Lotus Dog Food (Raw Frozen)

Rating:

Lotus Raw Dog Food earns the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.

The Lotus Dog Food product line includes one raw frozen recipe. However, since we’re unable to locate AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for this line on the Lotus website, it’s impossible for us to report specific life stage recommendations for this recipe.

The first ingredient in this dog food includes chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.¹

Chicken is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second item is chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The third ingredient is spinach. Due to its exceptional vitamin and mineral content, spinach exhibits a remarkably high nutrient Completeness Score² of 91.

The fourth item is broccoli. Broccoli is a healthy green vegetable and a member of the kale family. It’s notably rich in vitamin C and fiber and numerous other nutrients.

Like other cruciferous vegetables, broccoli is believed to provide potent anti-cancer benefits.

The fifth ingredient is apple, a nutrient-rich fruit that’s also high in fiber.

The next two ingredients are blueberries and bananas. Fruit can be a good source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The eighth ingredient is flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With four notable exceptions…

First, salmon oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, salmon oil should be considered a commendable addition.

Next, chicory root is naturally rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.

Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.

Thirdly, green-lipped mussel are clam-like animals notably rich in glucosamine and omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients proven to support long-term joint health.

And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.

Lotus Raw Frozen Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Lotus looks to be an above-average raw frozen dog food.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 52%, a fat level of 37% and estimated carbohydrates of about 3%.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 71%.

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical raw frozen dog food.

Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a frozen dog food containing an abundance of meat.

Bottom line?

Lotus Raw Dog Food is a meat-based frozen product using an abundance of chicken and chicken liver as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.

Enthusiastically recommended.

However, it’s important to note that many raw dog food products make no attempt to meet AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines to be complete and balanced for daily use.

For this reason, we recommend consumers become aware of the advantages and disadvantages of raw feeding before committing to long term use.

Special Alert

Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.

A Final Word

The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.

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Notes and Updates

04/26/2012 Original review
04/26/2012 Last Update