Spot & Tango Dog Food Review 2024

Spot & Tango is a premium dog food brand serving up fresh, human-grade dog food made with 100% real, whole ingredients. The brand’s philosophy is, “Don’t feed anything to your dogs that you wouldn’t feed to your family members.”

All ingredients in Spot & Tango products are sourced from the US. These limited-ingredient dog foods also contain no fillers and no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors.

Signing up for a Spot & Tango subscription is quick and easy. Just hop over to the website and take the quiz to calculate the pawfect meal plan for your pup. Your first two weeks are backed by the Happy Pup Guarantee — you’ll receive a full refund if your doggo doesn’t like their new grub.

Wondering if Spot & Tango is right for your dog? In this review, we'll look at Spot & Tango's recipes, pros and cons, customer reviews, recall history, and more to help you make the best pawssible decision for your pup!

Spot & Tango has seven recipes: three fresh foods and four UnKibble varieties. Each recipe contains 50% real meat, 30% nutrient-rich starch, and 20% fruits or vegetables. Both grain-free and grain-inclusive recipes are available to suit all diets. 

Spot & Tango delivers its fresh foods in dry ice to ensure freshness for three days during transit. Spot & Tango's fresh food and UnKibble variations meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profile guidelines for all life stages.

Spot & Tango UnKibble recipes

Spot & Tango markets its UnKibble range as the only fresh dry food for dogs. UnKibble is Spot & Tango's most popular product line and is more reasonably priced than its fresh food. 

Unlike many kibbles, UnKibble isn’t extruded and contains no meat meal or powdered meat. Every recipe lists a named quality meat source as the first ingredient. Other ingredients include sweet potatoes and carrots, which are rich in dietary fiber and essential nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B6, calcium, and potassium.

UnKibble should be stored in a cool, dry place. Sealed bags can last 12 months, while unsealed bags should be consumed within three to four weeks.

Spot & Tango UnKibble recipes contain an average of 27% protein as dry matter, which is considered just above average for dry dog food. 

Spot & Tango UnKibble is available in the following four varieties:

• Cod & Salmon (grain-free)
  
• Beef & Barley
• Chicken & Brown Rice
• Turkey & Sweet Potato

Spot & Tango fresh recipes

Just like UnKibble, Spot & Tango fresh recipes consist of 100% whole foods and no artificial preservatives or additives. All recipes are GMO, gluten, and hormone-free. 

Every recipe lists a named quality meat as the top ingredient and main protein source. Each recipe lists spinach and carrot within the top five ingredients. Cooked spinach is an excellent source of iron and vitamins A, B, C, and K. Carrots are high in dietary fiber, beta-carotene, and minerals.

For all these reasons and so many more, we ranked Spot & Tango as one of the best overall fresh dog food brands.

You should store Spot & Tango fresh recipes in the freezer and feed them to your dog within six months. Once defrosted, use within four days. 

Beef & Millet and Turkey & Red Quinoa are grain-free Spot & Tango fresh dog food varieties. Millet and red quinoa are considered seeds, not grains. 

Spot & Tango fresh recipes contain an average of 40.5% protein as dry matter, which is considered above average for fresh dog food. 

Spot & Tango fresh dog food is available in the following three varieties:

• Turkey & Red Quinoa
• Beef & Millet
• Lamb & Brown Rice

Here are a few reasons why Wag! highly rates Spot & Tango dog food.

Recommended by Wag!'s pet nutrition expert, Dr. Georgia Jeremiah

With its AAFCO nutrient profile for all life stages and its whole, high-quality ingredients, Spot & Tango is highly regarded by many veterinarians. Dr. Georgia Jeremiah, pet nutrition expert and member of Wag!’s licensed veterinary team, recommends Spot & Tango to pet parents. She says:

"Spot & Tango offers customized human-grade meal plans for pups with the added benefit of being shelf-stable. Nutrient profiles are preserved through low-temperature dehydration, products have guaranteed nutrient analyses, and all recipes are developed by certified veterinary nutritionists. If your pup turns their nose up, Spot and Tango also offer a ‘Happy Pup’ guarantee and will give you 100% of your money back after their 2-week trial."

Quality, human-grade recipes

Both the fresh and UnKibble varieties of Spot & Tango are some of the best-looking dog foods we've come across. The whole, human-grade ingredients in each food are clear to see, and the fresh recipes have lots of moisture and texture. 

Each ingredient in Spot & Tango dog food is cooked separately at low temperatures before being mixed, then flash-frozen for freshness. Recipes are formulated by veterinary nutritionists and cooked in USDA-approved kitchens in New York and Wisconsin. 

Environmentally-friendly ingredients and packaging

Spot & Tango sources all its ingredients from the US, with its meat coming from trusted farms that believe in the humane treatment of animals. Plus, the packaging and containers are 100% recyclable — you can simply put all the packaging straight in your recycling bin!

Personalized meal plans and flexible delivery

Personalized meal plans with daily calories and costs calculated make feeding your dog Spot & Tango super simple. Deliveries are fast and easy to edit, meaning your pup will never miss a meal. 

After your initial order, you'll receive your dog food within 5 business days. Delivery dates, cancellations, and portion sizes can be changed from your account. You can arrange deliveries for every week, two weeks, four weeks, or eight weeks, depending on your dog's needs. 

The Happy Pup Guarantee

The Happy Pup Guarantee ensures you can try out a Spot & Tango subscription without paying. Spot & Tango will give you a full refund if your dog doesn't like the food. Plus, you can save 20% on your first order at the checkout.

Here are a few concerns and considerations to think about before buying Spot & Tango dog food.

Higher quality means higher prices

Due to its human-grade, whole ingredients, Spot & Tango is pricier than many other dog foods. For example, feeding a 40-pound, one-year-old mixed breed with normal activity levels and no health conditions Beef & Millet fresh food costs around $61 per week. 

That said, UnKibble is an excellent alternative to many frozen fresh dog foods. Spot & Tango advertizes UnKibble as being 40% less expensive on average than frozen fresh dog food. The Spot & Tango Beef and Barley UnKibble recipe for the same 40-pound dog costs around $36 per week. 

Lack of recipe varieties

With only three fresh and four UnKibble recipes apiece, Spot & Tango dog food lacks the variety offered by some other dog food brands. If your dog has an allergy or sensitivity to common ingredients like carrots or spinach, you'll have to opt for an alternative to Spot & Tango.

"I love that spot and tango had me do a separate profile for both of my dogs so I know that they’re just not getting any old food, they’re getting food specifically cater to themselves. My dogs have tried a few fresh food brands, but eventually they stopped eating the food, and I was wasting a lot of money. Spot & Tango was a big hit with both of my dogs!!!"

"I tried a couple of fresh foods and one other healthy air dried food, but Spot & Tango Unkibble was the best choice for our Maltese and Havapoo. Both pups love the Unkibble and attack it enthusiastically at every meal. They transitioned to it very easily and have had no digestive issues like they had with some [of] the other foods. We are very happy with the Unkibble."

See more reviews on TrustPilot.

Spot & Tango's founder and CEO, Russell Breuer, came up with the idea for a fresh human-grade dog food company following a wide-reaching 2007 pet food recall. Russell and his wife began feeding their mini Goldendoodle, Jack, homemade recipes based on his research about canine physiology. 

Seeing how Jack wolfed down his new food, Russell decided to start his own business making high-quality dog food based on recipes fed to Jack. Spot & Tango was officially founded in 2018, with fresh recipes as its first products. Spot & Tango still use those same original recipes in their fresh dog food.

Spot & Tango has one recall in its history. In September 2022, Spot & Tango recalled four batches of its UnKibble dog food due to samples testing positive for Salmonella.

Spot & Tango sent a private email to customers informing them of the recall and affected lot numbers. Spot & Tango advised customers to dispose of the product and fill out a form to get a full refund.

All product images sourced from the Spot & Tango website. Copyright Spot & Tango.