Cocker Spaniel dog food after grain-free failure

Grain-free causing digestive trouble is actually a pretty common story — it sounds counterintuitive, but removing grains often means replacing them with high levels of legumes or sweet potato, which can be harder on some dogs' guts than a well-made food with wholesome grains. So switching away from grain-free is often exactly the right call. Before I point you toward something specific: is your Cocker Spaniel's weight in a healthy range, and has a vet ruled out anything like a food allergy or colitis? And what grain-free food were they on?

Good — healthy weight and no underlying condition makes this straightforward. Lily's Kitchen grain-free is actually a decent quality food, so the issue is likely the ingredient profile rather than poor quality. High pea and legume content in grain-free recipes can cause loose stools in sensitive dogs, and Cocker Spaniels as a breed can have quite reactive digestive systems. What I'd look for is a food with named meat as the first ingredient, a moderate fat level — nothing too rich — and a digestible grain like brown rice or oats rather than going grain-free. Can you tell me — is she on dry kibble only, or would you consider wet food or a mix?

Perfect. In that case I'd recommend Burgess Sensitive Dry Dog Food with Turkey and Brown Rice. It's specifically formulated for dogs with sensitive stomachs, uses turkey as the main protein — which is a leaner, less inflammatory meat than chicken or beef for reactive dogs — and the brown rice gives a digestible carbohydrate source that won't disrupt her gut the way legumes can. It's also free from artificial additives and common irritants. For a 7-year-old Cocker Spaniel at 10kg with a sensitive stomach, this is one of the most reliably well-tolerated options out there, and it won't cost a fortune. The main thing to do is transition slowly — swap about 25% of the old food for the new each day over a week, so you don't trigger another upset just from the change itself.

Yes — give it a full four weeks before judging it. Stools often improve within a week or two, but the gut microbiome takes longer to fully settle. If she's still loose after four weeks on the new food with a proper transition, that's worth going back to the vet with, because it could point to something like a protein sensitivity or an underlying issue. Also keep an eye on her coat — Cocker Spaniels can get dull, greasy coats if the fat profile in their food isn't right, and the Burgess formula tends to suit them well on that front too. You're on the right track — grain-free simply wasn't the right fit for her.