Oral fecal microbial transplant for parvovirus in the outpatient setting: a randomized controlled trial to evaluate a practical and low-cost intervention.

Oral FMT capsules did not improve recovery or survival in outpatient canine parvovirus treatment.

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of oral fecal microbial transplant (FMT) capsules as adjunctive therapy for canine parvovirus (CPV) in an outpatient shelter setting. One hundred one dogs were enrolled between September 2022 and August 2024, with 52 assigned to control and 49 to FMT treatment across three dosing regimens. The study measured primary outcomes of time to recovery and secondary outcomes including survival rate, ICU escalation, and clinical sign resolution. Results demonstrated no significant difference in median recovery time between groups (5 days in both; P = .872). Survival rates were 94% in controls versus 82% in FMT-treated dogs (P = .051), with no significant difference when adjusting for age or weight. The findings indicate oral FMT capsules did not hasten recovery or improve survival in outpatient CPV treatment. The authors note potential negative effects warrant investigation. This well-designed trial provides evidence against routine FMT use for outpatient CPV management, challenging the hypothesis that microbial transplantation offers therapeutic benefit in this clinical context.

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