Dry FIP Diagnosis...

Hi all,

My cat, Blue is a two year old (three in October) tabby who has been acting strange lately. I took him to the vet about a month ago because I noticed he was eating less and acting a bit lethargic. The vet we saw (not our usual vet, she was on vacation) said that he seemed perfectly normal besides running a fever and said that it may have been associated with the feline greenies I had given him for the first time. Fast forward to today - Blue is still eating less than normal, still kind of lethargic, although he does have some good days. He is drinking water and going to the bathroom although I noticed his stool was a bit watery a couple of days ago, prompting me to take him back to the vet's office.

The vet said that he did not have a fever, has lost two pounds and felt a lump in his intestine. She also said he has tapeworms (we had a flea infestation at our new apartment - we moved out because of it and he is flea-free now but maybe that is how he got those?). She asked if I wanted them to do bloodwork and an xray and of course I said yes. She did not really say anything about the xray results, just said that she was sending them out to get looked at. She said his bloodwork was abnormal - anemic and high globulin. That, with his symptoms led her to tell me that she believes he has a high likelihood of having dry FIP. Obviously, I immediately began sobbing and my boyfriend had to leave class and meet me at the office so the rest is a bit fuzzy. She said she wants to treat him for possible intestinal parasites, deworm him, and give him an antibiotic to see how he responds. She also changed his food to a Hills diabetic prescription formula to see if the protein levels get better. 

I am really struggling to deal with all of this information. It is hard when a vet tells you that your baby has an 80% chance of having a terminal disease and that I should prepare to make that decision. I am going to see how the medicine works on him and will likely get a second opinion next week. I just wanted to see if anyone has had experience with an animal with anemia and high globulin that did not have FIP. Thank you in advance. 

I'm so sorry to hear about Blue! Depending on the severity of the tapeworms, this can absolutely cause anemia and throw other blood results off.

Did the vet suggest giving anything to help the anemia like PetTinic?

I think it's fair to try a few things and see how Blue responds.

If there is continued thought that FIP is likely, there is an experimental drug called Polyprenyl Immunostimulant that is available for use in cats specifically with the DRY form. The medication is *not* cheap and does *not* guarantee anything.

My rescue tried PI with a cat we had diagnosed (well as close to an actual diagnosis as you can get) with FIP. She received the medication for 11 weeks (started on it 3 weeks after initial symptoms). She lived for 14 weeks before her symptoms turned into the WET form.

With that said, if I had another cat with suspected dry FIP and had the funds to treat, I would attempt it again.

CatPack,

Thanks for the response. She prescribed Veraflox, Metronidazole and Profender. I gave him Revolution today so she told me to hold off on the Profender until Saturday. She also gave him vitamin b complex and vitamin b12 injections before we left. She was going to give him fluids because of his weight loss but decided against it in order to avoid throwing him off more. 

I was not aware that dry FIP can become wet FIP - that is so scary! I am sorry to hear about your experience with it. From what I've read, it is a terrible thing. I really hope this is just a misdiagnosis.