This case study is inspired by real-life veterinary cases, with details adapted for educational purposes and to protect privacy.

Despite being on a high-quality diet and always being up to date with her worming prevention, Penny the Cavoodle had always had a bit of a dodgy tummy. She often passed very soft poos and seemed to poo frequently, often straining to defecate multiple times within a short period, and sometimes producing only small amounts of blobby mucus. Penny was also a rather picky eater, but her owner Tegan attributed this to her being “a bit of a food snob”.

However, of late, Penny had started to have episodes where she would scratch at the back door to be let out multiple times overnight and would sometimes pass very liquid poos with a tinge of blood to them. She also seemed a bit subdued.

Tegan booked Penny for a check-up with her regular vet. After establishing that Penny appeared to be in generally good condition with no obvious triggers in her history, the vet recommended some testing for Penny. This consisted of blood tests to check her general organ function, and some additional blood tests to check her pancreas health and blood cobalamin and folate levels (two types of B vitamins that can become low in dogs with longer-term gut issues). Tegan was also advised to drop off a poo sample from Penny, so it could be tested for certain infectious causes.

All of Penny’s tests came back normal, except for low vitamin B12 levels. Penny was then started on a vitamin B12 supplement and transitioned to a strict prescription hypoallergenic dietary trial. To Tegan’s amazement, within two weeks, Penny was back to her old sprightly self, eating well, and passing the best-quality poos of her life!

Under veterinary guidance, Tegan was gradually able to reintroduce a few more foods, and Penny now enjoys her meals and all the symptoms of a happy, healthy tummy.