Red meat or White meat based diet for Working English Cocker Spaniels?

[Charles M]

Hi,

Other than this site and forum, I have browsed through many and many websites, but there is no proper fact-based information or advice which I could find on what meat would be better for a certain dog breed.

I have a Working English Cocker Spaniel who is turning 12 months and I wanted to figure out if I should go with red or white meat-based dry food for him. We are currently on Orijen Puppy. I can see many people recommend Orijen Regional Red for Cocker Spaniels, but I am worried about that it is heavily red meat-based only without any white and poultry meat. On the other hand, Orijen Original is heavily poultry meat-based food.

I wanted to ask members with more understanding and dog dietary expertise if:

• Should I get Orijen Regional Red which is red meat-based food for my Cocker Spaniel?
• Or should I get the Orijen Original which is poultry meat-based food for my Cocker Spaniel?
• Or should I feed him on both by mixing up the Reg Regional with the Original to provide a more balanced diet?

Thanks in advance, for helping me with this.

[haleycookie]

Rotate. As long as you are keeping your dog physically fit you shouldn’t have any issues with feeding only red meats. Dogs are a type of carnivore so they are more capable of eating high fat high protein diets then humans are.

[aimee]

Charles M,

Hi Charles, I’m assuming you are questioning feeding a high red meat content based on concerns in people of higher rates of certain types of cancer associated with red meat consumption. There is very little data on this question in dogs . There is a study that found an association with red meet consumption and mammary cancer in dogs. I think it was a retrospective study and I don’t know how robust the data or conclusions.

That said, I’ve been disappointed with answers that Champion Petfoods has given to me when I’ve inquired about their foods and the recent class action resolution in which apparently their fish advertised as “wild caught” was farmed fish and the chicken advertised as “free run” apparently was conventionally raised poultry makes me question the company honesty and integrity. When i combine that with the FDA apparent association with foods produced by Champion Petfoods and DCM it isn’t a company whose product I’d feel comfortable feeding.

[crazy4cats]

Wow! Didn’t know about the current lawsuit against Champion. Another big knock against them! So many companies and their false advertising! Blue claiming they don’t use by-products and No-Hide Chews claiming they don’t use hide!

[aimee]

Hi Crazycats,

Here is a link to an article about the case https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/14378-champion-petfoods-resolves-two-mislabeling-lawsuits

As I remember it Champion marketed their trout as “wild caught” and used imagery of a fisherman in waders, standing in a stream and holing a pole. Apparently the fish in their products was/is farm raised.

As I recall they marketed their chicken as “Free Run” accompanied by images of chickens freely foraging in what I’d call spacious scenic wide open field. Apparently the chickens are raised indoors without any access to outdoors.

Apparently Champion said it was “an inadvertent oversight” that they claimed the trout was wild caught and will “provide better clarity” on the term “free run”

[Author]

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