The confusion leads to lack of confidence
There’s a storm brewing in the raw feeding world at the minute, and if you’ve felt the wobble, you’re not alone.
A lot of people are confused. Some are giving raw a wide berth. Others are sliding back into commercial foods for convenience. And a surprising number of former raw advocates — including a few self-labelled “nutritionists” with degrees that have nothing to do with nutrition — are suddenly promoting processed, synthetically fortified diets again.
So what’s actually going on?
Why the U-turn?
One of them recently shared their story. I won’t name names — this isn’t about calling people out — but it does highlight a deeper problem we’re facing.
The pattern is the same every time;
People jump into raw feeding without proper guidance.
They copy someone’s TikTok recipe. They rely on Google. They eyeball ratios. They even mix commercial raw with kibble.
They panic when stool changes happen, when detox symptoms show up, or deficiencies show their beautiful face.
Then they go looking for reassurance… and land in front of large social media vets or vet nurses — people whose content is openly sponsored by giant pet food companies. These professionals are paid to reinforce one message:
“Fresh food is risky. Processed is safe.”
That messaging sticks.
So people start believing the industry mantra:
“Feed anything as long as it’s complete and balanced… every single meal.” -
Spoiler alert: Nature doesn't work like that!
However they advocate that Raw, kibble, hydrolysed junk, whatever your choice - ticks the AAFCO or FEDIAF boxes daily.
But here’s the educational bit:
Complete and balanced is a legal standard, not a biological guarantee.
Complete & Balanced is only accurate on paper
“Complete and balanced” means the diet meets minimum nutrient levels when analysed chemically, not biologically.
It doesn’t guarantee your dog can absorb, utilise, convert, or maintain those nutrients.
It just means the numbers printed on their spreadsheet look tidy.
Real-world example:
A diet may list 80mg/kg zinc.
If the zinc source is zinc oxide, the bioavailability can be as low as 10–15 percent. (Chelated versions always best)
Calcium carbonate looks great on paper, but biologically it performs poorly compared to calcium phosphate (hydroxyapatite). Yet it still “meets requirements”.
See the problem?
Google is NOT a nutritional database
People often rely on Google for nutrient content of beef, liver, eggs, etc.
Google pulls USDA data — American values — which differ from UK food composition significantly.
That means their entire meal plan can be unintentionally skewed.
UK formulators should ideally use McCance & Widdowson, the UK’s gold standard for nutrient values. But:
Most won’t pay for it (Free spreadsheets available, although not updated regularly enough)
Most don’t know it exists
Most software (like Animal Diet Formulator) is American by default.
People think they’re balancing perfectly… but they’re actually balancing to the wrong dataset.
So why do influencers insist raw must be balanced at every meal?
They argue:
too little of a nutrient over time → deficiency
too much of a nutrient → toxicity
Both statements are scientifically true.
But context matters.
Here’s where it breaks down:
To achieve a meal-by-meal “perfect” balance, you inevitably end up relying on:
Synthetic vitamins and minerals (premix)
Plant-derived versions of nutrients dogs absorb poorly
Isolated Powders
So while the bowl looks pristine to AAFCO/FEDIAF, the dog’s biology may not agree.
This is why commercial diets can pass feeding trials even when dogs show mild deterioration.
Feeding trials are not what people think,
To approve a formulation:
Only 8 dogs are needed, A 75 percent success rate passes. Meaning 2 out of 8 dogs can decline in health, and the food can still be released to the masses as “safe , balanced and complete”.
It proves one thing: Complete and balanced is not the flawless gold standard the industry pretends it is.
Fresh feeding isn’t dangerous. Poor guidance is.
Fresh food requires understanding, not perfection.
If guardians learn basic nutritional red flags, they can adjust diets long before deficiencies become a problem.
Example – Zinc Deficiency
Symptoms can include:
Dry, cracked paw pads
Crusty elbows
Dull coat
Flaky skin
Slow wound healing
People buy balms, creams, conditioners…
when the underlying issue might simply be inadequate zinc intake or poor zinc absorption.
And no balm can fix a nutritional deficiency.
Conclusion:
Raw feeding isn’t the problem.
Processed feeding isn’t necessarily the problem.
Lack of education IS the problem.
If people knew:
How to interpret nutrient red flags
How to rotate proteins intelligently
How to build meals using bioavailable sources
When supplementation is genuinely needed
How to avoid Google’s inaccurate data
What “complete & balanced” actually means
We wouldn’t see this crisis of confidence.
Fresh feeding is powerful.
It just needs the right foundation — not fear, not industry-sponsored messaging, and definitely not misinformation dressed up as expertise.
