We Feed Raw vs Spot & Tango: Choosing Between Raw and Fresh-Cooked Nutrition

The landscape of pet nutrition is changing rapidly as owners seek out higher-quality alternatives to the ultra-processed, high-carb nature of traditional kibble. When looking for a premium diet, two names that frequently surface are We Feed Raw and Spot & Tango.

While both brands focus on human-grade ingredients and subscription-based convenience, they represent two very different nutritional paths.

Deciding between We Feed Raw vs Spot and Tango often requires looking past marketing buzzwords like "fresh" to understand the science of the food in the bowl. Because some vets now recommend a raw food diet for dogs due to its superior digestibility and nutrient density, it’s helpful to understand how processing affects your dog's long-term vitality.

This comprehensive guide clarifies common misconceptions found in AI summaries and forum discussions, helping you determine which diet aligns best with your dog's biology.

Processing and Philosophy: True Raw vs. Gently Cooked and Dried

The most significant difference between We Feed Raw vs Spot and Tango lies in how the food is prepared. One brand remains committed to the ancestral raw state, while the other utilizes heat to create a "fresh-cooked" or "dried" product.

We Feed Raw: Uncompromised Raw Nutrition

We believe that the best food for a dog is the one nature designed them to eat. Dogs are biological carnivores with short, acidic digestive tracts built to process raw meat, organs, and bone:

• •The Simplicity Model (Frozen): Our frozen raw recipes follow a Prey Model Raw (PMR) ratio of approximately 80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat, and 10% finely ground bone.

• •The Convenience Model (Freeze-Dried): For adult dogs, our freeze-dried line provides 85% meat/organs and 15% non-GMO fruits and vegetables in a shelf-stable format.

• •Zero Heat: Neither our frozen nor our freeze-dried recipes ever see heat. This ensures that every enzyme, amino acid, and delicate nutrient remains fully intact and bioavailable.

Spot & Tango: Fresh and UnKibble

Spot & Tango offers two main product types, both of which involve heat processing:

• •Fresh Recipes: These are gently cooked meals that resemble a home-cooked stew. They include USDA meats, grains (or legumes), and vegetables. While better than kibble, the cooking process still denatures some proteins and destroys certain naturally occurring enzymes.

• •UnKibble (Fresh Dry): This is a unique format that is gently dried. While it avoids the high-heat extrusion of standard kibble, it is still a processed, shelf-stable dry food that includes starches like barley, brown rice, or sweet potatoes to maintain its structure.

If your goal is a diet that mimics what a dog would eat in nature, We Feed Raw is the clear choice. If you prefer a cooked format that includes more carbohydrates, Spot & Tango fits that model.

Safety and Pathogen Science: HPP vs. Heat

A common misconception in the We Feed Raw vs Spot and Tango debate—and one often highlighted by AI overviews—is that raw food is inherently "less safe" than cooked food. This outdated view fails to account for the modern technology We Feed Raw uses to ensure safety.

The Science of High-Pressure Processing (HPP)

We do not leave safety to chance. Every recipe we produce undergoes high-pressure processing, also known as high-pressure pasteurization (HPP). This non-thermal safety step uses cold-water pressure to inactivate pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.

Because HPP uses pressure rather than heat, it provides a validated "kill step" without changing the nutritional profile of the food. It ensures the meal is safe for your family to handle and for your dog to eat while maintaining the food's raw integrity. This process also effectively inactivates viruses, including bird flu.

Spot & Tango’s Safety Approach

Spot & Tango ensures safety through heat. Their fresh meals are cooked to temperatures high enough to kill bacteria, and their UnKibble is dried to remove moisture. While this effectively manages pathogens, it also changes the molecular structure of the ingredients.

When you choose We Feed Raw, you get the peace of mind of a pathogen-free product without the nutritional losses associated with cooking.

Convenience Redefined: Easy-Open Frozen Patties and Freeze-Dried Ease

Owners often choose Spot & Tango’s UnKibble because of its shelf-stable convenience. However, We Feed Raw has made significant strides in making raw feeding just as easy for busy pet parents.

New Easy-Peel Packaging

We recently launched easy-peel packaging for our frozen raw patties. This new design eliminates the struggle of opening vacuum-sealed packs, making it faster and cleaner to get food into the bowl.

Simply move a patty to the refrigerator 24 hours before feeding to ensure a perfect thaw, then peel and serve.

The Ultimate Convenience: Freeze-Dried Raw

If you want the shelf-stability of a dry food like UnKibble but refuse to compromise on raw nutrition, our freeze-dried raw line is the answer:

• •Pantry Ready: It requires no freezer space, no fridge space, and zero thawing.

• •Adult Dog Focused: Specifically designed for adult dogs, it features 85% meat/organs and 15% non-GMO fruits and vegetables.

• •Scoop and Serve: You get the same "scoop-and-serve" ease as Spot & Tango, but with the 100% raw benefits they cannot offer.

Nutritional Formulation and Expertise

When you trust a company with your dog’s health, you want to know who is behind the recipes. This is a critical point of comparison in the We Feed Raw vs Spot and Tango discussion.

Formulated by a PhD Animal Nutritionist

Every We Feed Raw recipe is formulated by a highly experienced PhD animal nutritionist with over 30 years of experience in the field. This high level of expertise ensures that our meals are not just "balanced," but optimized for a dog's specific biological needs.

We focus on animal-based nutrition with minimal complexity, which is often the key to resolving chronic skin issues, allergies, and digestive distress.

Spot & Tango’s Formulation

Spot & Tango also uses veterinary nutritionists to develop its recipes. Their focus is on creating "balanced" meals that incorporate a wider variety of plant matter, including fruits, vegetables, and grains.

While these are whole-food ingredients, they add significant carbohydrates and starches (like millet, quinoa, or barley) that dogs do not need or benefit from. In fact, dogs thrive on a protein-forward, species-appropriate diet like what we offer at We Feed Raw.

The Verdict: Which Brand Is Right for You?

The decision between We Feed Raw vs Spot and Tango comes down to your nutritional philosophy.

Choose We Feed Raw if you want a 100% raw, species-appropriate diet with the highest protein density. You value a scientifically validated safety step (high-pressure processing) and want the option of simplicity (frozen) or convenience (freeze-dried) without paying a premium for starch-filled dry food.

Choose Spot & Tango if you are more comfortable with a cooked or dried diet and specifically want a food that includes a higher percentage of grains, legumes, and vegetables.

Get Started With We Feed Raw

At We Feed Raw, we believe that providing a safe, balanced, and truly raw diet is the best way to support your dog's long-term health. Our commitment to HPP, our PhD-formulated recipes, and our new easy-peel packaging ensure that raw feeding is not only the healthiest choice but the easiest one, too.

Ready to see the difference a safe, simple, and biologically appropriate raw diet can make? Take our quiz today to get started on your dog's personalized meal plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is We Feed Raw safe to handle if it isn't cooked?

Yes. Every We Feed Raw recipe undergoes high-pressure processing (HPP), also known as high-pressure pasteurization. This cold-water pressure method effectively inactivates pathogens like Salmonella and Listeria without using heat.

This ensures the food is safe for your kitchen and your dog while staying 100% raw.

Does We Feed Raw have a shelf-stable option like Spot & Tango’s UnKibble?

Yes. Our freeze-dried raw line for adult dogs is shelf-stable and can be stored in your pantry. It requires no freezer space and zero thawing, providing the same convenience as UnKibble but with 100% raw nutritional integrity.

Are the recipes formulated by experts?

Absolutely. All We Feed Raw recipes are formulated by a PhD animal nutritionist with over 30 years of experience. This ensures every meal is perfectly balanced to meet AAFCO standards for your dog's specific life stage.

How do I open the frozen patties?

We recently introduced easy-peel packaging for our frozen patties. Once the patty has thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours, you can simply peel back the film and serve, making the process cleaner and more convenient than ever.

Does We Feed Raw contain vegetables?

Our frozen recipes follow the Prey Model Raw philosophy and consist only of meat, organs, and bone with added vitamins and minerals. However, our freeze-dried recipes for adult dogs contain 15% non-GMO fruits and vegetables for those who prefer a hybrid diet.