Bil Jac Dog Food Review
November 4, 2008
Filed under Bil Jac, Dog Food Reviews
Bil Jac Dog Food
The Bil-Jac dog food product line is the brainchild of brothers, Bill and Jack Kelly.
Bil-Jac believes in producing the best quality dog food for optimum nutrition and at the same time generates the best-tasting dog food in the market.
Currently, Bil-Jac dry dog food is marketed in three product lines—Sensitive Solutions, Amino Health System, and Immune System Health Formula.
Sensitive Solutions tries to address the unique dietary needs of dogs with sensitive digestive systems, skin, and coat. They achieve this by not using high pressure and high temperature extrusion processing to preserve the quality of the nutrients.
The Amino Health System line includes Select Adult, Reduced Fat, Large Breed Select Adult, and Small Breed Select. This is a premium dog food line that claims to balance the amino acids which are needed by the body. Lysine, leucine, arginine, and methionine are just some of these amino acids which are required but are not sufficiently manufactured by the body, thus needing an external source which can be easily obtained from the diet.
The Immune System Health Formulas are tailored for puppies and senior dogs. These are life stages that need optimum immune support. Bil-Jac answered this need by incorporating the essential amino acids—arginine which an important role in innate and acquired immunity, and methionine which is an important component in the synthesis of antioxidants.
Bil-Jac formulas are primarily based on a high percentage of fresh chicken and fresh chicken organs which are the main sources of protein in the diet. Whitefish is also present in some of their dog food products.
Bil-Jac dog food formulas claim to contain higher quantities of fresh chicken and fresh chicken organ meats compared to other dog food brands. Although high in protein values, these ingredients are still in their raw form thus a large portion of the meat is composed of water which accounts for about 80% of the composition. After processing only a fraction of the fresh meat remains because water is lost.
Bil-Jac also specifies that the chicken by-products that they use are organ meat only and are usually termed as chicken giblets.
No gluten-rich grains or grain protein concentrates are used in the dog food ingredients. Their dog food rations claim to be free from gluten-rich rice, wheat, and exogenous fat sources however there are Bil-Jac formulas which contain corn meal. The manufacturers believe that the absence of any type of grain meal allows optimal digestion and absorption of important nutrients.
Although corn meal is a good source of carbohydrates, it has been linked with food-based allergies in dogs.
Other controversial ingredients include dried beet pulp which is a high-fiber ingredient but is considered by many as an inexpensive dog food filler, and BHA, a synthetic food preservative. Brewer’s dried yeast is rich in protein but critics link yeast to dog allergies.
There is no mention of the addition of probiotics and chelated minerals.
Customer Reviews
Dog owners share different opinions of Bil-Jac dog food formulas.
Although many dog owners report how their dogs seem to do well with Bil-Jac’s formulas, some resent the addition of corn meal as the main source of carbohydrate in the ration. There are also reports of food-based allergies which many dog owners attribute to corn and to a lesser extent, chicken.
Overall, we would not recommend Bil Jac and believe that there are many better dog food brands for your dog.
Please visit the links listed below for Bil Jac dog food reviews by formula.
Have a comment or question about our Bil Jac dog food review? Want to share your experiences with others? We welcome your comments!
Bil Jac Dog Food Review
Bil Jac Dog Food Formulas:
- Bil Jac Select Dog Food
- Bil Jac Reduced Fat Dog Food
- Bil Jac Puppy Dog Food
- Bil Jac Senior Dog Food
- Bil Jac Large Breed Select Dog Food
- Bil Jac Large Breed Puppy Dog Food
Bil Jac Consumer Ratings
| Dog Food | Votes | Consumer Rating | |
| 1 | Bil Jac Dog Food Review | 89 | |
| 2 | Bil Jac Large Breed Select Dog Food | 23 | |
| 3 | Bil Jac Senior Dog Food | 16 | |
| 4 | Bil Jac Select dog food | 34 | |
| 5 | Bil Jac Puppy Dog Food | 23 | |
| 6 | Bil Jac Large Breed Puppy Dog Food | 18 | |
| 7 | Bil Jac Reduced Fat Dog Food | 18 |
I started using Bil-Jac three years ago and I wish I had tried it years ago for my Chocolate Labrador. For years he suffered from bloating. When he would throw up, even hours after eating, it was unchewed puffed up kibble. I tried everything to slow down his eating, but that wasn’t the problem. Kibble is going to expand in the stomach, no matter how fast or slow he eats. Kibble is the problem, especially for dogs that don’t chew.
Once I tried Bil-Jac his coat has improved to the show-coat I have always expected for my champ. No flaky skin at all, like he had with his previous overpriced super-premium food, Acana for large breeds. As usual I believed the by-product horror stories that kept me away from Bil-Jac in the past. Come to find out, the good by-products, organ meat, are just what my dog needed all along. And when you realize the alpha dog of the wild pack gets the choice organ meat, you will come to the same conclusion I did – Bil-Jac feeds your dog like he’s the alpha. That is exactly what I want for my dog.
And since all kibble is made with mostly meat meal for protein, the rendering process is more suspect to me than any by-products that go into premium foods. The thing I realized is all the kibble foods aren’t real food. They are meal based and any “fresh” meat is overcooked and all the fat and flavor cooked away. That’s why you will see on every kibble bag, no matter how premium, added fat and flavors. Kibble isn’t real food, even the natural, organic super-duper premiums.
While I don’t claim Bil-Jac is perfect, it is the best dry dog food I have ever fed my dog. I’ve tried a lot of them and have read, researched, and fed my dog “premium” foods his whole life.
I have nothing to gain from recommending this food. I only offer my experience to those who have struggled with similar issues I had with kibble. I will never feed my dog kibble or any food that is made mostly from meat meal, with fat and flavor added to make it taste like something my dog will tolerate. I also vow to never touch a bag of dog food that uses vegetable protein. Very common in brands that advertise “No By-Products” on the bag. That usually means they are probably putting, less digestible and incomplete amino’s, vegetable protein to substitute for the absence of animal protein.
Hope this helps.
I just started feeding my 4 year old yellow lab mix BilJac dry. He loves it. Since he was a puppy he has been a very fussy eater. We have been through just about every brand of dog food out there. He would eat them, but begrudgingly. Also, he has ALWAYS had horrible gas problems and bad breath. Since starting the BilJac, both of those problems have gone away.
Belive me, I was a skeptic at first….but seeing is believing and I see my dog doing well with this food.
The only negative side effect I see so far is that he seems to have a dry mouth lately. He smacks his chops alot. I’m hoping this doesn’t mean there is too much sugar or salt in the product.
I breed chocolate labs and use Bil-Jac puppy food as the base for the gruel I make to wean the puppies. They adore it! It makes weaning easy, and the puppies thrive on the mixture. In less than a week, I am able to start offering them the food dry, and they are willing to eat it.
I asked the clerk at Petsmart why they only recommend Eukanuba and a few other foods and not Bil-Jac and they couldn’t answer me – although they said that is was a very good food. Could it be because management is instructing them which foods to recommend?
My adult labs love the food, too, and have absolutely no health or digestive problems.
Of course dogs love food like this, just as kids would rather eat from the dessert bar at a restaurant. It is all sweets, carbs, and junk food. Many dogs tolerate it well and may have a better coat due to just a few supplemented ingredients, not because it is balanced nutrition. If you want your dogs to live a longer, healthier life with fewer diseases when they get older, do some basic research based on facts not what some guy say. I recommend going to Petsmart, write down every brand they carry and NEVER feed it to your dog.
Even in veterinary school, proper nutrition is barely covered.
Go to http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com for a great rating of dog foods.
A lot of the crap they put into dog food is to firm up the stool so your dog drops cute little chunks you can pick up. How would you like to be passing hard chunks like this your entire life.
Things that do not belong in dog food are preservatives, corn, gluten, wheat, rice hulls, nut hulls, “meat” (can be anything, even euthanized animals and road kill), grains.
Meat ingredients should be in meal form like chicken or beef meal. Chicken and other whole meats are 80% water so when it is dried the meat content drops significantly. Some of the dog foods would make better pig food. Some I wouldn’t feed to a pig such as Ol Roy.
I have to say there are so many uneducated posters here. Bil Jac in business for over sixty years and never a recall. I have three large breeds, one rottie, one saint and one lab, all who eat bil jac all who are between 6 and 11 years of age all who look and act good. Not all dogs do well on bil jac then again not all dogs do well on innova or wellness. I know people who have medium and large breds feed them pedigree or iams or purina one some do good some get diarrhea? People, do your homework before you put down foods with organ by products. This food is fresh, bag after bag. and it breaks down in water does not absorb and swell. Sure it can be made better, add a small amount of fruits and veggies, maybe turkey meal. One thing i didn’t like is the removal of eggs from the food line. Again do your homework and get educated and stop listening to all the hype.
Bil Jac uses 4 pounds of chicken to make a six pound bag, 20 lbs for a 30 lb bag. That is a lot of chicken. That is a lot of meat protein. Chicken organs? Of course. Ever been to a kosher deli? Chopped liver anyone? How about tongue? Gizzards? Kidneys? All sold by smaller markets. So what exactly is human grade food?
No glutens (veggie proteins) are used in biljac. Nothing from overseas. Biljac makes its own food, does NOT ship out a recipe to some plant in Kansas. In that recall a couple years back, it was 3 plants owned by menu foods that had the problem, yet how many different brands of dogfood were recalled? One company ran those 3 plants, but made dog and cat food for over 20 different labels.
NO sprayed on rendered fat. No dyes. There are many university studies that show well cooked corn is a good nutrient, with many benefits.
Do some research folks, and while you are at it, check the labels of the food you eat, it could be worse than what you feed your dog.
I have to agree with Rocky, there seem to be some really uneducated posters here. Then again, this is the internet, where anonymity draws out the freaks, game players and the simply uninformed. I think most educated adults can detect who to listen to and who to ignore.
I’ve been feeding my 9 year old Rottweiler, 8 year old Lab and 1 1/2 year old Pitt Bull Bil Jac dog food for about a year now. When I was younger I fed my dogs Purina, Iams, etc., simply assuming that since they are national brands, they must be good for my dog. Many health problems and vet bills later, as well as years of knowledge and research, and I know how sadly mistaken I was.
Only two dog foods are made with a process other than extrusion: Bil Jac, which is essentially a raw food that’s been dehydrated; and Avoderm, which is oven baked. Everything else, even the most expensive designer brands, is made through extrusion. Do you know what’s involved with extrusion?
First, meat and meat tissue (as well as by products in many cases) are rendered down to a fine power form. This is done with profit in mind, as the meat meal has a long shelf life. The meal and other ingredients are placed, in very large quantities, into a giant machine called an extruder. The extruder operates at extremely high temperature and pressure, cooking the food in a matter of seconds. The ingredients are reduced to a slurry, then te food actually congeals into little balls and pops, just like popcorn. The result is commercial expanded chuck, or “kibble.” The nutritional value of the food has been severely compromised, and to get dogs to eat it, rendered animal fat is sprayed onto the food.
Sound good? I don’t know how it can!
ALL dry dog foods except Bil Jac and Avoderm are made using this process, and the companies who “make” the food really don’t make it themselves. Someone else does, then it’s packaged under many different brand names.
I don’t know what temperature Avoderm bakes their dog food, and since there isn’t a lot of research to back up whether avocadoes are really good for dogs, I’ve stayed away from it.
Back to Bil Jac: Bil Jac’s meat content simply cannot be beat. Most varieties have a 66 2/3% ration of fresh chicken used to make the bag. Yes, FRESH chicken, used the day the chickens were slaughtered. Chicken meat and chicken organ meat are the primary ingredients. Yes, your dog does need organ meat. It contains arginine, which helps his immune system work well. The carb source is corn, which is cooked separately, for 40 minutes, in order to reduce it to a simple starch your dog can assimilate and use well, without trouble.
Ever thought of a raw food diet? Bil Jac is essentially dehydrated raw food, and it really does provide your dog with the proper balance of nutrition your furry loved one needs for optimum health. My old Rottie has THRIVED on Bil Jac – he looks and acts several years younger now. Ditto with my 8 year old Lab, who looks and acts like she’s 3 or 4 again. My Pitt Bull, always a high energy dog, looks incredible and has boundless energy, even more so than before.
I am totally sold on this food. I’m a pet trainer, and have done countless hours of research on dog foods, as well as spoken with many, MANY dog owners about the foods they use and the results they see. The truth lies in the results, and the comments. Non Bil Jac customers typically will say, “Oh, it works okay,” or, “Oh, he seems to like it. It’s okay.” Bil Jac customers? Their eyes light up, they smile and their comments are SO enthusiastic and excited!
So please, ignore the morons and pay attention to those here who seem to have a clue. Sure, Bil Jac might not be right for everyone, but if you can afford it, give it a try. The chances are very good that your dog will absolutely love Bil Jac and thrive on it, too.
Look whats in this crap.
1.Chicken. You really think they use a lot, don’t believe it believe the reviewer.
2.Chicken By-Products. This is the crap on the floor to include feathers.
3.Corn. Ever see a dog out the fields picking corn. Corn is as bad as it can get for dogs.
4.Chicken By-Product Meal. This is the crap on the floor to include feathers. Can’t get any worse than this, it incudes the beak and bones ground up.
5.Dried Beet Pulp. This is bad, check it out. This is whats left over after they make booze. Bad bad bad
Brewers Dried Yeast. Yeast, maybe but Brewers yeast is just crap
Egg Product, LOL, what a joke, ground up shells.
Paul says:
Bil Jac uses 4 pounds of chicken to make a six pound bag, 20 lbs for a 30 lb bag. I have a bridge I’d like to sell you because anyone who believes this statement is just down right stuuupid.
Jeff S. says:
I am totally sold on this food. I’m a pet trainer, and have done countless hours of research on dog foods, as well as spoken with many,. Your so full of %si! your eyes are brown… Next time you use the word MORON BESURE TO BE LOOKING IN THE MIRROR.
It is very obvious these 2 clowns work for Bil Crap. You 2 show the posters here just how bad it can get at a dog food company. You must have been talked into buying some stock in this company. LOSERS.
Go ahead and posion your dogs, because that is what your doing, feeding this crap to your beloved dog.
I knew my dog has always had a skin allergy problem. I fed my dog natural choice puppy, the threw is upp all the time, switched her to the sensitive skin and stomach, did better on that but her skin was somewhat dry. So, I talked to a BilJac rep while working at petsmart…. He convinced me to switch her to BilJac to see if her allergies would clear up…. OH MAN… what a mistake that was! I can’t believe the bullshit that guy fed me! The chicken is killed and then cooked whithin a 40 minute time fame, and the corn is cooked very slowly… what a fool i was. now her skin is TERRIBLE! And my Pug is also starting to itch too, and she has never even had a skin problem! I started them on Solid Golid, I hope that will help them.
I’m not feed ing my standard poodles bil jac now, but I’m considering it for a new pup. I did feed it to my springers, and they loved it. Only downside I saw was they pooped more than on any other dog food. Nothing wrong with their stools, just seemed to be more volume.
Now Jess had some real interesting comments I thought I’d address:
Corn: my springers use to pick corn, tomatoes and green beans. Loved them all. I did have a problem with the corn–cob that didn’t get chewed enough blocked the dogs intestine and had to be surgically removed.
Now, chicken products. You must not spend much time around bird dogs. They love chickens, feathers and all.
LOL, I bet they shucked the corn also. Sorry my friend, but corn is as bad as it gets for dogs. DOGS “CAN NOT” DIGEST CORN. Chicken feathers ??? Get real, just who are you trying to kid?? Goggle corn and dogs and the other products in this food it might wake you up to what you are really feeding to your dog. Here is a list of some good dog foods, feed your dog one of these
Artemis
Blue Wilderness
Go Horizon
Evo
Innova
Instrinct
Orijen
Taste of the Wild
Wellness
Acana
Fromm
Merrick
Canidae
Evanders
Earthborn
Natrures Logic
Natures Variety
Solid Gold
Pinnacle
Timberwolf
Blue Buffalo
Halo
Natural Balance
California Natural
My friend Orijen Red most likely is the best dog food kibble ever produced. It’s a bummer I can’t feed it to my dog because he is only 7 1/2 months old. GS.
To Jesse
How long have you been researching dog foods?
I have been doing it and feeding my dogs for more than 20 years.
Of the list you gave , there are only 3 that I would ever feed my dogs.
Bil Jac is a very good food.
Bil Jac gives my dogs everything they need.
Also, you don’t know much about dogs if you don’t believe they will eat corn and feathers on their own. Your dogs must be house dogs or kennel dogs that don’t get much free time.
Bil Jac is not a constant at my house, but I keep going back to it to clear up any problem the other foods caused.
Has anyone ever heard of Blackwood foods? Can anyone tell me how this food stacks up to the best?
My dogs LOVE Bil-Jac! I have 3 picky poodles; 2 standards and one mini as well as a black lab. They, with the exception of the lab, were extremely picky and more often than not, left their food to rot in their dishes meaning I had to throw expensive food away, night after night. Now, they’ll eat it dry! I even give a few pieces as treats and they love it. No gas, no diarreah, no bad breath. They are thriving on this food and believe me, I’ve tried all the high priced brands. They simply don’t like them unless I cook chicken, or turkey etc to mix with it. I don’t have to do that anymore. I am pleased because they are.
Well Judith, if you put candy in front of a kid he will eat that, is it good for them?? Then put green peas in front of them. Get my drift???? See my list above and you can get samples from good pet stores. Not stores like Wal worst or the chain pet stores.