ABSTRACTChronic enteropathies are a common and diverse group of diseases in the dog, but diagnosis can be difficult and morphological criteria are an inadequate means of classification. The introduction of new screening procedures together with a biochemical approach to the analysis of tissue damage has assisted the characterisation of previously unrecognised conditions and provided insight into the causes of chronic intestinal disease in this species. These advances are reviewed and current knowledge of other important canine enteropathies characterised by predominantly morphological criteria is summarised.