Objective To summarize and analyze the current status of animal models for Crohn’ s disease (CD) based on literature data mining, providing a basis for optimizing preparation method and evaluation criteria. Methods Literature related to CD animal models was retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and PubMed databases. Information on animal species, modeling method, detection indicators, and positive intervention strategies was extracted. A database was established using Excel software for statistical analysis. Results In total, 411 eligible Chinese and English articles were included. The majority of CD animal models used 6-to 8-week-old SD rats, C57BL / 6J mice, or BALB/ c mice, predominantly male. Modeling method could be assigned to six categories: chemical induction (primarily TNBS), genetic engineering ( e. g. , IL-10^{- / -}and TNF ^△ARE mice),spontaneous models, immune-mediated models, microbial colonization, and combination approaches. Detection indicators encompassed general phenotypic characteristics, pathological alterations, inflammatory markers, intestinal permeability, intestinal fibrosis, immunological changes, gut microbiota and metabolite profiles, and signaling pathways. Among positive interventions, Western medicine primarily uses biological agents and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) primarily uses acupuncture and herbal compounds. These animal models are widely applied in drug efficacy evaluation, mechanistic analyses, and novel model development. Conclusions Diverse method ologies have been used to establish CD animal models, each capable of simulating various facets of CD pathology. However, model construction relies predominantly on Western medical pathogenic factors and lacks the systematic integration of TCM syndrome patterns. Furthermore, model evaluation metrics are heavily skewed towards Western pathological and molecular parameters. Importantly, TCM diagnostic parameters derived from observable animal phenotypes, such as coat condition, mental state, and fecal characteristics, have yet to be incorporated into standardized, quantitative systems. This significant gap result in a lack of “disease-syndrome combination” models that adequately reflect both Western disease pathology and TCM syndrome differentiation. Future research should focus on refining standardized modeling protocols, establishing animal models that comprehensively integrate Western disease characteristics with TCM syndrome patterns, and developing models covering the entire CD disease course. Achieving these goals will improve the reliability of research and accelerate the exploration of pathogenesis and development of novel therapeutic strategies.