Hello Veterinary Future Society subscribers!
I am still learning from the materials that I picked up at the 2026 Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. One of the biggest paradigm shifts for me at the WVC this year is how veterinary medicine will likely embrace measuring and treating animal microbiomes. We are moving away from reactive, broad-spectrum treatments and beginning to treat the microbiome as a functioning organ system in its own right, separate from the gut that contains it.
While exploring the conference, I was impressed by the team at www.animalbiome.vet. They are exceptionally knowledgeable and are actively making this futuristic approach a reality by offering clinical tests and targeted treatments directly to our practices. They offer “Gut and Oral Health Test Kits” that use advanced DNA sequencing to detect specific imbalances, providing a snapshot of the patient’s microbiome. Plus, they offer actionable insights for supplements, a personalized diet, and lifestyle changes. Instead of just treating symptoms blindly, we can now map a patient’s microbial community to figure out exactly why they are experiencing distress. The microbiome results panel they showed me reminded me of a blood profile.
These folks also provide the clinical tools to treat those imbalances. Their lineup includes “Fecal Microbiota Transplant” (FMT). These custom capsules deliver species-specific microbes to naturally restore the gut microbiome. I wasn’t as attracted to a powdered fecal material for clinical enemas. They are also using targeted prebiotics, bacteriophages, and specialized fiber blends to cultivate beneficial bacteria, restore balance in the gut microbiome, and promote whole-body health. It is a leap forward in ecosystem-based care and will likely give new meaning to “we need to do a fecal.”
Rolan
The NAVC has “embraced” the Microbiome and is now offering CE and a certification on the subject.
