Nonsense! I've been raw feeding my working dogs for years and they're gleaming. Until this month I hadn't bought any commercial junk food in about 10 years LOL

Raw diets are the food dogs are designed to eat, so of course it's good for them. "Balanced" is a bit of a pet food company myth, it has no bearing on real food. For example, is every meal you eat (or give to your child) "100% complete and balanced", or do you just feed a variety of foods and let nature find its balance over time, like everyone else?

Why do you view dogs any differently? The answer likely lies in years of pet food manufacturers' propaganda. Raw food is the best thing to feed a dog, cat or ferret. Crunching up raw meaty bones (not marrow bones) is excellent for the teeth.

Commercial food on the other hand builds up in the oral cavity facilitating the development of periodontal disease. The grains (an unnatural food for dogs) lead to insulin spikes and an overworked pancreas which has to push out amylase and other such enzymes to digest the unnatural starches and sugars. This often leads to pancreatitis and diabetes.

In short, there's nothing natural or correct about feeding grains and dehydrated biscuits. But for some reason the public has managed to believe that in the few short years since commercial manufacturers have been producing biscuits and other stuff, they offer the "only" way to properly feed a dog. It's all nonsense.

To the OP, I'm very glad your DDB enjoys raw food. Just be careful not to stick to mince only as it's high in phosphorous and low in calcium. Bones are the calcium required, but marrow bones are a no-no. Yes I know they're popular but they are too large and heavy, even for big breeds. They are the perfect size and shape - especially if sawn by the butcher - to act as a lever to snap the teeth!

The only golden rule you need to remember with raw feeding is variety - and in what you DO feed, make sure it's pieces of raw MEATY bone as whole as possible (i.e. looks as much like the animal it came from as much as possible). That means, a whole rabbit is better than half a chicken, which is better than a rack of ribs alone, which is better than just mince etc.

Apart from that, go nuts and experiment.