Low-fat dog food for Cocker Spaniels

Choosing dog food is genuinely complicated — the right answer depends on your dog's age, size, breed, and health history, and the most expensive or most heavily marketed options are not always the best fit. Since you're here about a Cocker Spaniel whose mother had pancreatitis, that's a really sensible thing to be thinking about proactively. To point you in the right direction: what are you currently feeding, and roughly how much does your dog weigh — is she a working-type or show-type Cocker?

That's a really thoughtful approach, and you're right to take it seriously. Cockers do have a higher breed predisposition to pancreatitis, and a family history does raise the stakes. Millies Wolfheart isn't a bad food, but some of their recipes are quite rich and moderately high in fat — not ideal for a dog you want to keep on the lower end. For context, most vets recommend keeping fat below around 10% on a dry matter basis for pancreatitis-prone dogs. Can I ask — does she have a good appetite, normal digestion, and no signs of a sensitive stomach? Just want to make sure we're not dealing with anything already brewing.

Perfect — that's genuinely the best time to make a change, before there's anything to fix. In that case, I'd point you toward Burns Penlan Farm dry dog food. It's a UK brand that's been specifically formulated with low fat as a core principle — not as a marketing line, but as an actual nutritional commitment. The chicken and brown rice recipe comes in at around 7-8% fat, which is well within the safe zone for pancreatitis prevention. The ingredient list is clean, the protein sources are good quality, and it's been around long enough that vets and breeders who deal with Cockers regularly tend to trust it. It's not flashy, which is actually a point in its favour — it's not trying to be a premium raw-fed imitation, it's just a sensibly formulated food that does what it says. At 13kg, your girl would likely be on around 150-175g a day, so a bag lasts well and the cost per day is reasonable. I'd transition her over about 10 days rather than switching cold, just to keep her digestion happy.

Yes, and treats are exactly where people accidentally undo a low-fat diet. The big ones to watch: avoid anything with high added fat like many commercial training treats, most chews made from pig hide or trachea, and anything labelled 'rich' or 'indulgent.' Cheese as a treat is popular but quite fatty — swap it for plain cooked chicken breast or commercial low-fat treats specifically designed for sensitive dogs. Also worth knowing: a single high-fat meal or treat binge can be enough to trigger a pancreatitis episode in a susceptible dog, so it's not just about the daily average — individual meals matter too. If she ever goes off her food suddenly, seems hunched, or vomits without obvious cause, get her to a vet quickly because early pancreatitis can look quite mild before it escalates.

Good plan. Burns Penlan Farm is available on Amazon UK and through most independent pet retailers — it's not hard to find. Given you're being proactive rather than reactive, you're already in the best possible position. Your Cocker sounds like she's in great shape, and keeping her on a low-fat diet from here is one of the most practical things you can do to keep it that way.