It is also used for that purpose in the manufacture of some ice cream brands. This poster also states, with obvious horror dripping from his words, "It has a MSDS published on it", with the unspoken implication that anything that has a MSDS publised on it should never be in dog food. Yes, there is a MSDS published on propylene glycol, but following this string of logic, dogs as well as humans are not long for this world, because good old water, yep, H20, has a MSDS published on it. Check out Chemical Abstract Number 7732-18-5 in an online MSDS search and there it will be. The fact is that an MSDS being available says absolutely nothing about whether a material is inherently hazardous in any way.

I have not checked out this poster's claim as to the applicability of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, but given the logic displayed elsewhere in the posting, I would consider this claim to be highly suspect.

So, folks, get your information from a reliable source and weigh what you find on the scales of logic, reason and knowledge and not knee-jerk hysteria.

I have 12 toy poodles of different ages and this is the only dog food they LOVE. Everyone of them. Also it is a smaller thinner kibble so easier to chew especially great for the tiny dogs. Mine range from 4 -12 lbs. It was recommended by a Scientist doing research on dog food who was buying it for his dog at Petsmart. They have been on this food for years. Their eyes are bright, coats are thick and shiny.

Our vet visits are for example, emergencies like: a. One little guy who was attacked by his mom when very young had brain damage and we almost lost him. The vet said he would never be able to walk straight or to jump up again. Ha! He walks, runs and jumps up on my bed. B. One got hold of a poisoned field mouse (NEVER use mouse poison. I don't but my neighbor did) after a 4,000 vet bill she recovered.The vet said so many pets each week are lost to mouse poisoning. c. One dog got parvo even though she had her shots. That was a 6,000 bill d. a couple keep eating grass and sometimes it goes up their noses from the throat and gets infected. They sneeeze and sneeze and sneeze and usually it comes out enough so i can pull it out. If not, the vet does it. (be careful with grass eating with small dogs) . I never give them rawhide chewies only the soft petite greenies. One nearly choked to death on a rawhide chewy. No balls either as they can choke a dog. Ask Oprah. Other than accidents and emergencies my dogs are healthy. Bil Jac does not make them sick. Sorry, I know this is a little off subject but if it saves one dogs life it will be worth it.

One note. I was out of Bil Jac and purchased another well known brand rather than drive out of the way to get the Bil Jac that day as I didn't feel well. The dogs didnl't like the food and most of the dogs acted kind of funny and had digestive problems and some threw up but one of my dear 3 year old silver boy actually got so sick he died. It was all so quick. The others were OK. Then I found out the food was one that was recalled which had killed many dogs. Bil Jac was not included in that recall. I trust them. I felt so terrible and still miss him so much. I will always drive the extra miles to get the Bil Jac after that.

I have had to buy other foods in a pinch and they are so hard my dogs do not like them and will go hungry. They act like it hurts their little teeth to chew them. Bil Jac is so much easier for them to chew as it crumbles easier and is not so hard. Sometimes I pour a little water over it for variety.

I have tried many of the more expensive canned dog foods off and on but the only one that does not give them "the runs" is science diet.

I personally believe in the grazing system whereas I leave a bowl of fresh bil jac and water available at all times. Once they know food is always available they do not over eat, at least mine don't. Overeating and eating too quickly can cause any dog to throw up. This way they just snack off and on during the day. They never get fat that way UNLess it is a male who has been neutered and a couple of mine have gotten overweight, but only after the surgery not before.

It is extremely rare for any of my dogs to throw up and that has been usually when we have given them table snacks. Their BM's are firm not runny, and remember I have 12 of them! They rarely get constipated either. Our vet visits are very rare. Dogs are healthy.

I highly recommend Bil Jac. I am surprised at the negative reviews. I have had great success with it. I agree with the one person who said how important it is the way the food is cooked and Bil Jac does it right. Please do adequate and complete research before knocking it.

Blessings!

Best food EVER!

We just bought this product tonight recommended by a woman that worked at PET-SMART...BIG MISTAKE.We feed about a cup of it to our Boston Terrier. We even did the test that the woman recommend, by having a bowel of her regular food and a bowl of the the bil jac side by side to see which one she would it. I should have known that with any new smelling food our dog would eat that instead of the regular food she always eats. I have to say that she killed the bowl of food within about a minute or so. However 3-4 hours later she began to THROW IT UP!!!! I AM SO ANGRY after reading the ingredients and finding all of the BY-Products in a "world famous" dog food..WE will NEVER EVER BUY BIJ -JAC or any products from that company again...I don't care if there is a adjustment period. THINK if it this way, if you wanted to become healthier would you eat food that made you throw it back up in the process?

Bil-Jac's frozen dogfood has by-products and corn and molasses and cereal fines??? in the top ingredients listed. I had tried this frozen dog food (before I knew better) and only gave it my pup as a treat to put in her kong toy. She ate the stuff but then later in the night she woke me up hacking and she had thrown it up and continued to cough and hack for a while afterwards. She finally felt better and went back to sleep. The next day I gave her one piece of it and she refused to eat it. Its like she knew this stuff was no good. I just threw it away. I dont even know why I tried the stuff. I have her on Innova large breed puppy now, which she does very well on and has had no issues whatsoever and it certainly has none of those terrible and downright wrong ingredients for a dog in it.

People, please check the label when you are out shopping and read what is in this dog food! Corn in dog food has led to numerous problems with ear infections, digestion problems, hair and skin problems, kidney and liver problems, etc. It also has high fructose corn syrup included? Yikes! Wanna risk all these potential problems with your dog? I don't. He'd never eat this food!

We currently have an 8yr Lab Maxx, 5yr old Pit Linus and 2yr old Pit Theo. My parents also have a 17yr old Beagle, LaVerne. All eat Bil-Jac everyday. All are rescues from our local shelter. I agree that, like people, not all dogs thrive on all foods-regardless of prices, ingredients, or cooking method. Over the years our dogs have come down with all manner of strange ailments and issues requiring vet care. Everytime we are asked by our wholistic, ancupuncturist vet about food, I reply Bil-Jac and he replies that it can't be the food thats the problem....and it never has been! I have used this food to help rehabilitate foster dogs suffering from demodex, of course in conjunction with proper vet care and medication. This food has kept and 8yr old Labrador with knee replacements able to hold his own on our daily walks with the MUCH younger Pit Bulls. Their coats are shiny and smooth. As far as stools go, Maxx gives me 4 well formed nuggets evenly spaced every day since he started on the food 7 years ago. Linus has never had any any digestive issues, other than eating grass! Theo is still a pup by Pit standards and he does have some loose stools here and there, due to the grass and bits of sidewalk concrete he likes to eat NOT his food!!! Bil-Jac is, in my opinion, tops for my dogs. It is properly cooked, uses human grade ingredients that address a dogs natural scavenging diet, and they LOVE it. As far as the preservatives in the food, nothing is perfect. Read the back of the box for everything you fed your jids today...wonder what you are feeding them? I bet there are as many if not More un-pronouncable ingredients in those products than in the dog food. Perspective is easily lost when we discuss a passionate subject as our beloved pets! God Bless all who care enough about the animals to be doing the research to come across this article....

I just purchased Bil-Jac for my German Shepherd Puppy & I was excited to see her finish the entire bowl. Now that looking into this product, and it being highly recommended to me by not only a pet nutritionist, forums, pet & product reviews, and friends who also feed the product to their babies at home, I think I've found it!

50 years in the market NEVER recalled due to imported toxic ingredients. As a Veterinarian with over 20 years experience Bil Jac has my vote. My patients love the treats, they make administering vaccinations and physical exams easier to perform and more enjoyable.

Bil-Jac? Sure, I will give my two cents. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that as someone from within the pet food industry, there is a clear line drawn between natural or holistic foods and other foods.

To begin with, let me say that there are dogs that will do well on any food that a consumer can buy. Bil-Jac, Old Roy, Solid Gold, Eagle Pack or whatever.

There are also dogs that will suffer allergies and severe problems from the very same foods. There really is no "best" or only choice out there. It will depend on the dog and it's the responsibility of each owner to find what is best for their pet based on their research. It's a free market.

Now on to my perspective on Bil-Jac. I would never again buy or feed a product with corn, wheat or say it it. Period. Beyond that, the use of chemical preservatives like BHT is not something I would ever choose. I simply cannot for a moment base my choice on what the current research claims is "safe" and ok. BHT is not a natural preservative, therefore, not an option.

While we are talking about chemicals, by looking at soft treats from Bil-Jac is see Propylene Glycol and High Fructose Corn Syrup. There is no need for these at all nor would I even consider giving these to my pets.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that propylene glycol in or on cat food has not been shown by adequate scientific data to be safe for use. If propylene glycol is used in or on cat food, the food is considered adulterated and in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The feds can tell me that minor consumption wont hurt you but again, it's not natural and I choose to use products I know are natural.

My first experience with propylene glycol was many years ago as a aircraft ground person for a major air carrier. We know propylene glycol as the de-icing fluid we sprayed on the aircraft. It even has a MSDS published on it.

So is this something I want to feed to my pet or recommend to other pet owners. As for me the answer is NO.

An honest wholesome dog food manufactured by a trusted company. Bil-Jac doesn't pander to the "trendy" set. They don't make special recipes to sell more food or keep up with the Joneses. They do what they do best - a chicken-based pelleted kibble. We've been feeding BilJac exclusively for 15 years - puppy, adult maintenance, performance, pregnancy, nursing, geriatric, etc.

i fed my dobie a red meat after she won't eat any keeble (even the 5 star one). That is super expensive. Just stumbled upon this brand during a visit to my vet, it's not the best according to the review on net but there's something magical inside it, that make my dobie devour 1 full bowl within a minute. i even taste it, yup it taste good. btw i've seen mongreal on rice, vegetable and bone diet for the rest of its life, unvaccine. oh ya its in a rural + forest area and still live up to 10+ years and super healthy.

I must say...WOW!!!! After reading this blog, I feel that people are so uninformed, so naive with what they hear in the media. I have studied under one of the top nutritionists in the United States and studied Biology for years. Sometimes I feel as if people who have dogs and write these things are completely clueless and should not even own a pet. I can name several hundred foods that are terrible for your dogs, including one I find very unfavorable, and has been involved in mass amounts of recalls....Starts with an N, ends in ro.
Anyways, NOT ONE person in here has mentioned cooking processes?!?!?!
Try cooking everything you put in your dinner, such as your meat and salad and vegetables, all at one temperature. Tastes a bit funny? Look burned or undercooked? Everything cooks at different temperatures people. Most dog foods actually use the SAME process....that's right the same, just different ingredients, and guess what? It's all cooked together, whether it be a lot of of meat or grains!
Let's see, with the Bil-Jac food, yes you do have chicken by-products, but does anyone ever read the label and notice it says ORGANS ONLY?!?!? How about wolves, which are the ancestors of the dog, what do they eat FIRST??? How about the ORGANS??? In fact, in the wild the only source of natural Vitamin A is in an animal's LIVER!!!! Go figure, a dog wanting liver....hmmm....I wonder why, maybe because nature is telling them that it's important for that Vitamin!!!!
OK and the second meat is CHICKEN, wow a dog eating meat....unheard of! The point to this one is that Bil-Jac uses more meat than any other dog food! Why??? Because they use a different COOKING PROCESS!!!!! Amazing!! Someone figured it out. Any other food still uses the same process and that machine can handle only so much meat before it would fry itself, whereas a vaccuum drying process doesn't intensify the heat! Why's that important? Well I guess something called heat, light, mositure and pressure are very damaging to proteins and vitamins... 2 of these ( temp and pressure) are used in the extruder process. No excessive heat nor pressure preserves the meat proteins, the vitamins and yes even the fat, which is SO important to the health of a dog's skin and coat Natural fat = good Rendered fat = Bad...imagine that....processed fat bad?? Who'da thunk it?
Yes there is corn, but has anyone ever had a kid that couldn't eat corn, but could eat cornbread? Well probably because heat breaks down those hard to digest grain proteins into a simple to digest carbohydrate. Thus, the dog actually uses the corn for energy....NOT protein...which in protein form does cause a lot of allergy problems! Not because of the food, (only 1% of true food allergies are actually allergies) but because of the way the dog process grain protein. A majority of the immune system is in the intestine and if the dog is working hard to fight off bacteria in the intestine, where's the defense for the rest of the body...??? Makes you wonder huh??
Chicken by-product meal, concerns me a bit, however I have done my research and calling around and found that since it is labeled as organs at the top, it should be the same lower, so ground up liver and hearts???? Hmm, maybe to adjust protein levels?? Sounds about right!
Beet pulp, yes is a plant, but it is very high in the necessary B-vitamins a dog needs, so is yeast...hmmm, sounds like the dog might need it. The rest is vitamins, except for those of you who are concerned about the BHA.
Columbia and Washington Universities have done studies on this chemical (keep in mind it is different than BHT and BPA) and have found no evidence for it to be a carcinogen, in fact in very small amounts, which according to the label looks like it, acts as an antioxidant. In other words, helping against cancer.

Also for those miscellaneous posts. If your dog has gas then STOP feeding your dog so much...more meat= better absorbed= dog doesn't need as much= excess is built up and eliminated. Not hurting the dog, just wasting food and causing gas. Secondly, read the label, the Large Breed formula DOES have glucosamine!! Lastly, if you find I'm praising the food too high, then please do more research and go to more than just one place.

Oh and Vets are probably the worst people to ask about nutrition advice, as my grandpa was a vet and my fiancee will be a vet and both have stated that vet programs did not and still don't require more than one nutrition class if any at all! Please, consult a nutritionist please, for your nutritional needs!

Thank you!

What can I say? I'm no expert. the research I have done is as much as i can do with the internet and a little reading. and keeping in mind that 99 percent of the internet is wikipedia style here say and big corporation funded...i ignored it all and simply asked around.

when i asked around, biljac was the clear winner. not the best stuff on the market but in this economy some of the best bag for the buck.

and my dog loves it. and she does not have an odor, puke, have pschotropic episodes or spontaneously combust when she eats it.

have had this dog since she was a pup and at 13 years old i have NEVER seen her (or any other dog her age) bounce around as much as she is now that shes been on biljac. her mood, coat and temperament have increased 10fold.

I cannot and will not speak for others and their experiences with this product, only my own.
I have 2 friends who are vet techs as well as my fiancee (a former tech at a wildlife refuge) who all have recommended this to me seperately. if you need a decent food and you cannot afford the bigger brands try it out. if it doesnt work for you try something else.

I have never smelt such bad odor! I was so excited about taking the Bil-Jac challange. I tried it for the first time today. The dogs loved it but the gas smell! and that was just from one feeding. I did some research and didn't like what I found. I went back to Petsmart and returned the food and treats for a full refund.

This food is a very poor choice of food to feed.

This website will explain everything to you, and help find a suitable food to feed. I wouldn't choose anything below a 4 star. Do look up which products have had a food recall, as that is the only thing the site has neglected to add since the scare.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/sho wproduct.php?product=72&cat=all

I feel so bad for all those out there that are not knowledgeable about what a "good" dog food is and should be. I had a friend that was a firm believer in only giving her dogs the very best food. I don't think she read the label as to what was going into her 4 dogs. You see, I use to have a pug who was exclusively fed Bil Jac. She did well on it and her fur was shiny and she seemed very healthy. Yes, I didn't have to worry about the dog food recall a couple of years back, but in today's society, we are told to read labels.........Bil Jac's first four ingredient is: 1. Chicken By-Products, 2. Chicken, 3. CORN, 4. Chicken By-Product MEAL. Now if you do your research and you want to give you dog the very best food, you will know that you will want to stay away from CORN, WHEAT, By-Products, and SOY. So I have switched back to Blue Buffalo again and am actually looking to switch to Life's Abundance.

So it is all up to the individual as to what they want to buy. I would NOT say by any means that this is the BEST dog food out there on the market. For the price of the dog food there are other dog foods that are better for your companion and this stuff. But don't get me wrong, I use to once in my life think that this was the best food for my pug!

Good luck in finding the dog food that works best for your dog.

Bil-Jac has all sorts of by-products, fillers, and BHA and BHT and other crap in it.
I wouldn't feed it to my dogs if it was life time free supply.
For the same amount of money you are paying for Bil-Jac, you can
get much better quality food that uses no-products, no wheat, corn,
no chemical preservatives!

I feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness, my dogs and I are extremely happy
with it!

Bil-Jac gets a low rating on all of the dog food sites mostly because of BHT a known carcinagen. If they just took this one ingredient out i would actually buy it.

BilJac is an ok food, but the large breed formula lacks things these dogs need in their diet, glucosamine being one. Or Bullmasitff developed a case of mange while on this food, and the vet bills were getting expensive to keep it under control. I am not blaming the food for him getting the mange, becaue he may have a predispotition to it. But when we switched to Eagle Pack Holistic, his mange cleared up. Not only that, but his coat is much softer now. I never thought a dog food would do this.

After all of the negativity that I have been reading about Bil Jac Dog Food and the weight gain on your animals I just felt I had to jump in with my opinion.  First of all, Bil Jac is probably one of the best dog foods available, if not the best.  I raise and show dogs and have done so now for 44 years.  In that time I have had the opportunity to try many dog foods.  I started feeding Bil Jac Fresh Frozen in 1968 and I was getting it delivered to my home.  Bil Jac was on a smaller scale then and I was able to learn a lot from the Kellys themselves right down to the people who made the deliveries. In the eighties I opened a full line pet store along with a grooming shop and sold many different brands of dog foods.  They all had their story about why their's was the best.  In the end my choice was Bil Jac.  When Bil Jac first came out with their dry dog food in the mid eighties I was asked if I would raise two litters of show puppies, one on Bil Jac dry puppy food and the other on another brand of my choice.  Bil Jac provided free dog food to me for my pups for this experiment.  After six months there was a definite difference in my two litters.  The Bil Jac puppies had better bodies (muscle tone and feel) and the Bil Jac pups had gorgeous shiny thick coats.  The other pups were still nice but there was a definite difference.  My preference is still the frozen dog food but for those who prefer a dry dog food I recommend Bil Jac as my first choice in dry kibble.  Don't forget, no one who fed Bil Jac lost a dog during the dog food scare a few years ago.  For the person who is having a problem with weight gain, the answer is simple, cut down on what you are feeding.  I had one dog with an autoimmune disease that went up to 80 pounds (she was 55 pounds at her good weight). She was on prednisone for a year and gained a lot of weight.  I brought her back down to 55 pounds feeding Bil Jac frozen. At seven years old she is still eating Bil Jac frozen and is still 55 pounds. Just reduce what you are feeding.  I feed two times a day, dividing the daily total between two meals.  Look at the bag and feed according to what you should be feeding for the weight you want you dog to be (not the weight she is, or you will just keep her overweight). And use a measuring cup. For those of you concerned about bloat and torsion do this little test.  Drop one piece of Bil Jac dry into water and one piece of another dog food into water.  The Bil Jac will break down and the other one will suck up the water and enlarge.  If your dog drinks water after eating the other type of kibble and the kibble sucks up all that water and enlarges you may very well have a bloat problem.   I am very cautious with this as my breed is prone to bloat and tortion.  So far I have been lucky and have not had a problem with this.  Feeding Bil Jac is just one of the precautions I take in preventing bloat and tortion. Follow this link to find out more about bloat and tortion http://www.kifka.com/Elektrik/Bloat.htm#Condition

My GSD suffered from allergy caused skin problems. She failed to respond to a verity of treatments and numerous changes if dog food. When I finally had the blood tests done to determine what she was allergic to. The problem ingredients were rice, wheat, soy, and barley. She refused to eat the venison & potato food given by the vet. So I turned to Bil Jac Senior based on label ingredients. Many dogs have problems with corn but my dog doesn't. She took to Bil Jac immediately. That was 7 years ago. Her skin problems are now rare and caused by inhaled allergens. I now have a healthy, active 12 year old German Shepherd who will continue eating Bil Jac for life.

Read the label! Know what you dog needs. Chicken organs are the parts of the chicken that wolves will seek out first if eating a chicken. I had no fear when the dog food recall was announced. Bil Jac is made from US raised chicken and US grown oatmeal, beets and corn.

As a trainer of service dogs, all tools are valuable.  One of the best is Bil-Jac Liver treats.  My dogs respond to them better than "People Food" treats like hotdogs or cheese as some trainers suggests.  Besides, "People Food" can create a habit of begging for scraps or eating dropped food, this is an absolute no, no with service dogs.  Beside the great response from the dogs for the Bil-Jac product - it does not seem to create the crap and farts that turn people against service dogs.  So, be kind to us all - treat with Bil-Jac.  By the way, I do not use their food - a whole nother story.