Which Bil-Jac Picky No More Recipes Get Our Best Ratings?

Bil-Jac Picky No More Dog Food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.

The Bil-Jac Picky No More product line includes the 3 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Bil-Jac Picky No More Small Breed was selected to represent both products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

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Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient includes chicken by-products, what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the choice cuts have been removed.

In addition to organs, this item can also include feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs and almost anything other than prime skeletal muscle.

The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.

However, here the manufacturer specifies “chicken organ meat” which makes this item something more desirable, and better described as chicken giblets.

What’s more, raw organs contain up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

Although this item contains all the amino acids a dog needs, we consider chicken by-products a less expensive, lower quality ingredient.

The third ingredient is cornmeal, a coarsely ground flour made from dried corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

For this reason, we do not consider corn a preferred component in any dog food.

The fourth ingredient is chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the prime cuts have been removed.

In addition to organs (the nourishing part), this stuff can contain almost anything — feet, beaks, undeveloped eggs — anything except feathers.

On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The fifth ingredient is beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.

Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.

We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.

The next ingredient is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The seventh ingredient is oatmeal, a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber and can be (depending upon its level of purity) gluten-free.

The eighth ingredient is brewers yeast, which can be a controversial item. Although it’s a by-product of the beer making process, this ingredient is rich in minerals and other healthy nutrients.

Fans believe yeast repels fleas and supports the immune system.

Critics argue yeast ingredients can be linked to allergies. This may be true, but (like all allergies) only if your particular dog is allergic to the yeast itself.

In addition, a vocal minority insists yeast can increase the risk of developing the life-threatening condition known as bloat. However, this is a claim we’ve not been able to scientifically verify.

In any case, unless your dog is specifically allergic to it, yeast can still be considered a nutritious additive.

What’s more noteworthy here is that brewers yeast contains about 48% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Bil-Jac product.

With 5 notable exceptions…

First, we find flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

Next, we note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added as probiotics to aid with digestion.

In addition, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Next, this recipe includes sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

And lastly, this food is preserved with BHA, a suspected cancer-causing agent.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Bil-Jac Picky No More Dog Food looks like an average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 46%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 30% and a mean fat level of 19%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 43% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 63%.

Which means this Bil-Jac product line contains…

Near-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the brewers yeast and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat.

Our Rating of Bil-Jac Picky No More Dog Food

Bil-Jac Picky No More is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a significant amount of named meat and by-products as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.

Recommended.

However, it’s unfortunate the company chose to include BHA in its recipe. Without this controversial ingredient, we may have been compelled to award this line a higher rating.

Bil-Jac Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Bil-Jac through November.

• Bil-Jac Dog Food Recall (8/24/2012)

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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More Bil-Jac Reviews

The following Bil-Jac dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

• Bil-Jac Dog Food Review (Cooked Frozen)
• Bil-Jac Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Bil-Jac Farmer’s Bounty Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Bil-Jac Pate Platters Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Bil-Jac Stews Dog Food Review (Tubs)