Willow
Willow, a 2 year old, 4.53 kg spayed female British Shorthair cat, presented at emergency on March 13, 2021 with lethargy, fever of 40.2, inappetence, inappropriate urination, discolored urine and had some muscle wasting. X-rays were taken, a ultrasound revealed a moderate amount of free fluid in the abdomen and the muscularis layer of the small bowel appeared subjectively thickened. Yellow coloured abdominal fluid was drawn. The CBC panel was unremarkable. Chemistry panel showed high bilirubin and the a/g ratio was 0.7. FeLV/FIV test was negative. FIP PCR came back positive.
Willow was discharged from emergency with pain medication, mirtazapine and 7 days of prednisolone.
March 13, 2021, treatment with GS injections was initiated at 6 mg/kg SID. By the next day Willow’s temp was 38.8 and her appetite was slowly coming back. She was very weak though and had to be syringe fed for days.
Five days into treatment, Willow’s fluid filled abdomen appeared to have reduced by half according to her owner. She continued to improve rapidly and on March 28 an updated video showed Willow happily playing. Her appetite was a bit slow to pick up but over the next few weeks it continued to increase.
At 4 weeks into treatment, bloodwork showed an a/g ratio of 0.8 and bilirubin back to normal. Willow was doing wonderful and acting like a normal kitty. Running, playing and purring.
Bloodwork was run again at 8 weeks of treatment and the a/g ratio was 0.9. X-rays were also taken and confirmed the abdominal fluid had resolved. Willow was doing excellent, videos showed her playing with her siblings and her owner reported, “she was zooming circles over and around me.”
At 12 weeks into treatment, bloodwork showed all FIP markers resolved and the a/g ratio had remained at 0.9. Weight was 5.03 kg. Clinically, Willow was doing excellent and she stopped treatment on June 4, 2021. August 27, 2021 bloodwork showed no concerns for FIP and a/g ratio was 0.8. Willow was deemed officially FIP free. To date she is a very healthy cat with no medical concerns. Attached are pictures of Willow and the bloodwork values. All data used in this report is being released with the owner’s full knowledge and consent
Fenton
Fenton, a 4 month old, 2.16 kg spayed female DSH kitten, presented on August 28, 2023 with lethargy and fever. The veterinarian prescribed clavamox. FeLV/FIV test was negative. September 3, 2023, Fenton was seen at the emergency hospital with a fever of 40.2, lethargy and a distended abdomen. AFAST scan revealed a large amount of fluid. Abdominal fluid score was 4. The fluid was serous and straw coloured. The Rivalta test was performed and was positive. No bloodwork was run. The veterinarian prescribed 5 mg of prednisolone.
September 7th, treatment with GS injections was initiated at 6 mg/kg SID.
Fenton responded quickly to treatment and started to show an interest in her toys again. A week into treatment she was back to being a little trouble maker and pawing things off the table! Her abdomen was starting to get a bit smaller as well.
September 16th labs were run which showed anemia, neutrophelia and an a/g ratio of 0.6.
By the end of September Fenton was 2.23 kg. She was playing with her sister and wrestling! She was interested in everything and her appetite was excellent. The abdominal fluid had nearly fully resolved.
October 5 – new bloodwork was run showing complete resolution of the FIP markers.
On October 20th the owner sent an update: “She is doing so well. In fact she is getting to be a little trouble maker. Fenton and her sister are constantly ripping around the house at full speed and wrestling with each other.” By the end of October Fenton weighed 2.57 kg. She was a very happy and active kitten.
Nov 25 – new labs were run and all the FIP markers looked great. Fenton was 2.8kg. Although she had not gained the amount of weight her treatment advisors had hoped, she was eating very well and extremely active. Clinically she was doing amazing and on November 30th she stopped treatment.
Fenton did wonderful over the next 3 months. Her family updated: “She is doing amazing. Full of energy and loves to get in trouble and steal food. Her appetite is very good and in fact, begs for food and will take food off your plate if you are not paying attention!” On February 2nd new bloodwork was done and there were no concerns. Fenton was declared officially FIP free. To date she is a very healthy cat with no medical concerns. Attached are pictures of Fenton as well as the blood work values. All data used in this report is being released with the owners full knowledge and consent.
