Dogs are our best friends, so it's only fair we treat them wonderfully, starting with their food. Some owners take the natural, homemade dog food route, some the million-pound Costco bag, and others the bag with the cutest dog on it.
We all aim to provide our dog the best meals and nutrition, but how can you identify the best option? We decided to dig into popular dry dog food brands to see for ourselves which one comes out on top.
We started our research and decided to compare Blue Buffalo and Taste of The Wild. We'd also heard a lot about Spot & Tango, a newer, personalized dog food subscription brand, so we threw them into the mix, too!
Key Similarities
- All meet the standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)
- All have food for dogs of every age
- All offer grain-free options
Key Differences
- Spot & Tango offers a completely customized plan that can grow with your dog, unlike the others
- Spot & Tango is vet-formulated and never recalled, while both Taste Of The Wild and Blue Buffalo were linked to canine heart disease*
Spot & Tango Overview
When we first spotted Spot & Tango and their fresh, whole ingredient meals, we thought, no - not another homemade dog food brand! There are many potential risks with homemade dog food recipes. You can include wrong ingredients which spoil more readily, but the most common pitfall is a lack of the key nutrients dogs leading to an unbalanced diet.
Luckily, Spot & Tango isn't that at all. Their dry dog food, UnKibble, is unlike any other brand's kibble. Their recipes are made with 100% whole ingredients and are GMO, hormone, and preservative-free. You get the freshness of homemade dog food, while being confident that your dog's receiving their full dietary requirements.
UnKibble offers flavors like Beef & Barley, Chicken & Brown Rice, and Cod & Salmon so there's a fresh flavor for every dog's taste.
Signing up for Spot & Tango and their personalized dog food is beyond simple. Simply take a quiz about your dog's age and breed, and Spot & Tango will provide the best option for your pup. You can control your rate of delivery, change plans - and the best part - say goodbye to lugging that awkward 20 lb bag of dog food to your car.
High-Quality Ingredients: 9.8/10, Personalisation: 9.9/10, Convenience: 9.5/10 Variety of Recipies: 8.8/10, Overall Score: 9.7/10
Spot & Tango: Unkibble
Fresh Dog Food at an Affordable Price
Special Offer For Our Readers:
For A Limited-Time Save 50% OFF!
Taste of The Wild Overview
Taste of The Wild focuses on your dog's ancestral diet. Honing in on major proteins, they feature bison, smoked salmon, roasted duck, and wild boar.
They offer two kinds of dog food; their PREY line, based on protein sources of your dog's native diet, and their classic Taste of The Wild line, which is based on a contemporary diet. Unfortunately, they do not break down their puppy formulas based on size, so depending on your breed, you might need to change up the formula.
High-Quality Ingredients: 9/10, Personalization: 8.6/10, Convenience: 8/10 Variety of Recipies: 9.1/10, Overall Score: 8.8/10
Blue Buffalo Overview
Blue Buffalo provides natural dog food for dogs at every age. Within each age range - puppy, adult, or senior - they'll recommend a few that will suit your dog. Their best-seller, the Life Protection Formula, has no corn, wheat, or soy, and doesn't contain any by-products or artificial preservatives.
Similar to Taste Of The Wild, they had so many options it was dizzying. We weren't sure where to start or how to know what our dog needed specifically. Blue Buffalo has different recipes to choose from but they have had quite a few recalls and there was speculation that some of their recipes contained high amounts of lead.**
High-Quality Ingredients: 6/10, Personalization: 7.5/10, Convenience: 7.9/10 Variety of Recipies: 8/10, Overall Score: 7.4/10
Verdict
Shockingly the vote was unanimous for once, and we're going with Spot & Tango as the top dry dog food! To start, they're backed by veterinarians and the customized plan is ridiculously convenient. We feel like Spot & Tango really knows our dogs now and precisely what they need.
Unfortunately, we were completely put off by the fact that the FDA, in 2019, has included Taste of The Wild and Blue Buffalo as dog foods linked to Canine heart diseases.* Making our decision to stick to Spot & Tango that much easier.
What truly blew us away is how Spot & Tango's recipes are made with 100% whole ingredients. They only use whole foods to pack their recipes with maximum nutrition, which is the best thing for your canine.
We've finally found the freshest, healthiest dry dog food, and can add some time back in our day. More time to play with our pups!
Spot & Tango has extended a special limited-time offer to our readers: Save 50% Off Your First Order TODAY By Following This Link!
*https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-names-16-brands-dog-food-linked-canine-heart-disease-n1025466
**https://www.petful.com/brands/blue-buffalo/