Spot & Tango UnKibble Review

If you’ve always wanted to put your dog on a fresh food diet but never had the time or the budget to make it happen, there might be a compromise. UnKibble is a new dry food made from the same fresh ingredients that go into Spot & Tango’s fresh dog food recipe, but with less mess and priced as low as half the cost of the brand’s fresh recipes.

We’ve reviewed Spot & Tango in the past and found that their recipes contained healthy ingredients and high levels of protein. In this review, we’ll go specifically into Spot & Tango’s UnKibble dry food to see if it lives up to the hype.

Quality Of Ingredients

Overall, we’re impressed with the short list of ingredients on each UnKibble recipe. The formulas all contain just around a dozen ingredients, excluding vitamins and minerals, which is roughly the same number of ingredients included in each of Spot & Tango’s fresh food flavors. With such a limited recipe, there are no fillers or hidden ingredients to look out for.

Spot & Tango’s real claim to fame is that all of its recipes are made entirely from human-grade ingredients, all of which meet USDA standards to be eaten by people. There are no artificial preservatives, additives, or meat meals, which are often found in store-bought kibble. Ingredients are sourced from local farmers and produced in Wisconsin.

UnKibble is made using Spot & Tangos’ proprietary Fresh Dry^TM process, which dehydrates the food at a lower temperature over a longer period of time than traditional kibble. This helps to better preserve the nutritional value of the ingredients.

It’s important to note that while all of Spot & Tango’s fresh recipes are gluten-free, this doesn’t carry over to every UnKibble recipe. One of the three recipes, Beef & Barley, has barley listed as its second ingredient – a gluten-containing grain. This shouldn’t be an issue for most dogs, but is something to be aware of if your pup does have a gluten sensitivity.

Full Ingredients And Analysis

Analyzing the first 10 ingredients in a dog food is a great way to understand the overall nutrient content of the dog food because AAFCO requires all dog food ingredients to be listed in order of predominance by their weight. Here’s a closer look at what’s inside Spot & Tango UnKibble Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe:

Ingredients You May Wonder About:

Chicken, Chicken Liver, Chicken Gizzards: Three chicken ingredients are used in this recipe; chicken liver is particularly high in vitamins and minerals, while gizzards contain beneficial cartilage. ^Reference

Brown Rice: As far as grains go, brown rice is easy to digest and filled with fiber and nutrients. ^Reference

Sweet Potato: This starchy vegetable is high in fiber, which improves digestion and helps lower the risk of heart disease and cancer.  ^Reference

Carrots: Carrots are just as good for pups as they are for people. They’re a great source of vitamin A and potassium. ^Reference

Apples: Dogs can benefit from the vitamin A, vitamin C, and dietary fiber found in apples. ^Reference

Kale: Although kale is generally safe for canines, you should avoid giving it to your dog if there’s a history of bladder or kidney stones. ^Reference

Sunflower Seeds: Healthy fats are an important part of a well-balanced diet, and sunflower seeds are particularly high in omega-3 fatty acids. ^Reference

Ginger Root: Ginger is a superfood that has multiple benefits for your pup’s health. Several studies have shown that it helps promote digestive motility and is sometimes used to treat dogs with heart disease and arthritis. ^Reference

Kelp: Kelp is high in iodine, which is essential for regulating thyroid hormones and maintaining a healthy skin and coat. ^Reference

Salt: All animals need sodium; it plays an important role in fluid retention, nerve function, and muscular development. ^Reference

Mixed Tocopherols: This natural alternative to artificial preservatives helps keep dry kibble fresh and prevents fatty ingredients from spoiling. ^Reference

Vitamins & Minerals: At first we had some trouble finding the specific vitamins and minerals that Spot & Tango includes in its UnKibble recipes, but eventually we were able to dig them up on the brand’s website. We were pleasantly surprised to see mostly natural sources of extra nutrients, such as fish oil and a plant-based vitamin blend.

Spot & Tango UnKibble Product Line

UnKibble is currently available in three different flavors, each of which has a unique recipe and source of ingredients.

Beef & Barley

UnKibble’s Beef & Barley recipe is the least expensive of the three, likely due to the lower cost of ingredients such as barley. While this food is not gluten-free, barley has been scientifically proven as a safe ingredient in dog food and should not cause any issues unless your dog has a grain or gluten sensitivity. Overall, this recipe is a great option if you’re limited to a tight budget.

Chicken & Brown Rice

We’ve already discussed the Chicken & Brown Rice recipe in depth. It contains chicken as its main animal protein along with plant-based sources of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Duck & Salmon

The Duck & Salmon recipe is the only one of the three that is grain-free. Protein comes from duck and salmon, while carbohydrate sources include tapioca and sweet potatoes. At 29.68%, this UnKibble recipe is also the highest in protein.

About Spot & Tango

Spot & Tango is a primarily fresh dog food manufacturer that recently entered the dry food market with UnKibble. They focus on providing high-quality dog food with only fresh, human-grade ingredients. All recipes are formulated and approved by veterinarians.

Where To Buy

The only place to purchase Spot & Tango UnKibble is directly from their website. To buy UnKibble, you’ll first be required to answer a series of questions about your pup, such as his age, breed, weight, and health conditions. Based on this information, you’ll be shown a series of plan options with pricing for each recipe in the exact serving size your pup needs. You’ll have the ability to choose one or more recipes depending on your dog’s preferences and your budget. Then, Spot & Tango will automatically ship you your dog’s food every four weeks, so you’ll never have to remember to buy more.