Anyone tried Bil-Jac food?

[rplank]

I have switched my 5 month old EM to Bil-Jac from Pedigree. Just curious if anyone else feeds their beasts Bil-Jac. I have read good and bad about it. She certainly loves it! I had to make her take a break the first few times I fed it to her because she was choking on it trying to eat it so fast.

 

[dmouse66]

Ugh... Pedigree! I researched and found they are a low 5 quality food... know nothing about bill jac though. For the same cost per pound for Pedigree I feed Diamond brand lamb & rice large breed puppy. They're not a 1 like Diamond but they are 2 and Raistlin is doing very well on it.

 

[Smart_Family]

I'm not familiar with Bil-Jac but I believe it's a food you can find at a grocery store or Walmart? As a general rule of thumb, you don't want a food you can find at either. I know a lot of people who buy whatevers on sale or who think they can't afford to feed a premium food but there are decent premium foods that are fairly cheap and the thing with premium brands is you feed less than you do with supermarket brands. I wanna say that Bil-Jac is one of the foods that really stinks and that's why dogs like it so much.

 

[aphayes96]

My mom has her dogs on BilJac and I believe it's only available at specialty stores and have heard decent things about it. They love it and the protein ratio and fat content seem in line to me. Calcium levels too. I'd say if your pup loves it to go for it. There are many horrible choices... I don't believe BilJac is one of them. My 4 month old had a slow start and wouldn't eat much and he ate his TOTW mixed with Bil Jac so I was happy. We have switched back to all TOTW now since that's what he had been on since he started solids. Hope my rambling helped.

 

[Kellysmithfa]

I have heard that was a terrible food.

 

[Smart_Family]

I see it's sold at Petco's and Petsmarts. I remember now why I wasn't a fan of it. The chicken by product meal, chicken by products, beet pulp, and corn meal aren't really desirable ingredients. Yes it says that the chicken by products are organ only but that doesn't mean it's the good organs. As I've said on other posts about dog food, at the end of the day it's up to you what you feed your dog but for the price of a 30lb bag of Bil-Jac I can get a 30lb bag of Taste of the Wild so there are other foods out there that are comparable price wise that have better ratings and ingredients.

---------- Post added at 10:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 AM ----------

Also for people who are confused or just overwhelmed by the vast amount of different dog foods, the Whole Dog Journal puts out a list every year of what they deem to be the best and highest quality foods so that's a good list to go off of.

 

[Smart_Family]

Also for people who are confused or just overwhelmed by the vast amount of different dog foods, the Whole Dog Journal puts out a list every year of what they deem to be the best and highest quality foods so that's a good list to go off of.

 

[rplank]

Much as I would like to see that list, it is available to subscribers only, and i'm not inclined to pay $20 for a list. I like Bil-Jac's ingredients at the top end being chicken and chicken organ meat and by-products. A lot of other foods have a lot higher ranking of corn or wheat fillers. My wife's rug ornament dog eats only bil-jac, so I thought we would try it. No issues so far, and it is available at Petsmart 2 miles away.
I'll have to research Taste of the Wild......

 

[Smart_Family]

I'm on my phone right now so I can't link you but I was just able to find the 2011 list by googling and I'm not a subscriber
to Whole Dog Journal. Having the mentality that because one dog did fine on a food so every one will is like our grandparent saying that our parents never had car seats and they were just fine. The dog food industry has come so far and there's so many options out there. Nutrition is SO important in giant breed puppies. Ideally they should go right on a quality adult or
an all life stages food and not be on a puppy formula or a large breed puppy formula. Mastiffs are giant breeds, not large
breed and the only puppy food formulated for giant breed puppies is Eagle Pack giant breed puppy. My dogs are my passion, so much so that I'm starting vet tech school soon.

 

[dmouse66]

I have Raistlin on large breed puppy because it has 5 more calories per cup and he is an active puppy... there is only a 4% difference in protein BUT... I also supplement with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, apples, pumpkin or sweet potatoes. The veggies make him feel full longer so he doesnt eat as much kibble plus they are high in anti-oxidents. I also give him one scrambled egg for a little extra protein. Protein is for muscle development... I believe it has help. In the 6 months I've had him and followed this diet he is about a lean 100 lbs at 7 months (both his parents are well over 100), has great joint mobility (per his vet), has a soft and shiny coat with very minimal shedding and tons of energy. Plus... very rarely does he have gas. And, if I avoid anything with chicken fat as an ingredient he has solid stools. Around 9-10 months I will consider switching him to adult, but not until then.

---------- Post added at 07:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:54 PM ----------

I have Raistlin on large breed puppy because it has 5 more calories per cup and he is an active puppy... there is only a 4% difference in protein BUT... I also supplement with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, apples, pumpkin or sweet potatoes. The veggies make him feel full longer so he doesnt eat as much kibble plus they are high in anti-oxidents. I also give him one scrambled egg for a little extra protein. Protein is for muscle development... I believe it has help. In the 6 months I've had him and followed this diet he is about a lean 100 lbs at 7 months (both his parents are well over 100), has great joint mobility (per his vet), has a soft and shiny coat with very minimal shedding and tons of energy. Plus... very rarely does he have gas. And, if I avoid anything with chicken fat as an ingredient he has solid stools. Around 9-10 months I will consider switching him to adult, but not until then. He also ge glucosamin chondroitin supplements in the form of chicken jerky treats...

 

[dmouse66]

I have Raistlin on large breed puppy because it has 5 more calories per cup and he is an active puppy... there is only a 4% difference in protein BUT... I also supplement with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, apples, pumpkin or sweet potatoes. The veggies make him feel full longer so he doesnt eat as much kibble plus they are high in anti-oxidents. I also give him one scrambled egg for a little extra protein. Protein is for muscle development... I believe it has help. In the 6 months I've had him and followed this diet he is about a lean 100 lbs at 7 months (both his parents are well over 100), has great joint mobility (per his vet), has a soft and shiny coat with very minimal shedding and tons of energy. Plus... very rarely does he have gas. And, if I avoid anything with chicken fat as an ingredient he has solid stools. Around 9-10 months I will consider switching him to adult, but not until then. He also ge glucosamin chondroitin supplements in the form of chicken jerky treats...

---------- Post added at 07:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:55 PM ----------

Apologies for the double post. Not sure what happened?

 

[dmouse66]

Apologies for the double post. Not sure what happened?

 

[Smart_Family]

Like I said, it's a personal choice for every dog owner. I've done my research and have my resources and I'm comfortable with my decision and it sounds like you are as well so that's awesome. The fact that you put that much thought into your dog's diet is a lot more than I can say for some people I know, mainly my neighbors haha.

 

[dmouse66]

Funny thing is, I never considered it until I was given this amazing boy! Even with my cats! Believed in the Purina One ads... but no matter what I did they were always throwing up! Researching his breed made me research food so I switched my cats to Diamond cat food kibble & Blue soft... happy to say no more wet suprises to step in first thing in the morning! My dad has an 8 yr old boxer that he actually makes his food, and to see him he has the energy of a 3 yr old! My choice was based on the ingredients dad uses along with cost... Diamond fits that! Yes, I do care about his food... healthy in = healthy out! His father is fed Diamond, his mother - Old Roy!!! (ashamed for her!)I hate the thought of dont feed your dog 'human food'... but substandard, not fit for human consumption makes me sick!

 

[dmouse66]

And I had it backwards... was very tired when I posted ratings. Blue is a 5 star, Diamond a 4 star. Pedigree, Old Roy and anything you can buy at a grocery store (which can also be bought at Petsmart & Petco, they do sell Purina & Iams after all) is a 1 star

 

[rplank]

I read up on Taste of the Wild. Looks like a really good food, except that the protein content is way too high for my pup, from what I have read. It is over 30% protein, and 18% fat, and everything I have read says giant breed pups should only have around 23% protein and 12% fat so they don't grow too quickly. What I don't necessarily like about Bil-Jac is the BHA preservative that is possibly carcinogenic. Once she is older, I will switch probably to ToTW, but it has too much protein for her at 5 months old.
Eagle Pack giant puppy also looks really good. I still have a bag of Bil-Jac, but I may very well switch her after that.

 

[Smart_Family]

I get my information from a dog nutritionist. The sierra mountain formula of taste of the wild has less protein and fat than the others but the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is more of a concern in giant breed pups than protein levels are. Sierra Mountain is the only formula of Taste of the Wild appropriate for giant breed puppies. You're right about the BHA though.

 

[rplank]

What should the ratio of calcium to phosphorus be? I haven't read anything about that.

 

[Smart_Family]

The relationship between higher protein foods and growth problems is that many but not all higher protein foods have the higher ratio of calcium to phosphorus and thus can cause growth problems.

---------- Post added at 08:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:37 PM ----------

This is pulled directly from the dog nutritionist when someone asked about the appropriate calcium level for giant breed pups "Calcium to phosphorous ratios should be 1.2:1 and max calcium for giant breed pups under a year of age should be no more than 1.4 to 1.6%."

 

[Smart_Family]

This is pulled directly from the dog nutritionist when someone asked about the appropriate calcium level for giant breed pups "Calcium to phosphorous ratios should be 1.2:1 and max calcium for giant breed pups under a year of age should be no more than 1.4 to 1.6%."