Spot & Tango Dog Food Review

What is Spot & Tango?

We want to treat our dogs like family—so we want to feed them like family. That’s why there’s been an explosion in options for fresh-made, human-grade foods for dogs that are delivered to your door, stored in your freezer, and then defrosted when it’s doggie dinner time. Those meals can take up a ton of freezer and fridge space, though: So Spot & Tango offers something else: In addition to fridge-and-freezer meals, Spot & Tango will deliver “UnKibble,” an Fresh Dry™, human-grade dry food that’s easier to store and serve.

Spot & Tango’s food options make it easier to feed your dog fresh, USDA-approved human-grade food than with any other pet food subscription delivery service. If you’d like to store meals in the freezer, defrost them and then serve—Spot & Tango offers three “fresh recipes” that might be right for your dog. But if you want to save on freezer space, there are two varieties of UnKibble, which can be stored in a cabinet and served from the bag without defrosting. Both the fresh and UnKibble recipes are made with “human-grade” ingredients, meaning they’re fit for human consumption. Both types of Spot & Tango food were developed and formulated by animal nutritionists and veterinarians, and they both meet the nutritional level standards established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for pet food. And both UnKibble and the fresh recipes feature meats and vegetables you can see.

For the fresh recipes, those meats are Turkey, Beef and Lamb. Spot & Tango’s Turkey & Red Quinoa recipe also includes apple, egg, spinach, carrots, peas and parsley. The Beef & Millet recipe swaps the apple for cranberries, and the Lamb & Brown Rice recipe uses blueberries with the same egg and vegetable mix. Those might seem like a lot of vegetables for an animal we think of as a carnivore, but research shows that when dogs consume vegetables three times per week, their risk of cancer is greatly reduced. All three recipes are also fortified with safflower oil for healthy fat and a vitamin and mineral mix that includes B, D and E vitamins.

The UnKibble recipes also contain lots of veggies—sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, green beans, rosemary and more—mixed into two varieties. There’s Beef & Barley and Chicken & Brown Rice. Both have fish oil, as well as a vitamin and mineral mix.

The protein content for both fresh and UnKibble food from Spot & Tango is higher, at 12 to 14 percent of the meal, than other subscription pet providers.

Whether you choose fresh recipes or UnKibble for your delivery, Spot & Tango makes it simple to give your dog the perfect portion to maintain their healthy weight. Fresh recipes come in pre-portioned packs that are personalized to your dog: Just open one pack, and empty the whole thing into your pet’s bowl. For owners that choose UnKibble, Spot & Tango provides a custom molded scoop to give your buddy the perfect portion according to your dog’s specific caloric needs.

How does the company know your dog’s specific nutritional requirements? By taking the information from a simple quiz: When you sign up for Spot & Tango, you’ll provide your dog’s name, gender, age, body shape, weight, activity level, breed, and information on whether he or she is fixed, as well as any health issues. The company uses this information to determine how much food your dog needs—as well as the price—and sets up a two-week trial for your dog.

If you opt for the trial box, you’ll get a discount off the normal price for Spot & Tango food: That normal price starts at $1.89 per meal for UnKibble food, and $3.39 per meal for the fresh food. No matter which you choose, the trial box is shipped to your home for free. After your two-week trial, you’ll get a new shipment every four weeks—though you can pause or cancel your subscription at any time. And if your dog doesn’t like the two-week trial, Spot & Tango will give you a full refund.

Spot & Tango’s fans say the food is perfect for picky eaters, and has helped with digestion, given their dogs shinier coats, and generally made them happier and more energetic. And with their UnKibble option, Spot & Tango can be cheaper and more convenient than other human-grade food delivery subscriptions.

Spot & Tango gives you two options for feeding your pet human-grade food—fresh recipes that store in your freezer, as well as Fresh Dry™ “UnKibble” that can be stored in a cabinet. With either option, Spot & Tango makes it simple to ensure you’re feeding your dog the perfect portion: Fresh recipes come in pre-portioned packs, and UnKibble bags come with a scoop that’s custom-made based on your dog’s weight, breed, activity levels, body shape, age and medical issues.

How It Works

Spot & Tango delivers pre-portioned fresh meals—or Fresh Dry™ “UnKibble” with a custom portioning scoop—directly to your door with a monthly subscription. The portions of each meal (or scoop) are designed for your dog’s weight, age, breed, body shape, activity level and health issues.

When you sign up, you’ll start by filling out a quiz about your pet. This includes their name, age, sex, breed and weight. You’ll also be asked to choose their body shape—“a little skinny,” “just right” or “a little chubby,” with helpful cartoons and descriptions for each. And you’ll be asked about your dog’s activity level—“lazy,” “active” or “very active”—and any medical issues your dog is experiencing.

When you’ve finished building your pet’s profile, Spot & Tango asks you to choose between their fresh recipes, which are stored in the freezer and then thawed before serving, and their shelf-stable, dry food called “UnKibble.” Each type of food has three recipes. Spot & Tango chooses one to recommend for you, but you can choose to have more than one flavor in your two-week trial box. When we filled in the info for our 40-pound, mixed breed dog, we chose UnKibble food, and chose the Beef & Barley and Chicken & Brown Rice flavors.

If you order the fresh recipes, your pet’s specific nutritional needs determines how much food is in each packet: You just open the packet and empty all its contents into your dog’s bowl at each meal time. For UnKibble, Spot & Tango provides a custom molded scoop for your dog’s nutritional needs, so you can easily measure a perfect portion of their air-dried food.

The fresh food can also be ordered as “top up,” providing half of your dog’s nutritional needs. This is a cheaper option, and requires mixing the Spot & Tango food with your dog’s “regular” food to give it a nutritional boost.

Spot & Tango will also offer you optional treats for your order—dried sweet potato chunks for $12 per bag of 20 treats, and dried pieces of USDA-certified chicken breast, at $14 for a bag of 23 treats.

The price of each delivery is determined by your pet’s nutritional needs, as well as the types and flavors of each food you choose—so the price is different for every dog. UnKibble meals start at $1.89 per meal, and fresh recipes start at $3.39 per meal. For our 40-pound dog to get UnKibble in the chicken and beef flavors it would cost $37 per week at the normal price—the two-week trial is offered with a 20 percent discount, so the cost would be $28.06 per week.

For fresh meals, the beef and turkey varieties are less expensive than the lamb. If we chose beef and turkey meals with the 20 percent discount, our first two weeks would have cost $49.18, down from the regular price of $61.47 per week. For a “topper” plan of these same meals, where Spot & Tango food would be mixed with “regular” dog food, the price would be $20.74 per week with the trial discount, or $25.92 regularly.

The two week trial of food is shipped for free anywhere in the contiguous 48 states. Fresh recipes are delivered in a temperature-controlled box with dry ice and insulation. When they arrive, Spot & Tango fresh meals should be moved to the freezer, where they can be stored for up to six months. Once a pack of the fresh food is defrosted, it will stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to four days.

Bags of UnKibble and Spot & Tango treats that are delivered don’t need to be refrigerated or frozen. They can be stored, unopened, for up to a year, and will last in a cabinet for 8 weeks once they’ve been opened.

When it’s feeding time with the fresh recipes, there’s no measuring needed: Just pull out one of the pre-portioned packages from the fridge, open it, and empty the entire package into your pet’s bowl.

For UnKibble, portioning is easy: Spot & Tango provides a custom molded scoop designed for your dog’s nutritional needs.

Fresh meals have the appearance of a chopped up hamburger (or turkey or lamb burger) that’s been mixed with vegetables—because that’s what it is. Spot & Tango’s fresh meals are made from USDA human-grade meat and vegetables, and are supplemented with egg, fruits, oils, and a vitamin and mineral mixture.

UnKibble pieces look a little like dried meatballs. Each bowl also contains some dried berries and pieces of vegetables.

Once your two-week trial box is finished, Spot & Tango will bill you and ship four weeks of food at a time. You can pause or cancel your plan at any time, and you can change the amount of food you’re sent—you can switch to the half-portion plan, switch from frozen food to dry food, or change the recipes you’re being sent.

If your pet doesn’t like Spot & Tango’s food during your two-week trial, the company will refund your purchase price.

Recipes and Ingredients

Spot & Tango offers three varieties of its fresh recipes for dogs: Turkey & Red Quinoa, Beef & Millet, and Lamb & Brown Rice. Each starts with human-grade meat, which is mixed with vegetables and oils, and supplemented with vitamins and minerals.

All three recipes include egg, spinach, carrots, peas and parsley, but each has a different fruit inside: Turkey & Red quinoa has apple, Beef & Millet has cranberries, and the Lamb & Brown Rice recipe uses blueberries. The berries and vegetables are flecked throughout the package in chunks you can see. The meats and veggies are supplemented with safflower oil, vegetable stock and a vitamin and mineral mix.

Spot & Tango’s shelf-stable “UnKibble” is offered in two varieties: Beef & Barley and Chicken & Brown Rice.

The Beef & Barley includes the title ingredients, but also flax, carrots, green beans, beef liver, beef heart, cranberries, rosemary, kelp and a vitamin and mineral mix.

Chicken & Brown Rice has chicken meat, brown rice, sweet potatoes, apples, kale, chicken livers, chicken gizzards, sunflower seeds, ginger root, kelp and a vitamin and mineral mix.
Like the fresh recipes, all the meats and vegetables inside are USDA human-grade. The ingredients are air-dried through a trademarked process called “Fresh Dry,” so the food is able to be kept in the bag in a cabinet—like jerky.

Spot & Tango also offers two kinds of treats. Each has just one ingredient each: Yam Yums are 100 percent dried sweet potato, and Chicken Munchies are 100 percent USDA chicken breast.

None of Spot & Tango’s meals or treats have any preservatives or fillers, and they are non-GMO and hormone-free.

Spot & Tango Cost

The price of your Spot & Tango subscription is determined by the weight, age, breed, body shape, activity level and medical issues of your pet. So the price is different for everyone: Great Danes come with a great cost, while a chihuahua’s bill will be much less.

Spot & Tango’s food types and recipes also have different costs: UnKibble food is less expensive than fresh recipes, and the price varies even among the different flavors: For our dog, a meal of Beef & Barley UnKibble is $1.89, while a Chicken & Brown Rice meal is $2.12. Fresh meals start at $3.39 per meal, with the lamb variety costing more than turkey and beef.

For our 40-pound dog, UnKibble in the chicken and beef flavors would cost $37 per week at the normal price—the two-week trial is offered with a 20 percent discount, so the cost would be $28.06 per week.

If we chose beef and turkey fresh meals with the 20 percent discount, our first two weeks would have cost $49.18, down from the regular price of $61.47 per week.

That’s expensive, and some pets need some time to adjust to an all-fresh diet. That’s why Spot & Tango offers a “topper” plan for the fresh meals, where you mix their food with your dog’s “regular” food. For a “topper” plan of these same meals, where Spot & Tango food would be mixed with “regular” dog food, the price would be $20.74 per week with the trial discount, or $25.92 regularly.

Spot & Tango starts with a two-week trial. Trial food is shipped for free anywhere in the contiguous 48 states. Fresh meals are delivered in a box with insulation and dry ice. Delivery windows and dates can be set to fit your schedule. When fresh meals arrive, most of your Spot & Tango food should be moved to the freezer. A few of the pre-portioned packets can be kept in the refrigerator, and you’ll thaw more every few days.

The UnKibble is also shipped free, but doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Once it’s opened, it should be used within eight weeks.

Once your two-week trial box is finished, Spot & Tango will bill you and ship four weeks of food at a time. You can pause or cancel your plan at any time, and you can change the amount of food you’re sent—you can switch to the half-portion plan, or change the recipes or type of food you’re being sent.

How Does It Compare?

With so many human-grade pet foods, it’s hard to know which one is perfect for your pet. Here’s how Spot & Tango stacks up:

Why We Love It: The Bottom Line

Spot & Tango delivers human-grade dog food directly to your door in pre-portioned or easy-to-portion options to give your dog just the right amount to maintain a healthy weight. But with its UnKibble air-dried option, Spot & Tango stands apart from other human-grade subscription pet services: While all-fresh diets can take up a lot of freezer space, Spot & Tango’s air-dried food provides an option that can be stored safely in a cabinet.

By building a simple profile of your pet with their short quiz, Spot & Tango learns your pet’s weight, age, breed, body shape, activity level and medical issues to cater portion sizes that are perfect for your pet. Both their fresh recipes and UnKibble are made of hormone-free, USDA human-grade meats and vegetables, and shipped to your door without fees.

Spot & Tango fans say picky eaters lick their bowls clean, and dogs have healthier digestive systems, shinier coats and more energy than ever before.

But the absolute best thing about Spot & Tango is how easy it is to feed your dog the right amount of human-grade food: Fresh recipes are pre-portioned for your dog’s needs: Just open a defrosted package and pour the whole contents into your dog’s bowl. Air-dried bags of UnKibble come with a custom scooper designed for the correct portion for your pooch—so measuring the right amount is simple.

About Spot & Tango

Russell Breuer had been making home-cooked meals for his dog, Jack, when he decided there should be a source for dog lovers to easily get human-grade meals for their dogs. This led him to found Spot & Tango in 2013, partnering with veterinarians and animal nutritionists to make food that is delivered directly to pet owners. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.