The format of your dog's food is almost as important as the ingredients inside it. Processing affects nutrient bioavailability, digestibility, moisture content, and shelf life. Here's how the three main formats stack up.
Kibble (Dry Extruded Food)
Kibble is convenient, shelf-stable, and affordable — and when formulated well, it can absolutely meet all of a dog's nutritional needs. The extrusion process (cooking under high heat and pressure) does reduce some heat-sensitive nutrients, which is why reputable manufacturers add back vitamins post-processing. The main concerns with low-quality kibble are high carbohydrate content, poor protein digestibility, and synthetic preservatives.
Raw Food
Proponents of raw feeding cite improved coat condition, smaller and firmer stools, higher energy, and better dental health. Some of these benefits are well-supported anecdotally; the controlled research is more limited. The genuine risks of raw feeding include bacterial contamination (Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli) — both for the dog and the humans handling the food — and nutritional imbalance if the diet isn't carefully formulated.
Fresh / Gently Cooked Food
Fresh food diets — like BuddyMeal — aim to capture the nutritional benefits of raw feeding while minimising the food safety risks. Gentle cooking preserves far more nutrients than high-heat extrusion while eliminating pathogens. Moisture content is also naturally higher, which supports kidney health and hydration. The trade-off is cost and shorter shelf life, which is why subscription models and home delivery have made this format far more accessible.
Our Take
There's no single "best" format for every dog. But the evidence consistently points to fresh, minimally processed food with high-quality ingredients as the gold standard for most dogs. If that's not within your budget for every meal, even replacing 30–50% of a kibble diet with fresh food can make a meaningful difference.
