Holistic Treatment for IBD, chronic GI signs, and complex cases

At Healing Paws Center (Oakland Park, FL), we offer Fecal Microbiome Transplantation (FMT)—a targeted way to restore gut microbial balance in dogs and cats with chronic enteropathy/IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), antibiotic-responsive diarrhea, recurrent dysbiosis, skin allergies, and select treatment to support the microbiome in cancer cases.

FMT transfers carefully screened intestinal microbes from a healthy donor to a patient to reseed a resilient, diverse microbiome, which can relieve GI signs and support mucosal healing when standard therapies have fallen short.

Why consider FMT for your pet?

  1. Addresses the cause, not just the symptoms : Dysbiosis (loss of normal microbial diversity and function) contributes to chronic diarrhea, vomiting, flatulence, poor appetite, weight loss, and relapse after antibiotics; FMT directly targets this biome disruption.
  2. Adjunct to standard care : For many patients, FMT is layered onto proven therapies (dietary trials, anti-inflammatories, B12, probiotics, and rehabilitation of the gut barrier) to improve outcomes.
  3. Growing veterinary evidence : Peer-reviewed studies and case series in dogs and cats report improved fecal consistency, clinical activity indices, and microbiome diversity after FMT.

Conditions we commonly treat with FMT

  • Canine chronic enteropathy / IBD (vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, hypoalbuminemia in some cases)
  • Antibiotic-responsive or tylosin-responsive enteropathy/ GI disorder
  • Post-antibiotic dysbiosis / recurrent soft poop
  • Chronic vomiting/diarrhea in cats, constipation-predominant cases
  • Severe Skin Allergies or Yeast overgrowth

What about cancer?!

The gut microbiome can influence anti-tumor immunity and responses to human immunotherapies, and oncology-microbiome work in dogs is underway!

How FMT works (in simple terms)

A fecal microbiome transplant (also called fecal microbiota transplantation) involves transferring healthy, filtered gut bacteria from a screened donor animal into the digestive system of a sick or imbalanced pet.
At Healing Paws Center we utilize a unique combination of capsules, enemas, as well as ozone therapy.  Your pet will not need to be put under anesthesia.  The entire process takes about 30 minutes.
FMT works by repopulating the gut with healthy bacteria, restoring balance to the microbiome, the ecosystem of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and microbes in your pet’s digestive tract.

Is FMT Safe for Pets?

Yes—when performed by a qualified veterinarian using carefully screened donors, FMT is safe and well-tolerated.
At Healing Paws Center, our donor animals:

  • Are healthy, vaccinated, and parasite-free
  • Eat high-quality diets
  • Are tested for pathogens like parvovirus, Giardia, Salmonella, and Clostridium spp.

(FECAL Microbiota Transplantation Guidelines, ESVM, 2020)

References:

  1. Niina A. et al., Vet Med Sci, 2019 – Periodic FMT improved clinical signs in dogs with IBD.
  2. Pérez-Accino J. et al., JVIM, 2017 – Pilot FMT study demonstrated symptom reduction in canine chronic enteropathy.
  3. Burton E.N. et al., Vet Med Res Rep, 2016 – Microbiome normalization after FMT in dogs with GI disease.
  4. Rogers C.M. et al., JSAP, 2020 – Clinical improvement in chronic diarrhea cases following FMT.
  5. Giaretta P.R. et al., Vet Microbiol, 2020 – Successful use of oral FMT capsules in canine chronic GI disease.
  6. Ritchie L.E. et al., Front Vet Sci, 2022 – Review: protocols, safety, donor selection, and clinical outcomes.
  7. Rojas C.A. et al., Vet Sci, 2023 – Oral-capsule FMT improved GI symptoms in 46 cats.
  8. Karra D.A. et al., JFMS, 2022 – Pilot study assessing rectal FMT in cats with chronic enteropathy.