willeftk's Full Review: Bil Jac Dog Food for Puppies
When our family adopted a mixed breed puppy in February I decided to feed her Iams dry puppy food. My reasoning was based upon the knowledge that Iams was once considered a “premium” pet food, only sold in pet stores and was now available in supermarkets everywhere. She seemed to be doing well on the Iams and then I began to notice that she had begun to smell bad and was quite gassy, which smelled worse. Her stools were always on the loose side, which made cleaning up the back yard an even worse hassle.
I decided to try our pup on Bil-Jac brand puppy food after doing some research both online and on epinions. It was hard for me to choose between Bil-Jac and Nutro brand, but my husband the buckeye from Ohio pushed for Bil-Jac because he grew up very near one of their plants in Medina, Ohio.
I checked out the Bil-Jac website and was pleased to see that they offer a free sample of their food. After registering at their site it took around 2 weeks for my generous 2-pound container of food to arrive. I was a bit dismayed to see that they had sent adult food, but I figured it would be fine to test it on the puppy to see if she was interested. I also noticed that on the side of the package was a $3.00 rebate for my next purchase of any Bil-Jac dog food.
~But, How Does it Taste?~
The main reason Bil-Jac sends such a large sample to customers is because they encourage you to do a side-by-side taste test with your dog. They go on and on about how confident they are that dogs will choose their food. Indeed, when I offered both the Iams and the Bil-Jac at feeding time, our pup dove right into the Bil-Jac. The Bil-Jac was quite easy for her chew because the kibble is longer and thinner than most kibble. It looks like very thick, chopped up spaghetti, except that it is hard and brown.
The next time I was at Pets Mart, I bought a 7 pound bag of Bil-Jac puppy food for $9.99. It was definitely more expensive than Iams, but I was ready for a change.
It took me about a week to get her adjusted to the new food. I began to mix the foods and gradually increased the Bil-Jac. It got to the point where our puppy would pick the Iams out of her bowl and lay it on the floor. I couldn’t believe that.
~Tastes Great, but is it Good for Her?~
I’ve recently learned that when pet foods use the term chicken by-products on their ingredients lists it basically means that beaks, heads, feet and even feathers are likely in the food. Bil-Jac does list chicken by-products on their list of ingredients, but in this case they have used only organs such as livers and hearts. Icky to know, but if your dog was in the wild, these are parts they would eat if they had killed their prey.
Crude Protein, not less than 28%
Crude Fat, not less than 18%
Crude Fiber, not more than 4%
Moisture, not more than 10%
~Is it REALLY Worth It?~
I now buy our Bil-Jac food in 18 pound bags for $19.99 at Pets Mart. Although the food is not cheap, our puppy is growing well and the various smell issues seem to have resolved. Much to our delight gas is no longer a problem and she smells much better. Her fur is healthy and grooming results in less fur in the brush.
Our 30 pound dog eats only about 2 cups of food a day on Bil-Jac and the smaller quantity of food equates a lesser quantity of output and you gotta like that when you have to clean up the yard on a hot summer day! Eating less food is obviously more cost effective as well.
Bil-Jac does offer a satisfaction guarantee with it’s foods. If you are not happy with the food, you can take it where you purchased it and you will be refunded for the cost of the food.
I highly recommend that you check out their website if you have interest in Bil-Jac dog foods. They offer the free sample and will send you coupons and rebates as well. The site also has a store locator if you need help finding a local retailer.
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