Yes, your sample is safe. The provided tubes contain a special liquid that keeps the bacteria perfectly preserved for analysis, across a very wide range of temperatures.







Frequently Asked Questions
Is my sample safe in the mail?
How long will my sample keep in the tube?
Once inside the tube, the sample is safe for several months.
When will I receive my results?
You can expect to receive your results about 2 weeks after the sample arrives at the AnimalBiome lab.
What is a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT)?
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 demonstrate beneficial results 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).
What are Gut Restore/FMT capsules (poop pills)?
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.
How can the Gut Restore Supplement improve my dog’s health?
By seeding your dog’s microbiome with all the right bacteria in the right proportions, the capsules can help reestablish balance and resolve symptoms. 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.
Where do you get the material for Gut Restore Supplements?
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: Hookworms, Roundworms, and Whipworms
- Dogs are screened for ova and parasites using fecal floatation.
Still have questions? Please visit our help center or contact us. We are happy to work with you and/or your veterinarian.