Russell Breuer is the founder and CEO of Breuer Premium Pet Food Company. It also operates under the name Spot & Tango. Spot & Tango has been operating since 2018. The company has 2 investors. The company is based in Bedford, New York.
The company has plants in New York and Wisconsin. They opened a new plant in Pennsylvania in 2022. It’s where they make freeze-dried products.
The company sells its products by subscription. Food is shipped directly to purchasers.
For our Spot & Tango dog food review, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety of each line of food. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
IS SPOT & TANGO A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Spot & Tango produces 2 lines of lightly processed dog foods. There is Unkibble, an air-dried line with 3 recipes. There is Fresh, a lightly cooked frozen diet with 3 recipes. They are both moderate risk by our criteria.
They describe Fresh as slow-cooked and flash-frozen. It’s cooked in small batches. Unkibble is dried at low temperatures. The exact temperature is not provided.
They sell these foods by subscription. They tailor meals to a dog’s age, weight, and health goals. Then they determine portion sizes. They recommend the appropriate recipe.
Spot & Tango uses human-grade ingredients. Until recently, human grade wasn’t a recognized term by AAFCO. AAFCO is the regulatory body for pet food. They establish guidelines for the industry. It was strictly a marketing term. AAFCO has new guidelines for facilities producing human-grade pet foods. Among them, companies must have documentation. They must show that every ingredient and process is human grade. There is a break-in period of several years.
The website states they source ingredients from trusted suppliers. It does not provide further details. There are no organic certifications. It doesn’t provide information about the quality or treatment of its protein animals.
All recipes are high in carbohydrates. They’re described as gluten-free. They still have high carb ingredients. Fresh recipes have quinoa, peas, millet and rice. Unkibble recipes have sweet potatoes, tapioca, barley and rice. Rice also has potential for arsenic contamination.
Dogs have no nutritional need for carbohydrates. But extrusion in dry foods needs starch. They don’t use an extrusion process so starch isn’t needed. Excessive carbohydrates indicate food quality. It can reduce manufacturing costs. High-carb foods can raise insulin and cause obesity. Studies show that a high-carb diet can change gut bacteria.
Unkibble recipes have added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Fresh has added minerals. These aren’t the typical pre-mixes. A couple of added vitamins are acceptable. Five or more imply ingredients lack nutrients.
Unkibble also has unnamed animal protein. It can be from cheaper, rendered waste. Two recipes have cellulose powder. This is a low quality fiber. It’s often made from wood pulp. Whole foods are a preferable source. Fresh recipes use inflammatory, ultra-processed seed oil.
Both lines are moderately processed using low heat. There can still be some loss of nutrients.
Both lines have high pesticide ingredients in the top 5. Spraying poses a significant health risk to plants, animals and soils. They don’t use GMOs. Using organic produce would eliminate the risk of pesticides and GMOs.
It’s notable that Unkibble has fruits and vegetables high on the ingredient list. But they also have many listed near the end of the list. When they’re listed after salt, they are glam ingredients. They’re found in such small amounts that they contribute little or no nutritional value.
Spot & Tango doesn’t state whether fish or fish oil is from farmed or wild sources. Wild-caught fish is more nutritious. It has a better fatty acid balance than farmed fish. Spot & Tango doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio. This is true of most companies. It’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
The average score of each Spot & Tango line is listed below. Click on any line to view the individual foods and scores.
Spot & Tango Unkibble
Score: 5.5/10
Ingredient List For Cod & Salmon Recipe: Cod, salmon, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, tapioca, strawberries, carrots, spinach, parsley, rosemary, kelp, salt, mixed tocopherols (natural source of vitamin E), vitamins & minerals, dicalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, sea salt, flaxseed oil, choline chloride, L-tryptophan, L-threonine, organic zinc proteinate, iron amino acid chelate, organic selenium yeast, vitamin E supplement, beet, tomato, broccoli, carrot, spinach, orange, cherry, cranberry, strawberry, apple, blueberry, pumpkin, copper amino acid chelate, vitamin B12, manganese amino acid chelate, rosemary extract and mixed tocopherols, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxin hydrochloride, folic acid.
Spot & Tango Unkibble is a moderate risk dog food by our criteria. There are 3 recipes with average protein of 28%. There are 42% average carbohydrates as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for high carbohydrates. They have added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The recipes have unnamed animal protein. They use cellulose. This is a moderately processed food but it does lose an ingredient safety point for heating. They have high pesticide foods in the top 5 ingredients. They use rice that can contain arsenic. Spot & Tango doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio. This is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Unkibble Benefits
- Made in house
- No GMOs
Unkibble Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Added vitamins and minerals
- Added amino acids
- Unnamed protein
- Cellulose
- Moderately processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- Contains rice
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
- Glam ingredients
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
Spot & Tango Fresh
Score: 6.3/10
Ingredient List For Turkey & Red Quinoa Recipe: Turkey, red quinoa, spinach, carrots, peas, apple, eggs, parsely, apple cider vinegar, safflower oil, vegetable stock, vitamins & minerals, calcium phosphate, salt, calcium carbonate, magnesium, kelp, potassium, vitamin E, zinc, iron, manganese, vitamin D3, copper, selenium, folic acid, iodine, vitamin B12.
Spot & Tango Fresh is a moderate risk dog food by our criteria. There are 3 recipes with average protein of 41%. There are 26% average carbohydrates as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for high carbohydrates. They have added minerals. The recipes have inflammatory seed oil. This is a moderately processed food but it does lose an ingredient safety point for heating. They have high pesticide foods in the top 5 ingredients. They use rice that can contain arsenic. Spot & Tango doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio. This is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Fresh Benefits
- Made in house
- No GMOs
- No added amino acids
- High protein
Fresh Concerns
- High in carbohydrates
- Added minerals
- Contains seed oil
- Moderately processed
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top 5 ingredients
- Contains rice
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Doesn’t specify farmed or wild-caught fish
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
SPOT & TANGO DOG FOOD RECALLS
Spot & Tango has one recall as follows:
Sept. 6, 2022 – Voluntary recall issued to direct account customers after products tested positive for salmonella. Terminated Feb 3, 2023.
Evaluation Criteria
We evaluate and score dog foods based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low-quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:
- How processed is the food?
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor, which are often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally has partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
