A fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), also called fecal transplant, is the transfer of stool from a healthy donor to the GI tract of a sick recipient. The stool from the donor contains a diverse, well-functioning community of bacteria that take up residence in the recipient’s gut. FMT is the best known approach for restoring a balanced gut microbiome and has proven to be an effective treatment in both humans and companion animals.

FMT has been used for hundreds of years in veterinary medicine and for over a thousand years in human medicine. Though modern regulatory entities like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are still determining how to classify it, FMT continues to show benefits for a growing list of human health conditions. For example, FMT is routinely used to treat Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections and it provides a promising solution for the low gut bacterial diversity associated with Crohn’s disease (a form of IBD).

An FMT can be delivered via colonoscopy or enema, but for cats and dogs, those procedures generally require sedation. Our Gut Restore Supplement is an oral FMT capsule that gives your dog the benefits of FMT without the need for surgery or sedation. Containing a proprietary mixture of carefully screened, cryoprotected, freeze-dried donor stool, the Gut Restore capsules (aka “poop pills”) offer a noninvasive, affordable, at-home alternative for pets suffering from digestive, skin, or immune system issues.

By seeding your dog’s microbiome with all the right bacteria in the right proportions, the capsules can help reestablish balance and resolve symptoms. While it varies depending on underlying health conditions, positive results may include better formed stool, improved appetite, and less itching.

When dogs with digestive symptoms, skin issues, or immune system problems turn out to be missing certain important gut bacteria, we need to add those missing members to the microbiome and help the new populations grow and thrive.

The Gut Restore Supplement provides a whole community of healthy, dog-specific microbes. The capsule’s enteric coating prevents it from dissolving until it reaches the intestines, where the contents “seed” your dog’s gut with a diverse array of healthy bacteria, restoring any missing groups.

Our Gut Restore Supplements for dogs are derived from stool donated by healthy pet dogs that live in homes and have been carefully screened for health, age, fecal consistency, behavior, and microbiome composition (based on DNA sequencing).

Donor stool samples are submitted for parasites and pathogen screening to the IDEXX Reference Laboratories, the leading veterinary diagnostics company, which has stringent quality control guidelines and well-validated standard operating procedures.

All dog donor material is regularly screened for parasites and pathogens.

Dogs are screened for the following pathogens via PCR:

• Clostridium perfringens CPnetEF toxin gene
• Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin Gene
• Campylobacter coli
• Campylobacter jejuni
• Canine distemper virus
• Canine enteric coronavirus
• Canine parvovirus 2
• Canine circovirus
• Clostridium difficile toxin A
• Clostridium difficile toxin B
• Cryptosporidium spp.
• Giardia spp.
• Salmonella spp.

Dogs are screened for the following parasites via ELISA:

• Hookworm
• Roundworm
• Whipworm

Dogs are screened for ova and parasites using fecal floatation.

An extremely wide range of dogs have benefited from the Gut Restore Supplement, ranging in age from 2 months to 17 years. The vast majority of dogs see improvement in their digestive issues, food allergies and intolerances, and/or skin issues.

While this supplement is natural and intended to gently repopulate the microbiome, it does contain high numbers of healthy bacteria that can be overwhelming to medically unstable dogs. If your dog is severely underweight or requires frequent hospitalization, we recommend checking with your veterinarian to see if the supplement is right for your dog.

About 80% of dogs that take the Gut Restore Supplement see a significant improvement in their symptoms. However, every dog is different, and the Gut Restore Supplement is not effective for every dog. In some cases, it can take up to two months to start seeing an improvement.

We strongly recommend giving the capsules whole, because the outer capsule has an acid-resistant coating that protects the bacteria during their journey through the stomach.

Most medications and supplements can be continued, with two main exceptions:

1. Bacterial probiotics (e.g., Lactobacillus, Enterococcus) should be discontinued when possible, as these bacteria compete with the dog-specific bacteria. As an alternative, the yeast probiotic, Saccharomyces boulardii, can be used because it supports dog-specific bacteria in the supplement.
2. Antibiotics make the Gut Restore Supplement less effective. If your dog is on long-term antibiotics, talk to your veterinarian to see if you can taper down the dosing. However, some dogs improve even while taking antibiotics, so discontinuing them is not essential.