Why the Answer to Every Dog Nutrition Question is: It Depends

Last night, at the third annual Feed Real Summit, I hosted a trivia game to kick off the event. One of the tables was packed with some of the most brilliant minds in the fresh food community — Dr. Barbara Royal, Chelsea Kent, Dr. Odette Suter, Dr. Barrie Sands, Dr. Conor Brady, and Dr. Katie Kangas.

Despite the game being multiple choice — with “it depends” not being one of the options — their answer to about half of the questions was still the same: “It depends.”

And honestly? They weren’t wrong.

That moment perfectly summed up what I’ve learned after years of studying canine nutrition: raising healthy dogs isn’t black and white.

In the world of dog health, everyone wants a clear-cut answer:

The truth? It depends.

Nutrition and health exist on a spectrum that shifts based on countless factors: breed, genetics, environment, diet, stress, lifestyle, region, and even the energetic vibration of food.

Let’s take beef as an example.
If you ask about the energetic temperature of beef, the answer isn’t as simple as “warming.”

It depends on how the beef was raised and what it was fed.

Same protein. Two very different impacts on the body.

Many assume “organic” means “chemical-free,” but even USDA organic produce can be exposed to chemicals. While organic farming prohibits synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, it still allows certain naturally derived ones. And depending on the soil, air, and irrigation source, crops can still absorb toxins from the environment.

So while organic vegetables are usually better, they aren’t automatically safer or more nutritious. Again — it depends.

In a world where “ethical” and “humane” are used as marketing tools, not every label can be trusted.

Here’s a quick cheat sheet from Hanna Mandelbaum’s (Evermore Pet Food) presentation:

✅ Certifications that actually mean something:

🚫 Certifications that are red flags:

Why? Because some of these “feel good” labels were created by industrial agriculture to ease consumer guilt — without actually improving animal welfare standards.

When it comes to sourcing meat for our dogs, transparency matters more than buzzwords.

While it’s true that fresh food beats ultra-processed kibble, Chelsea Kent of ParsleyPet reminded us that a fresh food diet that’s deficient or unbalanced can be just as harmful over time.

Feeding fresh food doesn’t automatically mean a dog’s diet meets their nutritional needs. Deficiencies in calcium, zinc, manganese, vitamin D, or iodine can quietly cause damage that takes months or years to show up — sometimes as joint issues, skin conditions, or chronic illness.

And here’s the hard truth:
You can’t fix an unbalanced diet with a multivitamin or base mix.

Balance matters — and how you balance depends on the dog in front of you: their age, activity level, health status, genetics, and environment.

In response to one of my posts about allergies and histamines, someone asked if they should stop feeding bone broth. I told them that I did — and it helped. But the honest answer is: it depends.

When our dogs are licking their paws or scratching like crazy, we often jump straight to “allergies.” But itchy skin can actually be a sign of several different issues, including:

During the Summit, I had dinner with several veterinarians and leaders in the fresh food industry. Watching them navigate the menu was fascinating.

They weren’t being difficult — they were being aware.
Within seconds, they identified:

I ordered a burger — one of the safest options — but skipped most of the fries because they were probably fried in seed oils.

That dinner wasn’t about being obsessive; it was a masterclass in awareness.

Raising healthy dogs shouldn’t be complicated — and these professionals weren’t making it complicated.

What I realized this weekend is that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer because every dog is an individual:

That’s why veterinarians, nutritionists, and coaches often ask for detailed intake forms before giving advice — because context shapes every answer.

So when someone asks,

The most honest answer — the only answer that truly respects the individuality of the dog — is still: It depends.

This year’s Feed Real Summit reminded me that there’s power in nuance. The more we learn, the more we realize how interconnected everything is — from the soil our vegetables grow in to the way our animals are raised.

And that’s a beautiful thing.

Because when we stop chasing black-and-white answers and start asking better questions, we become better advocates for our dogs.

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