This is a legitimate question and the honest answer doesn't fit the marketing claims on either side.

What the evidence supports:

• Commercially prepared complete and balanced fresh diets are nutritionally adequate when the recipes are formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist (DACVN) and meet AAFCO or WSAVA standards. Farmer’s Dog, Just Food For Dogs, Ollie all meet this bar.
• Fresh diets typically have higher palatability and digestibility, which can help dogs with mild GI sensitivity or picky eaters.
• Lower moisture loss vs dry kibble means dogs are better hydrated. Useful in some clinical contexts (urinary, renal).

What the evidence does not support:

• Claims of life-extension from fresh food vs balanced commercial kibble — the Dog Aging Project data is preliminary at best.
• Claims that kibble is “processed garbage” — this is marketing, not science. WSAVA-compliant kibbles from Hill’s, Royal Canin, Purina, Eukanuba have decades of feeding trials behind them.
• Claims that fresh is universally healthier — for an overweight dog, the higher caloric density of fresh diets can make weight management harder.

Where I'd spend the money differently:

If your Lab is healthy, of normal body condition (BCS 4-5/9), and doing well on Purina Pro Plan or Hill’s, switching to fresh food is unlikely to produce a measurable health benefit. Save the $4,000/yr differential. Spend a fraction of it on regular dental care, annual senior bloodwork starting at age 7, and high-quality joint supplementation if she’s a working/active Lab.

The one population where I’d genuinely consider fresh: dogs with confirmed adverse food reactions where elimination trials on hydrolyzed protein didn't help, or dogs with chronic GI issues responsive to lower-fat fresh formulations.

References: WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines (2021), and Tufts University Petfoodology blog (Dr. Lisa Freeman, DACVN) for the most balanced public-facing analysis of commercial vs fresh diets.

Did 6 months on Farmer’s Dog with my picky Spaniel. Coat got noticeably shinier in month 2. Stools were smaller and firmer. He liked it. He also liked me more at dinner time.

What changed me: I started doing the math. $4,500/yr for 8 more years = $36,000. Versus that same money in a vet care emergency fund. We switched back to Hill’s Science Diet sensitive stomach + a tablespoon of cooked chicken on top — he still loves it, coat is fine, stools fine.

If you have the money and want to do it, your dog will probably love it. If money is tight, you’re not failing your dog with WSAVA-compliant kibble.