No major adverse events attributable to FMT were reported during the study.

Randomised trial concludes no clear clinical benefit over dietary change alone.

There is no clear evidence that faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) improves clinical outcomes in dogs with chronic enteropathy, according to new research.

The study, published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, describes a blinded randomised controlled trial led by the medicine team at Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service.

In the study, the team recruited 42 dogs from six UK referral centres that presented with small intestinal or mixed diarrhoea.

They randomly assigned the dogs to receive either faecal microbiota transplantation and a dietary change (a hydrolysed or novel protein diet), or the standard treatment of a dietary change only.

The researchers performed the faecal microbiota transplantation using fresh faecal material from screened donor dogs, administered by a retention rectal enema under sedation.

Both groups of dogs showed progressive improvement over time in stool consistency, confirming the high rate of food responsiveness in canine chronic enteropathy. However, the team noted no significant differences between groups in owner-reported clinical improvement, Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity Index (CIBDAI) or faecal score after 90 days.

No major adverse events attributable to FMT were reported during the study, suggesting that the procedure is safe.

The study concludes that FMT administered via retention enema did not provide a clear clinical benefit over dietary change alone, although researchers say more research is required to evaluate repeat administration, extended course (e.g. via oral administration), or larger transplant volumes.

Lead author, Dr Fergus Allerton, said: “The authors are proud to add some valuable data from this RCT to the literature around FMT. This field continues to advance rapidly with new findings reported frequently.

“The absence of clinical benefit in this study should not be interpreted as evidence of absence but, nonetheless, does highlight the need for rigorous studies to support novel therapies. More work with adjusted FMT protocols is warranted. We look forward to continuing to investigate ways to foster a healthy gastrointestinal microbiome.”

Image (C) Schubbel/Shutterstock.com.