Just left vet told possible diagnosis of FIP

jasmine06

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I came home today and my cat Jasmine had a foul odor coming from her. I checked her and there was a light brown discharge coming from her behind. I immediately called the vet and they said they could get her in this afternoon. When i took her in she had a weight gain of over 4 lbs since she was spayed in January. They said it was a red flag...and they needed to run tests to see if she had fluid in her abdomen and to she if she had FIP (the vet told me that i would have to put her down if that was the case). While the blood was being taken and test ran, i waited in the waiting room. When they came out the vet said that there wasnt any fluid which opened the doors to FIP. So of coarse i began crying and all upset because not only to believe i have to put her down but, she told me her kittens two of which i kept are likely to have it as well. Also and cats she has come in contact with. Well i went on vacation for a week and a half and they went to my parents. They have cats as well. Well anywho...to make a long story short, right when i got home i began reading and reading and reading. Yes, she has gained an excessive amount of weight in a short period of time...but i dont see the other syptoms. I was wondering if there was anything else i could look for it to be...I am a full time student with a part time job and not much hope was given to me today that Jasmine would survive this. Either one because she would have FIP or two because if tomorrow when i call at 10AM and she doesnt that it would be "EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE" to find out what it is....Someone please help!!!!
 

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I REALLY, REALLY think you need a second opinion, pronto. My Mons has FIP and typically the disease causes a LOSS of weight. Also, our vet didn't make us put him to sleep right away. Even though Mons isn't as fortunate and happens to be at the end, some cats can last months with a decent quality of life. There are a couple of yahoo groups for FIP. Also, FIP is easily misdiagnosed so be careful.

You can visit Mons thread for his experience (am actually about to update his thread).
 

bmw kitty cat

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I agree, please get a second opinion. A few months ago I believed one of my cats had FIP. Luckily, that wasnt the case.

I pray it is the same for you as well. GL and keep us posted
 

carolina

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Ok, first of, how old is she, and how much does she weight? This could be a normal weight gain, especially after the spay, if she is a kitten, or if she was underweight to begin with. You also mentioned she had kittens - how long ago, and what is she eating? There is no definitive test for FIP, and I am very surprised that your vet jumped into this conclusion so fast, especially without any other symptoms. If the vet says it is FIP, DO NOT put her down - she could be completely healthy, and you could be making a mistake.
The discharge and the odor on her behind could be her anal glands that need to be expressed. This is a VERY simple procedure.
I would look for another vet - I would not go back to this one. This is the worst case of vet diagnosis I have ever heard! What were the results for the blood test? For now, as far you can see, she is healthy, right?
I would not get desperate right now....
ETA: BTW: I always hear weight LOSS involved with FIP - never I heard of weight gain.
 
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jasmine06

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In January when i got her spayed she weighed 8.0 lbs today she weight in at 12.04 lbs. She will be 3 years old in April and she had 6 kittens in September 08. She didn't stop completely nursing them until the end of December. The blood results come back tomorrow i have to call at 10AM. She has also been eating kitten food for the last 5 months or so. I started her on it when she was pregnant and continued while she was nursing. I have put out adult food but she still wants to eat the kitten food which i have out for george and littlefriend.
 

bmw kitty cat

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Originally Posted by carolinalima

Ok, first of, how old is she, and how much does she weight? This could be a normal weight gain, especially after the spay, if she is a kitten, or if she was underweight to begin with. You also mentioned she had kittens - how long ago, and what is she eating? There is no definitive test for FIP, and I am very surprised that your vet jumped into this conclusion so fast, especially without any other symptoms. If the vet says it is FIP, DO NOT put her down - she could be completely healthy, and you could be making a mistake.
The discharge and the odor on her behind could be her anal glands that need to be expressed. This is a VERY simple procedure.
I would look for another vet - I would not go back to this one. This is the worst case of vet diagnosis I have ever heard! What were the results for the blood test? For now, as far you can see, she is healthy, right?
I would not get desperate right now....
ETA: BTW: I always hear weight LOSS involved with FIP - never I heard of weight gain.
I agree with Carolina, please do not put her down. She can live a healthy life, short but so what. Put her down when she would get really bad.

Anyways the vet should not have come to that conclusion. And i also agree with the fact that cats with FIP lose weigh rather than gain.

Funny thing is my cat a few symptoms of FIP and even when i took him to the vet my vet did not throw that out there. I was the one to mention maybe it could be FIP in which he then went into detail as to why it was not. It was also 2-3 months after he was neutered.
 

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i've never heard of cats GAINING weight due to illness, except for something similar to Cushing's... usually, it's a sudden weight LOSS that signals a problem.
i think it's quite possible her gain is simply from eating that rich kitten food. hopefully, that will turn out to be the case!
 

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I'm not quite sure I agree with the vet telling you a first option was euthanasia...not quite customer service!

Plus the fact that they mentioned FIP right away before having any diagnostic tests done at this point, and to tell you you may have to put the cat down (without mentioning other more positive solutions first) and leave you sitting and upset in the waiting room is not a very good practise to me. I would definately reccomend going for a second opinion.

Best of luck to you and your little Jasmine...I hope it's nothing serious and she gets well soon!!!
 

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Originally Posted by Jasmine06

In January when i got her spayed she weighed 8.0 lbs today she weight in at 12.04 lbs. She will be 3 years old in April and she had 6 kittens in September 08. She didn't stop completely nursing them until the end of December. The blood results come back tomorrow i have to call at 10AM. She has also been eating kitten food for the last 5 months or so. I started her on it when she was pregnant and continued while she was nursing. I have put out adult food but she still wants to eat the kitten food which i have out for george and littlefriend.
Ok - now her weight gain makes complete sense - she quit nursing in the end of December, so her caloric needs went down considerably. You weighted her in January, which was right after it... She is still eating kitten food, which has a lot more calories than regular adult food - she doesn't need that anymore. 12.04lbs is not a terrible weight for a cat, it sounds pretty normal. Put her back on adult food - do a slow transition so she doesn't have stomach upsets.
It sounds to me you have a healthy cat, with an explainable weight gain, and a very bad vet...
 
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jasmine06

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Ok so if it is not FIP what could it be??? i am just in shock right now...These are my babies and a feel like ive been told i have to say goodbye to them all. Her Symptoms 4 lbs of weight gain in less than two months since being spayed. Drinking high amounts of water, also urinating frequently. An odor along with discharge from her behind and a hard abdomen the vet said "potty belly like" without any fluid. The vet said her temp was normal, her heart and lungs sounded good...Im at a loss. Ive looked on cat diagnosis and all i get is roundworms, FIP, Proctitis, Adrenal Hyperfunction, Bloat, Toxoplasmosis, Acsites and hairballs?????? I have no clue!!
 

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Originally Posted by carolinalima

Ok, first of, how old is she, and how much does she weight? This could be a normal weight gain, especially after the spay, if she is a kitten, or if she was underweight to begin with. You also mentioned she had kittens - how long ago, and what is she eating? There is no definitive test for FIP, and I am very surprised that your vet jumped into this conclusion so fast, especially without any other symptoms. If the vet says it is FIP, DO NOT put her down - she could be completely healthy, and you could be making a mistake.
The discharge and the odor on her behind could be her anal glands that need to be expressed. This is a VERY simple procedure.
I would look for another vet - I would not go back to this one. This is the worst case of vet diagnosis I have ever heard! What were the results for the blood test? For now, as far you can see, she is healthy, right?
I would not get desperate right now....
ETA: BTW: I always hear weight LOSS involved with FIP - never I heard of weight gain.
Originally Posted by Jasmine06

Ok so if it is not FIP what could it be??? i am just in shock right now...These are my babies and a feel like ive been told i have to say goodbye to them all. Her Symptoms 4 lbs of weight gain in less than two months since being spayed. Drinking high amounts of water, also urinating frequently. An odor along with discharge from her behind and a hard abdomen the vet said "potty belly like" without any fluid. The vet said her temp was normal, her heart and lungs sounded good...Im at a loss. Ive looked on cat diagnosis and all i get is roundworms, FIP, Proctitis, Adrenal Hyperfunction, Bloat, Toxoplasmosis, Acsites and hairballs?????? I have no clue!!
Beware of the internet lol!! My Mitchell had a pot belly also, he had discharge from his eye and it was blurry. He also smelled nasty. He had fever and all he did was sleep. The more i researched the more it indicated that he had FIP.

Only to get the best news ever when i took him and they told me he had a bad reaction to the shots he was given when he was neutered.


I really hope it's not FIP!!! Best of luck.

I think you will be okay and your kitties too.
 

carolina

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First step will be to take her to another vet - explain that she is still on kitten food, even though she hasn't been nursed since the end of december... This could be the key for the weight gain.
ETA: I forgot - ask for a fecal exam, urine and blood test - also tell them to check her anal glands.
 

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Originally Posted by Jasmine06

Ok so if it is not FIP what could it be??? i am just in shock right now...These are my babies and a feel like ive been told i have to say goodbye to them all. Her Symptoms 4 lbs of weight gain in less than two months since being spayed. Drinking high amounts of water, also urinating frequently. An odor along with discharge from her behind and a hard abdomen the vet said "potty belly like" without any fluid. The vet said her temp was normal, her heart and lungs sounded good...Im at a loss. Ive looked on cat diagnosis and all i get is roundworms, FIP, Proctitis, Adrenal Hyperfunction, Bloat, Toxoplasmosis, Acsites and hairballs?????? I have no clue!!
did they do any x-rays of her abdominal area?
 

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Jasmine06

Please see the thread posted this am at 10:50a.m. by kdinardo - the name is Werid Question she's having the same problem.
 
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jasmine06

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No they said they would conduct more "expensive" tests (thats actually what she said) if the results come back negative. As of right now she is up walking around cleaning her babies and very alert. She is cleaning herself however she did within the last few min scoot her behind along the floor... First time i have seen that.
 

carolina

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Originally Posted by Jasmine06

No they said they would conduct more "expensive" tests (thats actually what she said) if the results come back negative. As of right now she is up walking around cleaning her babies and very alert. She is cleaning herself however she did within the last few min scoot her behind along the floor... First time i have seen that.
Hum.... maybe she has parasites? Run away from that vet!!
 
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jasmine06

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Yes that other thread was very helpful! I feel so much better right now...I was so emotional earlier calling my family thinking i had to call of the owners of my kittens...etc. I am actually enraged at the fact that this vet said that to me now!!! She was also the one that told me george was a boy when i took them in when they were two weeks old. Didnt figure out george was a girl til a few months ago :/ Still kept the name George because she's used to it.
 
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jasmine06

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The more i read the more it sounds like a combination of gaining weight from the kitten food and either just needing an anal gland expression or her anal glands are impacted. I was reading that it is normal for there to be an odor accompanied with this as well as if there is an infection, scooting along the floor. What possibly should and could be a simple routine might have been made to seem like i need to put all of my cats to sleep....Im livid!!!
 

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Originally Posted by Jasmine06

Yes that other thread was very helpful! I feel so much better right now...I was so emotional earlier calling my family thinking i had to call of the owners of my kittens...etc. I am actually enraged at the fact that this vet said that to me now!!! She was also the one that told me george was a boy when i took them in when they were two weeks old. Didnt figure out george was a girl til a few months ago :/ Still kept the name George because she's used to it.
Find another vet. This lady just wants your money!
 

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I was told my Yoshi had fip with kidney stones 8 months before he was pts. The test was pos for fip but that does not mean anything.
I would try another vet.
My brother spayed a cat and she gain about 5 pounds after.
She is so over weight now.
You need to change foods.
He had his other cat spayed a month before my Meeko and she to has gained a lot of weight.
Your vet is a idiot sorry to say.
She sounds like she wants money.
 
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