Graduate Research Assistants University of Wisconsin Madison - School of Veterinary Medicine Madison, WI, United States
Abstract:
Background: Canine parvoviral enteritis (CPVE) can have high morbidity and mortality in dogs without access to intensive inpatient care. Fecal microbial transplant (FMT) shows promise in inpatient settings, enema-delivered FMT can be logistically difficult in outpatient settings. Hypothesis/
Objectives: To evaluate commercially-available oral fecal microbial transplant capsules (AnimalBiome DoggyBiome ™ Gut Restore Supplement) as a practical, low-cost treatment of CPVE. The hypothesis was that oral FMT would improve survival compared to placebo in dogs with CPVE otherwise treated with standardized outpatient care. Animals:57 dogs diagnosed with CPVE at Austin Pets Alive (Austin, TX) from 9/17/22 to 8/5/2023: 32 control, 25 FMT-treated.
Methods: Randomized controlled trial. Staff administering treatments were blinded. The treatment group received oral FMT capsules and control received placebo for 1, 2, or 4 days. The primary outcome was survival to discharge, with secondary outcomes: time to resolution of symptoms.
Results: At the time of planned interim analysis, survival was 97% in controls (31/32) compared to 80% for FMT-treated dogs (20/25, p = 0.1041). There were no statistically significant differences in proportion of dogs with vomiting (30% controls vs. 50% FMT-treated, p = 0.1816) or time to resolution of diarrhea (median 4.5 days controls, 8 days FMT-treated, p = 0.1962) or inappetence (median 4 days controls, 6 days, p = 0.2612).
Conclusion: FMT-treated dogs had overall lower survival, though this difference was not statistically significant. Continued enrollment is needed to determine if oral FMT could in fact be harmful in this setting.
