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.