An adult cocker spaniel needs a complete food and carefully measured portions: for a 13.5 kg cocker, neutered and moderately active, that is about 458 kcal a day. The clinical records of thousands of English Cocker Spaniels tell us three things that matter for the bowl: obesity is one of the breed's most common problems, its pancreatitis takes a different form from the one seen in other dogs and, contrary to what many owners assume, cockers are diagnosed with allergies far less often than other dogs.
A cocker spaniel does not need a special “breed” food. It needs a complete food, in the right amount for its weight and for how much it runs about. What is specific to the cocker is what you should keep an eye on.
The broadest picture comes from VetCompass, the Royal Veterinary College programme that analyses the records of UK first-opinion vets. In 2016 it included 10,313 English Cocker Spaniels, and the researchers compared the records of 2,510 of them, read by hand, with those of 7,813 other dogs. Two chapters matter for the bowl. The first is obesity, one of the three most common diagnoses in the breed. The second is digestion, which turns out to be no more delicate than average: gut disorders as a whole were as common as in other dogs (8.9% against 8.8%), diarrhoea slightly more common (4.7% against 3.3%), vomiting no more frequent, and gastroenteritis actually rarer (0.6% against 1.3%).
The FCI breed standard gives the English Cocker Spaniel a weight of about 13-14.5 kg, with a height of 39-41 cm for males and 38-39 cm for females. Real cockers are often heavier: in the VetCompass records the median adult weight was about 15 kg, 16.1 kg for males and 13.8 kg for females. How much is size and how much is fat cannot be said: body condition was not analysed in the study.
What is clear is that obesity is common: it was the third most frequent diagnosis in the breed, after periodontal (gum) disease and otitis externa. In the head-to-head comparison it affected 9.7% of cockers against 6.6% of other dogs and, after accounting for age, sex and other factors, the odds were about 1.4 times higher. Two lesser-known details: it affects females more (12.6% against 7.7% of males), and it peaks in middle age, with obese cockers having a median age of almost 6 years. A separate study of overweight in more than 22,000 UK dogs placed the Cocker Spaniel among the eight breeds at higher risk than crossbreeds, alongside the Pug, Beagle and Labrador; in the same study, being neutered and middle-aged were also linked to overweight.
So read the scales together with the shape of your dog. On the WSAVA 9-point body condition scale the ideal is 4-5: ribs easy to feel but not visible, and a waist you can see from above. Our quiz already allows for the breed's tendency: for a cocker it uses a breed factor that lowers the calorie estimate by up to 10% compared with an average dog of the same weight. If your cocker is already overweight, talk to your vet before you change the portions.
Plenty of owners look for a special food for an “allergic” cocker. The data point the other way: in the VetCompass study cockers were diagnosed with allergies far less often than other dogs, 0.28% against 1.87%, and the same was true of atopic dermatitis (0.20% against 1.32%). Once other factors were accounted for, the odds were about one seventh of those of other dogs.
A reaction to a food is still possible in any dog, and when it happens chicken is not always to blame. In a review of 297 dogs with documented food reactions, the most frequent culprits were beef (34%), dairy (17%), chicken (15%) and wheat (13%). The only way to find out is an elimination diet set up by your vet and kept up for at least 8 weeks: at that length more than 90% of dogs that react to food go into remission. Turkey is poultry, so if your cocker has had problems with chicken, ask your vet before trying it. We explain how it works in our guide to the elimination diet.
Ears are the cocker's real weak spot: otitis externa affected 10.4% of cockers against 7.4% of other dogs, and ear discharge had odds about 15 times higher. Food is often the first suspect, but the authors note that, with allergies so rare in the breed, their data do not point to allergy as the main trigger (though it may be underdiagnosed); they point instead to the long, heavy ears, grass seeds and an ear-canal reaction typical of the breed, rich in wax-producing glands. So get a diagnosis from your vet before you switch foods.
The English Cocker is a breed in which pancreatitis has been studied in depth. In a University of Cambridge study of 200 post-mortem examinations of dogs from first-opinion practices, chronic pancreatitis was found in 34% of the dogs that could be assessed, and cocker spaniels had a higher risk of acute and chronic pancreatitis combined (not every later study has found this higher risk). The same group later showed that in the English Cocker, chronic pancreatitis is a distinct form, different from the one seen in other breeds: it destroys the ducts of the pancreas and resembles an autoimmune condition in people, IgG4-related disease.
In a 2024 study of 104 cockers with chronic pancreatitis, the median age was 9 years and other organs were often involved: 49 dogs also had dry eye and 47 had protein in their urine. There was even a link with coat colour: 81% of the dogs whose colour was known were parti-coloured (bicolour, tricolour or roan), and more than half were blue roan. In first-opinion practice, however, pancreatitis was not among the cocker's most common diagnoses.
What it means for the bowl: the cause of this form is not known, and the signs can be vague and keep coming back (tiredness, weight loss, poor appetite, tummy pain, diarrhoea, vomiting). They are a reason to see the vet, not to try one food after another. If your vet diagnoses pancreatitis, they will set the diet, including its fat content: take them the label of what your dog eats.
FCI standard No. 5 is the English Cocker Spaniel, the breed the weights and the table on this page refer to. The American Cocker Spaniel is a separate breed (FCI standard No. 167): smaller, with an ideal height of 15 inches (about 38 cm) for males and 14 inches (about 35.5 cm) for females, and a standard that sets no weight at all. For an American Cocker, start from your dog's actual weight and enter it in the quiz.
One finding concerns the American Cocker only. In a multicentre trial, 11 American Cockers with dilated cardiomyopathy all had blood taurine below the normal range and, with taurine and carnitine given by their vets, their hearts improved enough for heart medication to be stopped. It is not a reason to add supplements yourself: ask your vet whether checking taurine makes sense.
Every Pappa Fresh recipe contains one meat only and lists the percentage of each ingredient on the label, so you always know what your cocker is eating and can discuss it with your vet:
They are cooked in the pouch and keep outside the fridge until opened; once open, they go in the fridge and should be used within 2-3 days. A 13.5 kg cocker eats about 402 g a day, so an opened 400 g pouch is finished well within that limit. If you would rather keep part of your dog's usual kibble, the Mix plan covers half of the daily ration: for a neutered 13.5 kg cocker it costs about €3.65 a day, against €7.26 for the Complete plan. If you choose it, halve the kibble too: with a cocker, adding without taking away simply means more calories.
An adult cocker spaniel of 13.5 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 458 kcal a day: with our Chicken recipe that is about 402 g, with the richer Beef 337 g. An intact cocker burns more, about 560 kcal. The table runs from 12 kg to 15 kg: if your cocker is heavier, as many males are, enter its real weight and body condition in the quiz.
A working cocker that goes out on shoots or does hours of hard exercise every day needs more energy: choose high activity in the quiz. Next to the feeding guide on a bag of kibble these grams look like a lot: that is normal, as kibble is about three times as concentrated (350-400 kcal per 100 g, against 110-136 for our recipes). For the general logic behind portions, see our guide on how much a dog should eat.
| Weight | Energy need (kcal/day) neutered / intact | Grams per day neutered / intact | Complete plan | Mix (½) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 kg | 419 / 513 | 368 g / 450 g | €6.74/day | €3.37/day |
| 13.5 kg | 458 / 560 | 402 g / 491 g | €7.26/day | €3.65/day |
| 15 kg | 495 / 606 | 434 g / 532 g | €7.78/day | €3.94/day |
Grams based on the Chicken recipe (114 kcal/100 g); with Beef, which is richer (136 kcal/100 g), you need about 16% less. Prices for a neutered dog.
Figures calculated with the same method as our quiz (FEM×K: maintenance energy adjusted for breed, activity, neutering and body condition). They are an estimate: take the quiz for your dog's exact plan, and talk to your vet about any health concern.
Two minutes: enter weight, age and activity and get the exact portion, with 30% off your first order.
An adult cocker spaniel of 13.5 kg, neutered and moderately active, needs about 458 kcal a day, which is about 402 g of our chicken wet food; an intact dog needs about 491 g. With kibble, divide the daily kcal by the kcal per 100 g printed on the bag and multiply by 100. These are estimates: the right portion also depends on your dog's body condition.
A neutered, moderately active adult cocker of 15 kg needs about 495 kcal a day, which is about 434 g of our chicken recipe; an intact one needs about 532 g. First check that it is a healthy weight for your dog: the breed standard gives about 13-14.5 kg, although many males weigh more. Feel the ribs before you decide.
The vet records do not measure appetite, but they do show the breed is more prone to obesity than dogs in general, so begging is not necessarily a sign that your cocker needs more food. Check the ribs rather than the bowl, count any titbits as part of the day's ration, and see your vet if the appetite changes suddenly.
The FCI standard for the English Cocker gives about 13-14.5 kg. In UK vet records males are often heavier (median 16.1 kg), while females sit within the standard (median 13.8 kg). Body condition matters more than the number: ribs easy to feel but not visible, a score of 4-5 on the WSAVA 9-point scale.
The English Cocker is a breed in which it has been studied in depth, and in this breed chronic pancreatitis takes its own form, resembling an autoimmune disease in people and mostly affecting adult and older dogs. Not every study finds a higher risk, though, and in first-opinion practice it is not among the breed's most common diagnoses. If it is diagnosed, the diet is for your vet to set.
They can, like any dog, but UK vet records show cockers are diagnosed with allergies about seven times less often than other dogs. Among dogs with documented food reactions, chicken comes third, after beef and dairy. Only an elimination diet supervised by your vet can tell whether your dog reacts to it.
Written by the Pappa Fresh editorial team from published veterinary studies (see sources). Not a substitute for your vet's advice.
Other breeds: