Chronic inflammatory enteropathy – A bit of frustration

This might be a bit long, so apologies in advance.. 😬 😵‍💫 Teddy (soon to be 7 years old) became very ill and was examined by a specialist in October 2025, receiving a diagnosis of chronic inflammatory enteropathy with severe folic acid and B12 deficiency, plus a partial prolapse in his back. He was immediately put on a pure hydrolysed diet (Royal Canin Anallergenic) and supplements. Unfortunately, his symptoms only got worse and worse, no matter what ‘correct’ veterinary treatment we tried in terms of food and medication. It was only when he was put on a diet of plain boiled cod and pumpkin purée to ‘reset’ his system that he began to recover. We started following the "Chicken and Coast" diet and, in consultation with Saga, have introduced ingredients one by one very gradually. He now eats cod, pumpkin purée, chicken, blueberries and eggs, and he really likes this combination. I tried introducing rice, but that caused an upheaval in his stomach and eventually resulted in a full FIVE-day bout of diarrhoea and severe pain, with several visits to the vet. Once he was stable again, I tried sweet potato (in very small amounts), but his tummy doesn’t seem to tolerate that either 🙁 I don’t know if it’s the starch that’s the problem, but this is very frustrating. It takes a very long time for his stomach to accept each ingredient; I’m spending an incredible amount of time, money and energy on his diet, and I feel so exhausted. If we follow this pattern, he won’t be eating a full…

• Hi Mona! Thank you for sharing so openly about your situation ❤️ This sounds challenging, and it’s completely understandable that you’re feeling tired. When a dog reacts as strongly to new ingredients as Teddy is doing now, it’s often a sign that his gut needs a rest. I therefore think your approach is spot on. You can happily go back to Royal Canin Hypoallergenic and use that as a base. The most important thing right now is to get Teddy’s tummy settled and symptom-free, not to create a fully homemade diet. You are welcome to include ingredients/raw materials that you see he tolerates, and give these alongside the dry food. Replace approx. 10% of the dry food with various raw materials (this way you avoid giving too many calories and removing too many vitamins/minerals from the food). Whe…
• Thank you so much for your reply. Unfortunately, it’s too late for Teddy. He’s got much worse and we’ve been given an appointment for euthanasia tomorrow 😭 He’s vomiting, has frequent bowel movements consisting of thick mucus with blood, and he stands there howling whilst straining and straining. He is constantly nauseous, cannot settle down, refuses food or drink, and is really struggling to walk 🙁 We have been at this for a long time and tried almost everything, but now it is time for him to be spared further suffering.. Thank you so much for the portal.
• Ugh… that was painful to read 😥💔 Thinking of you all and sending warm thoughts 🕊️❤️