FIP????

Hi Cat,

Can I assume you can´t agree with my positive outlook then? :o(
Ollie is still holding on...back and forth from the vet andstill waiting on 2nd FeLV results.....so still waiting.....hopefully :o)

Hayley x

Hiya....back again....lol

Ollie´s results are back from screening
Positive for FeLV and the FIP number was summat like 1208 which the vet said was high???

Ok I understand from the vet that screening can produce a false positive for FeLV and they are doing the 2nd test now...so we shall see soon. As for FIP I just don´t know...I have read online that they can have a high ´Titer´ but not actually be infected with FIP....it´s not very straightforward is it??? :o(

Ollie seems to me to be improving...her appetite is fine and she is eating well, she does drink her water and I am giving her water with a dropper a few times a day to keep her fully hydrated and she is playing a little and fighting now with all 4 paws when it comes to pill time....so i am tellin g myself that the results mean she has been exposed to both things BUT her body is fighting them.....surely if she was ill she wouldn´t imporove from being paralysed as she was when she was at her most ill?????

Please Cat, if you can agree with any of my positives I would be most grateful :o)

Waiting hopefully
Hayley and Ollie x

Hi Cat,

Thanks for your post :o)
Ollie has had the blood test to screen for FIP but we have to wait up to 7 days for the result so fingers crossed. She went back into the vets yesterday morning because she had gone downhill a bit and I was worried so they admitted her and gave her fluids and hopefully she will be out today :o)

One question i have about Toxo is....can the nervous system symptoms (lack of balance etc) stay with them for life? Ollie started treatment for Toxo 15 days ago and still has terrible balance but she has omproved from when she was first diagnosed....i just wondered if a slow recovery was normal or is she stuck with some permanent damage?

thanks again for your time
Hayley x

Hi Hayley,

FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) is certainly a confusing disease and it is not fully understood by vets, let alone owners! FIP the disease is caused by a virus called a ´corona virus´. The majority of cats are exposed to this virus when they are young and it causes them no harm. However, in an unlucky few the virus causes the disease FIP. We don´t know why some cats develop the disease but it is a very small minority. It is more common in young cats and also those living in multi-cat households.

There are 2 forms of FIP, ´wet´ and ´dry´. In the wet form of the disease the cat develops fluid build-ups in its body, most commonly in the abdomen and the chest. Fluid build up can also occur in the dry form but cats more commonly develop growth-type leisons in various parts of their body, particularly in their eyes, brain and kidneys. The physical symptoms of FIP can be variable but the cat is often lethargic, anorexic, they can have diarrhoea and become jaundiced.

FIP is a very difficult disease to diagnose and it is often only positively identified at post-mortem. Routine blood tests can show changes that are suspicious of the disease but do not diagnose it specifically. Tests can also be run on the fluid that can build up in the abdomen and the chest and also on the fluid in the spinal cord. A detailed eye examination can also identify the growth-type abnormalities that can occur on the retina but they are not there in all cases.

FIP is a rare condition, which is more common in young cats from multi-cat households but it is very difficult to diagnose. Often vets will make the diagnosis of FIP if they cannot find anything else wrong and the tests point towards it. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for FIP and it is considered a fatal condition.

I hope this helps but I also don´t want it to worry you. FIP is an unsual condition and I do hope your cat doesn´t have it.

Cat