The Hidden Dangers of Deficient Raw Diets for Dogs

When done right, feeding your dog a raw, homemade diet can be one of the most rewarding ways to support its health. However, even the best intentions can lead to long-term harm when key nutrients are missing or imbalanced. Sadly, a DIY raw diet—especially when based on simplified models like 80/10/10—can fall short of providing everything a dog needs to thrive.

Many think the action of alternating proteins and other ingredients can prevent deficiencies. I alternate proteins weekly; however, this wouldn’t be enough if I fail to include whole foods that cover commonly deficient nutrients (listed below).

I used to think that mentioning the drawbacks of feeding fresh food would discourage people, because we’re complicating raw feeding. However, I now realize that failing to address the potential downsides of a homemade diet might cause more dogs to suffer from long-term nutritional deficiencies that could harm their health.

Let’s look at the most commonly deficient nutrients in homemade raw diets and the health issues they can cause when overlooked.

Why It Matters: Choline is essential for liver function, brain health, and fat metabolism. It works closely with B vitamins and is critical for producing neurotransmitters like acetylcholine. Homemade diets may be deficient because choline isn’t found in muscle meat, the main ingredient.

Deficiency Risks:

Whole Food Sources: Egg yolks, liver, sardines, krill, spinach

Why It Matters: Dogs need calcium for strong bones, muscle contractions, and nerve function. It must be balanced with phosphorus, or the body will pull calcium from the bones. Homemade diets may be deficient in calcium because of a common fear of feeding raw bones, and many cooked diets lack bone, with pet parents preferring ground eggshells, without understanding how much to add and how to achieve balance with phosphorus.

Deficiency Risks:

Whole Food Sources: Raw meaty bones, bone meal, eggshell powder (with proper calcium-phosphorus ratio)

Why It Matters: Zinc supports immune function, wound healing, skin health, and enzyme activity. It’s commonly low in fresh diets due to poor bioavailability in some meats. Some northern breeds may require more zinc in their diet than the average dog.

Deficiency Risks:

Whole Food Sources: Oysters, beef, duck, pork, pumpkin seeds

Why It Matters: This fat-soluble antioxidant protects cell membranes, supports fertility, and works synergistically with selenium. Although Vitamin E is found in beef and beef liver, the amount isn’t enough to meet an adult dog's nutritional needs.

Deficiency Risks:

Whole Food Sources: Sunflower seeds, spinach, oily fish, pasture-raised animal fat

Why It Matters: Essential for joint health, cartilage development, and enzyme function—especially in puppies and active dogs, manganese can be found in muscle meat in small amounts, not enough to meet a dog’s nutritional needs.

Deficiency Risks:

Whole Food Sources: Mussels, oysters, hemp seeds, spinach, quail eggs

Why It Matters: Copper helps with red blood cell production, iron absorption, pigmentation, and connective tissue health.

Deficiency Risks:

Whole Food Sources: Liver (especially beef or lamb), oysters, sunflower seeds

On the other hand, dogs fed a lot of liver treats and liver in their daily diet may experience toxic levels of copper, which can lead to other health issues:

Formulating a diet for dog breeds prone to copper storage disease must be taken with care. These breeds include Labrador Retrievers, some Terrier breeds, Doberman Pinschers, Cocker Spaniels, and Keeshonds.

Why It Matters: Iodine is critical for healthy thyroid function and metabolism. It often goes missing in raw diets unless kelp or seaweed is included (and even then, balance is tricky). Although trace amounts of iodine can be found in muscle meats in varying levels, kelp is a better source when formulating a homemade diet for dogs.

Deficiency Risks:

Whole Food Sources: Kelp (carefully measured), seaweed, oysters, fish

Why It Matters: Selenium works with Vitamin E to protect cells from oxidative damage and supports thyroid and immune health.

Deficiency Risks:

Whole Food Sources: Brazil nuts (in very small amounts), sardines, liver, kidneys

The 80/10/10 model (80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 10% organ) often lacks variety and overlooks vital nutrients like Vitamin E, zinc, manganese, iodine, and choline. It also typically under-delivers on omega-3 fatty acids unless oily fish are added.

Feeding this way long-term—without supplements or whole-food diversity—can lead to invisible nutrient deficiencies that only show symptoms months or years later.

Many people who share that they feed an 80/10/10 diet and their dogs are healthy may also do the following to prevent deficiencies.

I alternate proteins weekly: beef, turkey, duck, pork, and occasionally venison, lamb, and rabbit.

In my meal preps, I alternate organs using beef, pork, and lamb (heart, liver, kidneys). And before you say it, I know the heart is a muscular organ—I include it in my organ blend anyway.

Adding seeds, fatty fish, kelp, and a base mix allows me to cover any gaps I’ve missed. I use software to calculate how much of each ingredient to use in my meal prep. During the week, I feed my dogs fatty fish and chicken eggs for their meals.

Although I believe homemade raw diets can be balanced, I’m not convinced that the pet industry and veterinarian community know precisely what “balance” means for our dogs. Plus, each dog is different, so I do my best.

Much of what I do for my dogs is common sense, which I developed through education and experience. Software, spreadsheets, and meal formulation consultations aren’t necessary to feed a dog a healthy diet. I use Animal Diet Formulator software to balance my dogs’ diet because I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Understanding and addressing common nutrient gaps will prepare your dog for long-term vitality, not just survival.

Balance isn’t optional—it’s essential. The confusion is that “balance” means something different depending on who you speak to in the fresh food community. So, continue educating yourself on canine nutrition to make the best decisions for your dog.