Treatment for FIP? | Vet's Voice

Help me improve video lighting - ko-fi.com/vetm...
Join Dr. Em to learn about Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) and the new treatment options we have for it.
Additional information on FIP
icatcare.org/a...
How FIP is similar to SARS-COV-2
www.mdpi.com/1...
Like, subscribe, and share if you find this information helpful.
Follow VetMedCorner on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter! Ve...
Please comment suggesting any subject that you would like Dr. Em to cover next and like this video if you learned something today!

[@Perpetual-Waffle]

I just went through this with my Tonkinese kitten, Binx. He started showing symptoms for wet FIP shortly after we took him in for his first vet visit after bringing him home. We were lucky to find the GS treatment and I am happy to report he is officially cured as of two weeks ago. 💕 We did two weeks of injections and the rest of the treatment with pills.

[@VetMedCorner]

I'm so happy that Binx responded to the treatment and I hope he lives a long, healthy life 💜

[@judithb4202]

Thank you for this interesting video. Sherman was beautiful ❤

[@VetMedCorner]

I am so glad he was a part of my life, but wish it could have been for longer. He was the absolute best.

[@NurseHallauer]

So excited to see movement in this area! I’ve lost a former community cat to FIP. She was normally very interactive and would come around for food multiple times per day. She was TNRed and had previously brought us her one litter of kittens to foster. When she got sick she was more distant and by the time we could trap her, she had lost significant weight, you could feel every detail of her spine. But when I got her in for an emergency eval they pulled some fluid from her belly and said it was most likely FIP. Given her prognosis, her status as a fiercely independent community cat that wouldn’t tolerate the black market treatment even if she was well enough to respond to it, we elected to have her PTS. It was hard because she was a very beloved part of everyday. I have always worried about when we will deal with FIP again. Between fostering and wanting to start a sanctuary in the coming years, it seems inevitable. Like you said, any option is better than the previous lack of option. Always enjoy your videos, especially the kitty ones. Thanks again!

[@VetMedCorner]

I'm so sorry for your loss 💔 however it definitely sounds like you made the correct call for that cat. Daily injections for 3 months isn't an easy thing to undertake, and sometimes the best course of action is euthanasia. It allows us to prevent so much suffering and can be such a kindness 💜

[@cherylhoneycutt7553]

We are waiting on lab results on my cat but the vet is suspecting FIP. We noticed that he was wanting to eat his litter so I called the vet and he said this is sometimes because they are anemic. We took him in and on examination the vet felt fluid in his abdomen so he did an ultrasound and has sent that fluid out. He was anemic also so he was given an iron and vitamin shot. His wanting to eat litter is the only symptom we have noticed. The vet told us that on June 1 the medication will be available in the US. I was not expecting to hear anything like what I heard. I was hoping he would get a shot and that would be that but, because it seems we may have caught this early, hopefully he will have a good outcome. We do have pet insurance but I am not sure if they will cover the cost of treatment. So sorry for the loss of your beautiful kitty (ours is an orangie as well).

[@VetMedCorner]

The wait for a diagnosis can be excruciating, I truly hope that you are able to get treatment started for your cat and that he responds well to it. I'm so sorry you are going through this 😔

[@cherylhoneycutt7553]

@@VetMedCorner Thank you. I will keep you updated.

[@doreen5471]

Hello! I have had 3 cats I lost to FIP. They caught it from a stray cat my neighbor and I were feeding. No treatment back then. Now I suspect my other approx 10 year old cat has it (or symptoms now occurring similar to what my other cats experienced) and my younger cat is also now showing signs. Sadly it is very contagious but all my cats have been indoor/outdoor cats. You mention it would be available in the U.S. June 1. Where did you (or your vet) receive that info? I prefer to go through my vet to get the medication vs. buying potential counterfeit online. I literally was just thinking and petting my Romeo this morning wondering how much time I would have left with him as his face is starting to sink in like the rest of my cats did. He is losing weight, thirsty all the time and can never get enough to eat. All he wants to do is sleep when not eating. 😢😢

[@VetMedCorner]

I think that you may be a bit confused as FIP itself is not highly contagious. The symptoms you describe your cat having are very concerning and you need to see your veterinarian today in order to get some diagnostics done to try figure out what's going on with your cat.

[@MoniekRedhead]

​@@VetMedCornerindeed, FIP itself isn't contagious. But the innocent Corona virus itself is highly contagious. 85% of all cats get infected with FCoV (Corona virus, not the same virus as COVID-19, they are absolutely not related), only 5% of those 85% will develop FIP. Mostly because of stress and genetics. Seeing your symptoms I'm thinking about Hyperthyreoïde. Make sure if your cat also has hypokalemia that the vet doesn't treat with Furosemide because with the hypokalemia it's deadly.

[@YTxY7S4ER]

My cat who just beaten fip 2 months ago is pregnant and idk how will the babys be ok

[@times461]

How he beat this?

[@YTxY7S4ER]

@@times461 illegal medicine in the black market

[@moonvine11]

I was going to ask you about this. I have several friends who paid the thousands, got their cats treated and they seem fine now. I don’t have thousands to pay but I do have pet insurance and I’m hopeful I could get reimbursed. I’m sorry for your loss of Sherman. Also Gracie Gold, my favorite skater, has a designer breed - Scottish Fold x Munchkin, I can’t remember what they are called - who got FIP. She tested him and he recovered. She talks about it in her book. Maybe you could do a video on pet insurance.

[@VetMedCorner]

I hope all your friends' cats stay recovered and live long, wonderful lives 😻 Thank you for mentioning Sherman, the loss always hurts, and I miss him. He was such a perfect fit for our family, and he didn't get to be with us for near long enough. Is there a particular aspect of pet insurance that you are interested in? Thank you for the suggestion!

[@moonvine11]

@@VetMedCorner how to pick it. I finally just jumped and selected a company (Trupanion) after weeks and weeks of researching companies and policies. I wanted to do it before they got sick with anything and I’m really glad i did, because Kaitlyn has a terrible ear infection. We’ve gone through 2 ear drops and 2 antibiotics and I’ve met my deductible so I only have to pay 10% now. They typically pay within 24 hours which is great.

[@moonvine11]

Sorry that should have been she treated him and he recovered. I hate autocorrect

[@VetMedCorner]

I have Trupanion for my own cat and dog. From the veterinarian side, I find them to be reasonable and pretty easy to work with. Another nice thing about them is that they offer the option of paying a vet clinic directly, meaning the client doesn't have to wait for reimbursement. Not all clinics are set up for it, but many are! I hope that your cat's ears respond to the treatment plan, and that the infection is gone soon!

[@cw7854]

hello! thank you for the video! my cat has similar symptoms, including constant fever that can't be cured by several antibiotics, moderate anemia, pancreatitis, loss of appetite, no bowl movement..my cat is not responding to antibiotics and steroids. Her body temperature gets normal after iv fluid but as soon as she's home for more than one day, the fever comes back. Doctors don't have definite diagnosis of the illness. Do you think it'd be a good idea to get biopsy for IHC? I don't know if vets would want to do this for her..maybe I should give her the 441 injection no matter what, just hoping that it could help? Thank you in advance for your response 🙏

[@VetMedCorner]

With this information, it's not possible to advise you via KZbin comment. It's very important that you consult an internal medicine specialist as soon as possible. The proper medical work up for a FUO (ie fever of unknown origin) is required. I wish you and your cat all the best and hope you get some answers soon.

[@cw7854]

@@VetMedCorner thank you for your reply! the fever of unknown origin panel were all negative. We just don't know the underlying cause or pancreatitis is simply the cause

[@VetMedCorner]

There's a lot more to the work up than one panel. As I noted before, you must consult a veterinary internal medicine specialist asap for help in this situation.

[@yadayada3593]

Can GS medication affect cats blood sugar levels? Our cat died on 4th day after starting treatment (Wet FIP), on 3rd day he looked promising, started eating again and then on 4th simply collapsed - heavy breathing, barely conscious. We rushed him to vet, they made some tests and his blood sugar levels were so low that they did not even register, 5 days prior in previous blood test they were normal. Unfortunately our beloved kitty died just an hour later at the vet.

[@VetMedCorner]

I am so incredibly sorry for your loss 💔 FIP is still a nasty disease and unfortunately, not every cat survives even with treatment. Low blood glucose is not a side effect that's been demonstrated with gs. What did your veterinarian think was causing the hypoglycemia?

[@yadayada3593]

They did not say. As this happened during a weekend we had to go to an emergency wet to a larger city (not his regular vet) everything was a bit hectic in those few hours. Only now I am trying to piece everything together to understand what really happened and if we could have done something differently. We initially thought that liquid might have started to accumulate in his lungs, but that was not the case and to my understanding low blood sugar levels were the cause why he collapsed.

[@VetMedCorner]

@yadayada3593 from the information you have, it's not really enough for me to try and give you an educated guess on what occurred. I would recommend that you call the emergency clinic and ask them your questions or call your GP veterinarian and ask if they have the records from the emergency visit. If they do, then perhaps you can ask them your questions.

[@temoharri8848]

I have had a number of my kittens to get FIP and die. I also had a cat who was a year and a half old to be put down at the vet’s recommendation. The worst decision and day of my life. My little princess is gone and I will never be the same. I will be devastated a long time. I saw videos on KZbin that lead me to research online about the drug and found out that treatment is now available in the USA. Two lab pharmacies are offering it. I printed a lot of material from reputable web sites like Cornell University Vet School. I gave that to the vet at the animal “hospital” and they sort of looked into it. Came back and told me it was going to be like $500 dollars for a 40 day supply. And sort of gave me the brick wall that they wouldn’t be comfortable trying to even deal with the situation. I am surprised behind that. They referred me to a internal medicine specialist to call and see if they would be willing to help me. To MY SURPRISE they will charge $235 just for an office visit and that is for consultation only. Plus they aren’t really treating FIP. At this point, it seems vet offices are willing to make an easy buck just putting cats to sleep and not really trying to fight the medical issue. I have lost a number of my kittens. Their mothers were part of two litters from stray mother cats I showed kindness to. I have spent so much on money and time on them, and kept most all the kittens as it seemed people were not seemingly wanting to adopt any. My time, effort, money and love all defeated by FIP. 😢

[@leepfrog7405]

Why humans can get a shot for free or low cost and it costs thousands for cats is beyond me. Hopefully the research will progress and when it becomes more available the costs will come down. Thank you for this video. 👍💝 It's good to know there is actually remedies being studied.

[@VetMedCorner]

I really appreciate you taking the time to watch the video, it means a lot to me 💜

[@moonvine11]

This isn’t one shot. I can get regular vaccines for my cats free or low cost through vaccine clinics. This is an injection every day for months. Or oral med.

[@leepfrog7405]

​@@moonvine11 I did watch the entire video before I commemted. I am aware of this as she does explain that it's a series of shots. I still feel that it shouldn't be so costly and that's why I voiced my opinion, as in comparison to the human shots. The number of shots recieved and costs of said shots. As it's still in trials, that's also why I said , hopfully when this treatment becomes more available the costs will come down. Life saving med care shouldn't be out of reach due to price point. But, thats just my opinion.

[@NurseHallauer]

@@leepfrog7405this isn’t just a difference of “human shot” vs “animal shot”. It’s the difference between a vaccine and a medication. There are many medications in the form of a shot, just as there are many different oral medications. There is certainly an argument that important medical treatments could be cheaper, but R&D isn’t cheap either. There are plenty of expensive vaccines, and even more expensive medical treatments for people too, unfortunately. But until medication creation and research is better subsidized, it’s probably going to continue to be expensive. And unfortunately it’s seems even harder with getting veterinary medications approved, even when studying a medication already developed for human uses.

[@moonvine11]

@@leepfrog7405 it costs what it costs. I’m on Humira (2k a month). I understand you would like it to be cheaper and so would I. I expect it will be cheaper than when people had to import it from other countries and mostly I hope insurance will pay for it.