18/11/2025
Meet Marvin, a gorgeous11-year-old Cocker Spaniel who came to see us after his owners noticed that on occasion, he would suddenly start drinking several times more water than normal. These episodes came and went, and in between them Marvin seemed completely himself.
Marvin had a full health check, including blood tests, urine tests and blood pressure, but everything looked normal with no explanation for his clinical signs.
An ultrasound scan of his abdomen showed a small section of his intestine that looked abnormal and thicker than it should be. At first, the samples suggested this might be a type of cancer, although the rest of the intestines only showed mild changes. A CT scan confirmed the abnormal area but thankfully didn’t show any signs that it had spread elsewhere.
Marvin had surgery to remove the affected piece of intestine, and the detailed lab analysis brought surprising, good news: it wasn’t cancer after all. Instead, it was a rare inflammatory condition affecting that part of the bowel, known as focal lipogranulomatous lymphangitis. . Marvin was put on a special hydrolysed-protein diet, and his symptoms disappeared for a while.
About three months later, Marvin started drinking excessively again and also vomited a few times. A repeat scan showed that another patch of intestine was starting to look inflamed. This time, we added antacid and immune-modulating medication alongside his diet — and the response was almost immediate. Marvin’s symptoms completely resolved.
We’re very happy to share that Marvin has now been healthy and symptom-free for three whole years, with no further problems at all.
