Lotus Dog Food Reviews (Ratings, Recalls, Ingredients!)
About the Company
Lotus Dog Food is made by the owners of Centinela Feed and Pet, a small chain of high quality retail, pet stores in Los Angeles, USA.
While they always carried the healthiest pet foods, their frustration grew, as multi-national companies continually bought quality manufacturers.
They hated how familiar brands changed, with downgraded ingredients and production methods, or how the new owners raised prices and moved the products to big-box stores. Finally, they decided to develop their own high-quality dog food “dream-food” in 2003, using their own knowledge of earthborn holistic nutrition.
Lotus pet food expanded in 2011, opening a micro-cannery in California. Some of the pet foods are manufactured in Canada too. Their ingredients come from the USA and Canada, for the most part, other than green mussels, lamb and grass-fed venison, from New Zealand, another country that has high quality standards for farming and food production.
Dry Food
Many of Lotus's oven-baked Dog food recipes are made for all breeds at each life stage. Some are also available in their Small Bites line, for small dogs. Each product supports a diet that is full of earthborn holistic nutrition that avoids any food allergy your pet may have. The moisture content is 10 percent, like most dry dog food kibble.
They use whole meat, fish and organs for the most part, instead of fish meal, chicken meal, or other meat meal. So, it is as natural as possible. Meat is always the first ingredient, and there are quite a few grain-free dog food options. Ash is also kept to a minimum, since it can hurt the kidneys and urinary tract.
Lotus Dog Food Reviews
Fish Recipe Grain-Free Dog Food
with 40% wild-caught sardines and pollock. Only 8% ash. Crude Protein (min) 25%, Crude Fat (min) 14%, Crude Fiber (max) 7%. Grain free kibble made with fresh and wholesome ingredients that is slow baked for optimal flavor. Great source of omega-3 fatty acids!
Turkey Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food with 40% fresh turkey and herring, no chicken, or white potatoes which can be hard to digest. Includes nutrient-rich sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries, pumpkin, and spinach. Contains omega fatty acid from the whole herring. Crude Protein (min) 24%, Crude Fat (min) 13%, Crude Fiber (max) 6%. This product adds loads of antioxidants and vitamins in your dog's diet.
Chicken Small Bites Recipe Puppy Dry Dog Food with chicken, chicken liver and pollock. Contains DHA to support normal brain development and brain skills. The Lotus puppy food kibble is small, but full of big nutrients like soybean oil, olive oil, and salmon oil that all contribute to build your puppy's developing muscles.
Senior Recipe Dry Dog Food with Chicken, Chicken Liver, Pollock and New Zealand Green Mussels, as well as added Glucosomine and Chondroitin for the joints and hips. It is a completely holistic dog food made with 100% complete and balanced nutrition to improve your older dog health.
Lotus Oven-Baked Lamb & Turkey Liver Recipe with Lamb and turkey liver. Crude Protein (min) 24%, Crude Fat (min) 12%, Crude Fiber (max) 4.5%. Another holistic dog food blend packed full of nutrients for your dog at their adult life stage.
Canned Food
The can dog food is made in California, USA, without carrageenan, guar gum or xanthan gum. Ingredients like dried kelp also add naturally chelated minerals, and the cans are BPA free too. Two sizes are available, 5.5 oz cans and 12.5 oz cans. They make a Stew line and their Just Juicy line.
Each can dog food is formulated with a high-quality protein source as the main ingredient and is grain free. They contain a blend of vitamins, minerals, and a vitamin E supplement to support a strong immune system. Each can is also formulated with omega fatty acid to promote healthy skin and a soft coat.
Just Juicy Pork Shoulder Stew Grain-Free Canned Dog Food with only pork shoulder meat, not restructured meat.
Beef Shank Stew Grain-Free Canned Dog Food with only beef shank, not restructured meat.
Beef & Asparagus Stew Grain-Free Canned Dog Food with real beef tenders and added chicken fat.
Turkey Stew Grain-Free Canned Dog Food with real turkey breast, not restructured meat and added chicken fat and New Zealand green mussels.
Venison Stew Grain-Free Canned Dog Food with lean venison meat and New Zealand green mussels.
Rating
Lotus Dog Food Reviews
I think the biggest thing that sets Lotus Dog Food apart is that their dry dog food is oven-baked, not extruded, like most pet food. That takes a lot longer to make, but it means that the nutrients in their whole, natural ingredients are not lost in the cooking process, and neither is the taste, so dogs love it more than other dog foods.
I really appreciate how Lotus dog food ingredients are baked in small batches, without high pressure or temperatures. They have a real homemade look to them too. Each piece is slightly different and some even have little grill marks! lt is nutritionally balanced and healthy, just what I look for.
Pros
All their recipes are made without common processing aids like Carrageenan, Guar Gum or Xanthan Gum. Because they are baked, not extruded, they contain up to twice as much meat.
Lotus dog food even had a third party verify how much dogs prefer the natural taste of their food, proving they do not need artificial flavors or added spray-on fat.
Typical, high pressure extrusion robs dog food ingredients of 40 percent of the vitamins, and they often are not high-quality whole food to begin with. Even 20 percent of the original protein is usually lost.
Lotus dog food keeps everything that is put into it though, including fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. This cooking method means there are more antioxidants and protein too, so our pets do not even need as much. Thus, the bags last longer too.
Lotus pet food has their own special oils blend for their dog food. It includes soy, olive and salmon oil, as sources of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA. The combination is great for the skin and fur, and DHA benefits the brain too. Sometimes there is added chicken fat too.
The dog food is only preserved with a natural vitamin E supplement, citric acid, and rosemary, instead of chemicals like Ethoxyquin, BHT, or BHA. They make sure that all the fish, fish meal, chicken, chicken meal, lamb, lamb meal and duck they buy are naturally preserved too.
Lotus dog food does not use concentrated, plant-based proteins either, to pump up their protein content without more meat. So there is no soybean meal, potato protein, pea protein or rice protein concentrate. Like wheat, they can be hard for pets to digest, and they are common allergens for our pets.
Cons
They do use grain in some of their recipes, but they are whole grains, included for the best nutritional value, like brown rice, rye, barley and oatmeal. This adds natural vitamin E and B for healthy cells, and insoluble fiber for the intestines. Rye has lignans and antioxidant-like properties too.
Their products are nutritious and well-balanced, but they are not balanced the same way, which probably rules out rotation feeding.
Lotus dog food uses high-quality natural ingredients to make a high-quality dog food. They are supplemented with added vitamins and minerals too, for complete nutrition. They have several grain-free dog food options to cater to any food allergy your dog may have. Even the packaging is cute with paintings by the award-winning artist, Nicholas Wilton.
Lotus Dog Food Recall History
There wasn’t any record of a lotus dog food recall in the last two years.
Final Thoughts
Lotus dog food ingredients start right with trusted sources and natural, whole foods, meat, fish and organs. Then, they are baked right to keep all that wholesome goodness, without high temperatures or pressure.
They are obviously a company that feels their strength in their small size, rather than a large corporation, so I trust that the food quality will never change either. It is like taking your dog to a bakery.
