Bil-Jac

The softer texture doesn't hold a larger shape well.  I like the shape and so do most dogs. 

 It just looked so weird in her bowl.

It's funny but I find it strangely attractive.  I find most kibble disgusting, even the super premiums, but Bil-Jac kibble . . .well, I will admit to taking a taste.  It tasted like cardboard.  Cord loved it and I'd still be feeding it to him if I hadn't switched to 100% homecooked this year. 

 i used to feed tyson that! my friend's dog tried to eat tyson's bil-jac over his own food once.

 What is in it that is supposed to make dogs gain weight? I looked at purina proplan performance formula and bil-jac ingredients but couldnt tell you the difference. But then again Im dumb at this whole food nutrient thingy when it comes to the dogs.

the corn and the molasses. Bil-jac is mostly corn.

The ingredients are pretty bad, but BJ does put weight on underweight dogs.  I'm not sure how because it would seem that all the corn, poor protein source that it is, would just keep rolling right on through the dog and out the other end.

Kind of sounds like what MP is saying, and I could be misreading her, is that it's sort of like  US eating candy bars to put on put on weight?  It might work short term, but isn't a very healthy way to do it?

pretty much glenda. Guess what they use to fatten up cows right before slaughter- corn. It's not the protein in it that fattens up dogs, it's the high sugar content. Dogs aren't designed to eat sugars, and many dogs turn them straight into body fat. Dog metabolisms are designed to get most of their energy from dietary fats.

Corn: 1% sugar, 74% carbohydrates; Rice: 0% sugar, 23% carbohydrates.

Can't imagine that feeding Bil-jac, or any corn-based food, long term is very good for your dog's metabolism.

Ah, but those carbs turn to sugar in the body, so yeah, it's mostly sugar.  And a higher on the glycemic index sugar than other stuff would be.

I'm awfully glad I wasn't tempted by that to keep weight on Thunder this winter.  I've heard so many people rave about it working to put weight on, but I just couldn't get past the ingredients.  I REALLY like the Wilderness.  Has been working great for the cats, and now with Thunder, he's maintaining, and eating less than he was on large breed instead of me having to nudge the amounts up.  And heaven only knows we've already had winter in the month since it decided to start here.

The family that adopted Winston from me feeds Bil-Jac. Winston was always hard to get and maintain weight on - he looks FABULOUS! She showed me his christmas picture yesterday, and I hardly recognized him. Their pitty does well on it too.

They tried to switch all of their dogs off it, and their yorkie ended up in the ER, lost half his weight on the 'better food'.

It all depends on the dog.

It all depends on the dog.

yeah, and when the dogs are 10 and go into kidney failure or develop cancer? bet no one will even think to link it to their diet of corn and slaughterhouse garbage. For putting weight on hard-keeper dogs I think Eaglepack power formula would probably be a better choice. Certainly the ingredients are far better and don't include any slaughterhouse garbage in them.

mudpuppy

It all depends on the dog.

yeah, and when the dogs are 10 and go into kidney failure or develop cancer? bet no one will even think to link it to their diet of corn and slaughterhouse garbage. For putting weight on hard-keeper dogs I think Eaglepack power formula would probably be a better choice. Certainly the ingredients are far better and don't include any slaughterhouse garbage in them.

     Dogs are not going to develop early onset cancer because they ate a food that contained corn as the main grain source! Some forms of cancer can be prevented by nutrition, but much of it is genetic or related to early s/n. They're more likely to succumb to cancer if they're overweight and underexercised! As far as kidney disease goes, it's caused by either high ash and/or high amounts of phosphorous over prolonged periods of time, and phosphorous tags along with all high protein feeds. Phos controlled diets that still contain bioavailable protein for renal disease patients are always grain based! Furthermore, there is no problem with molasses in small amounts. It does contain nutrients such as high amounts or iron, copper, potassium, etc. I've used straight blackstrap molasses for my pups if one goes off feed - never fails to perk up the appetite and get them eating normally again. My oldest dogs are both 8yrs old and going strong on feeds with mostly corn in them. Just had one of them @ the Vet for a routine blood test and all is well, BUN is normal (yet, with the same dog, @ 2yrs old, his BUN & cholesterol levels were somewhat elevated on raw, indicating stress on the kidneys) ... In fact, call me crazy but I actually prefer corn as the grain in a feed because it does seem to improve coats. I prefer many ingredients that some would scoff at, such as animal fat. Never had luck w/ foods using chicken fat. Has to be animal fat for soft, thick, glossy coats!
     Anyway, you did recommend Eagle Pack power pack, and you do realize ground yellow corn is the #2 ingredient in it? Corn gluten meal is also in there, further down the list. This is a great article written by Linda Arndt regarding myths and fallacies about ground up, digestable corn in dog foods: http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/the_corn_myth.htm   Corn is also one of the least likely grains, behind rice to cause food allergies in dogs. 
     Here's another good article on the nutritional value of blackstrap molasses: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=118

Thunder is a "hard keeper" in the winter.  Even now with no yard to play in half the day as he normally does, he's hard to keep weight on.  What is working for him is the high protein, low carb, almost grain free food I picked for him.  What has NOT helped in the past is increasing his grains.

Yes, corn contains some protein.  No, it is not a highly digestable source of protein like meat.  Corn is a cheap protein source.  So why are the prices on some of these corn ladden foods so danged high?  The carb content, which the body turns to SUGARS is too high to be healthy for any critter long term.  Overload any creature with sugar for long periods of time, and sooner or later the pancrease is going to go a bit wonky.  And, even if it doesn't, MY body sure doesn't functon at prime efficiency on sugars.  Why would I expect theirs to?  Dogs need FATS for energy, unlike us humans who do use carbs for energy.  But, too many carbs are going to bog down the system and mess things up.

I don't have specific nutrition training, human or canine, but common sense goes one heck of a long way.

glenmar

Yes, corn contains some protein.  No, it is not a highly digestable source of protein like meat.  Corn is a cheap protein source.  So why are the prices on some of these corn ladden foods so danged high?  The carb content, which the body turns to SUGARS is too high to be healthy for any critter long term.  Overload any creature with sugar for long periods of time, and sooner or later the pancrease is going to go a bit wonky.  And, even if it doesn't, MY body sure doesn't functon at prime efficiency on sugars.  Why would I expect theirs to?  Dogs need FATS for energy, unlike us humans who do use carbs for energy.  But, too many carbs are going to bog down the system and mess things up.

I don't have specific nutrition training, human or canine, but common sense goes one heck of a long way.

     Are you suggesting that the starches in grain free foods somehow do not convert to sugar?
     When I fed Eukanuba's small breed puppy food, that was about 28% carbs using sorghum and corn. Purina products such as ONE & Pro Plan always contained around 34-38% carbs. The food I am currently using contains corn as the #2 ingredient and is only 38% carbs. Sorghum, btw, and also oats as well, are two grains that regulate the blood sugar levels in the body and prevent them from spiking & crashing. The potatoes or tapioca or whatever starch it is they're using as the binding agent in grain free foods, do not regulate blood sugar levels, furthermore, the potatoes in EVO & similar grain free diets actually have the opposite effect on blood sugar levels. Not even goign to get into the massive amounts of phosphorous that are double the recommended daily requirement in most of the grain free feeds - I am more worried about strain on the kidneys than my dogs eating corn. I learned the hard way, tried CORE for the more moderate mineral and protein content, and one of my dogs paid dearly for my mistake. Anyway ...
     You are confusing simple sugars and complex carbohydrates. The grain free food you use does not prevent excess carbs from being converted into sugar, nor does the one I feed spike their blood sugar level - on the contrary, we have one just getting over the most severe hypoglycemic episode I've ever seen who is thriving on his corn based food :) I am aware that some dogs don't do well with certian ingredients but that is not to say that all normal, healthy dogs have problems with grains - all dogs are different and have varied nutritional needs. Which is why no one or one type of food is right for all dogs. Again, the only time I have ever experienced a serious hypoglycemic episode was on CORE. So obviously common sense tells me in hindsight the problem may very well have been the high spike in blood sugar the potatoes caused. Never fed a diet that contained potatoes as the starch so this was a learning experience for me.
     Yes, dogs need fat for energy but they do also need some good complex carbs to sustain that energy. I do not propose that dogs require all their energy source from carbs, but I also do not believe that they require 0% in their diet. Feeding a grain free feed also does not equate with your dogs not getting any carbs in their diet, as I believe I mentioned, the carb content of most grain frees & the evil corn food I'm using now are almost identical. Only difference is that corn is not known to spike blood glucose, while potatoes, a white simple starch, does.