For twenty-four years now I have emphasized the importance – the CRITICAL importance, of making sure that all home prepared diets for dogs are optimally balanced, meaning they cover every single nutrient we know to be essential, and cover them well, in a biologically available form. This means, that while ingredients are obviously important, nutrients are essential – in the total absence of some of them, the dog can acquire a serious illness and even die. In cases where the dog gets enough of the nutrient to prevent overt disease – a “frank deficiency” - but still not enough to meet the recommended amount, there are still consequences, some very serious, hence it’s a foundational step in home feeding, to ensure that not merely adequate but optimal levels of these essentials are provided.