Probable FIP diagnosis - I don't think I can bear this

[misty8723]

It's just been about three weeks since we adopted a 7 month old kitten - Darcy.  She was so lively and playful we joked it was like having 3 Darcy's  - she's here! no she's there!  Then one day she didn't want to play - but she was otherwise pretty normal.  I thought well she must have just gotten tired of that toy, because she was otherwise behaving pretty normally.  Not quite as active maybe.  Then over the weekend I could see something wasn't right, she was sleeping all the time.  Of course, no vets on the weekend.  I almost took her to the eVet but DH talked me out of it, said we would get better care from our regular vet.  So we took her to the vet Monday and found she had a temperature of over 105!  Vet took an Xray and didn't see anything, and sent out a titer (is that right) to check for FIV, Feline Leukemia, Cronovirus, and one other thing.  It came back positive for Coronovirus, and vet is of the opinion that other indicators are pointing to it being FIP.  We are waiting now for an Elisa test - I don't know what that is for, something about protein.

We actually got a bit hopeful last night, she started eating (she wasn't eating before), at least licking the gravy and eating some treats. She got more active, meowed at us, used the scratchy.  But this morning her temperature was still over 104.  So I guess I have to face that she won't be with us very long.

Even though it's only been a few weeks, we already love her very much and have grown very attached.  All I've been doing is crying.  Even DH has broken down a time or two. 

I guess I don't really have a question or anything, I just wanted to write about my little Darcy who I never did around to introducing.  Please say a prayer she doesn't suffer too much.  She's so little, this just isn't fair.

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• misty8723
• Nov 21, 2014

 

[bijouandrocky]

Terribly tragic.. I will pray for your kitty, I offer my sympathies.

 

[miss mew]

I'm so sorry

 Thinking of you and Darcy.

 

[zoneout]

Well cant they at least give her some meds to bring the fever down?   That would make her more comfortable at least while waiting for the test results.   ELISA is another coronavirus test.   Probably the vet wants to substantiate the first result which is a good thing.   Tests sometimes give false readings.   I should know.   I was told I had diabetes from a hospital blood test.  3 hours later they redid it and the result was normal.

Here is some recommended reading for you so that you can have a good discussion with your vet and advocate for your pet.

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/brochure_ftp.cfm

 

[misty8723]

She's on antibiotics, they aren't bringing the temperature down.  First kind of antibiotic made her vomit. Trying a different one.  We're going over to discuss things with vet today.  Thank you for the link.

 

[misty8723]

Elisa test came back.  Vet thinks it was negative, but she has never had one done before so she wants to verify with the lab, but hasn't been able to get through yet. Vet tech syringe fed and showed us how to do it.  I'm a nervous wreck about it, I don't want to hurt her.  Also had some more Sub-Q fluids.  We are going to have an ultrasound to see if she has some kind of infection somewhere.  Please send little Darcy a vibe or two that it's not FIP and we find out what we can do for her to get her better.  She's such a sweet little thing.

 

[momto3cats]

Praying for Darcy and you, that whatever is wrong with her is something she can recover from.

 

[misty8723]

 
Praying for Darcy and you, that whatever is wrong with her is something she can recover from.

Thank you

We've only had her 4 weeks, but we love her very much.  I wish I had had the ultrasound done on Friday, but I misunderstood what the vet wanted to do it for.

 

[GemsGem]

So sorry you are going though this

I'm sending you and Darcy lots of positive vibes that this is something that is easly treatable

 

[catwoman707]

Of course you love her

A couple of mentions, one is, testing for coronavirus is def. not definitive by no means, since nearly all cats have contracted this virus.

The one concern to me is that the antibiotics are not bringing down her fever, which is classically seen with fip.

No bloated looking tummy? FIP has 2 versions, wet form which will cause fluid in the tummy and is easier for a closely accurate diagnosis from testing that fluid, and dry form, which takes longer to take them down, and often times misdiagnosed because of varied signs.

Has she had a blood panel done yet?

Hopefully this is not, and will be thinking of you are her, and dh.

Let us know!

 

[misty8723]

 
Of course you love her

A couple of mentions, one is, testing for coronavirus is def. not definitive by no means, since nearly all cats have contracted this virus.

The one concern to me is that the antibiotics are not bringing down her fever, which is classically seen with fip.

No bloated looking tummy? FIP has 2 versions, wet form which will cause fluid in the tummy and is easier for a closely accurate diagnosis from testing that fluid, and dry form, which takes longer to take them down, and often times misdiagnosed because of varied signs.

Has she had a blood panel done yet?

Hopefully this is not, and will be thinking of you are her, and dh.

Let us know!

I think the fever not coming down is what led the vet to suspect it *could* be FIP. She was very emphatic from the get-go that she was not diagnosing her with that, just a suspicion.  She also told us today that she's seen maybe 3 or 4 cases in her entire practice of FIP, so she's not that familiar with it.  She had a case recently, same situation we are in, the people lost one of their cats to cancer and finally found a great match for their other cat.  Then the cat got FIP, but this cat had the wet variety and there was no question what it was. 

Darcy does not have any bloating, and she has been to the vet just about every day since last Monday getting her temperature checked and general look-see, usually just by the tech, but sometimes by the vet as well.  The first thing the vet did was an XRay, which she didn't see anything on. Then blood panel.  When that came back there was something about her liver that was concerning.  She then did the titer.  Titer came back with exposure to coronavirus, which she explained does not mean Darcy has it, but with the fever not going down, general lethargy, lack of appetite, led to suspicions of possibility.  Of course, my mind heard FIP and I cried all the way home, most of the night, and off and on since then.  Hopefully, I've calmed down now. 

The vet wanted to do an ultrasound on Friday, but I guess we didn't totally understand what she was saying. She was on her cell phone and the quality was not good (and our hearing is not good either), so we thought the ultrasound was just to check for fluid in her abdomen. We said no, and our thinking was that if she did have fluid she wouldn't last long anyway and why put her through it.  But today the vet explained that with the ultrasound they could check for anything else amiss, any weird viruses, etc.  Which I should have realized to begin with.  So she is going to set one up within 24-48 hours.  Either with the ultrasound units that come around to her practice, or a local vet hospital.

In the meantime, She started Darcy on Pred and Mirtazapine.  We have been giving her the antibiotic Amoxicillan.  Prior to that, we started her on Clavomox, but she was vomiting so the vet switched her.  Her temp did come down a bit with the clavomox, but the vet said that we shouldn't go back to it because it "tears them up."  We also learned how to syringe feed.  Which scares me.  Darcy IS eating, but mostly licking the gravy.  She ate a little more today and even some of the kibble.  She seems a bit perkier tonight too - nowhere near her old self, but she's been purring, trilling, meowing, kneading on her blanket.  We are trying to be cautiously optimistic and send as many positive vibes as we can.

 

[zoneout]

All in all,  FIP is still a pretty rare disease.   Chances are in your favor that it is not FIP.    Antibiotics usually take a few days to knock out whatever bacteria there is.   So dont be alarmed if you dont see improvement for at least 2-3 days.    You probably know that you have to finish the course of antibiotics even if you see improvement - otherwise the bacteria will repopulate.   If it is a viral infection then what you are seeing is a normal reaction - fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, etc.   If that is the case, your cats immune system is going to have to fight it off.   All you can do is keep her nourished and comfortable while she fights it off.

You should also note that if it is a viral infection a cat often seems to improve then has a setback - then improve - then maybe another setback as they fight it off.    So just stay the course and don`t get discouraged if it looks like she doesn`t rocket back to health all at once.

 

[ldg]

I don't know if immune-supportive therapy would help if it is FIP ( !!!!! ), but I'd consider giving her lysine and lactoferrin, colostrum, and 1/4 to 1/2 a capsule of Transfer Factor Plus (the human one) twice a day. :heart2:

For help in understanding how blood work can point to it:

http://manhattancats.com/Articles/fip_testing.html

http://www.dr-addie.com/WhatIsFIP.htm

I hope ... !!!!

 

[misty8723]

 
All in all,  FIP is still a pretty rare disease.   Chances are in your favor that it is not FIP.    Antibiotics usually take a few days to knock out whatever bacteria there is.   So dont be alarmed if you dont see improvement for at least 2-3 days.    You probably know that you have to finish the course of antibiotics even if you see improvement - otherwise the bacteria will repopulate.   If it is a viral infection then what you are seeing is a normal reaction - fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, etc.   If that is the case, your cats immune system is going to have to fight it off.   All you can do is keep her nourished and comfortable while she fights it off.

You should also note that if it is a viral infection a cat often seems to improve then has a setback - then improve - then maybe another setback as they fight it off.    So just stay the course and don`t get discouraged if it looks like she doesn`t rocket back to health all at once.

Thank you for the encouraging words.  She is much better last night and this morning.  I have my fingers crossed that this is good news.  At least she's up and about.

 

[misty8723]

I don't know if immune-supportive therapy would help if it is FIP (

!!!!! ), but I'd consider giving her lysine and lactoferrin, colostrum, and 1/4 to 1/2 a capsule of Transfer Factor Plus (the human one) twice a day.

For help in understanding how blood work can point to it:

http://manhattancats.com/Articles/fip_testing.html

http://www.dr-addie.com/WhatIsFIP.htm

I hope ... !!!!

At the vet's request, I'm going to hold off on doing this for now.  I already asked about (not this specifically) but various herbal things and she suggested we not throw too much into the mix just yet. 

And thank you for the links.  I will check them out.

We are cautiously hopeful that it is just an infection and she will get better.

 

[catwoman707]

Wondering how long she has been on antibiotics, including the clavamox?

 

[misty8723]

 
Wondering how long she has been on antibiotics, including the clavamox?

Since Monday afternoon, twice a day.  She had 3 doses of clavamox, then vet said we should start over counting the 14 days with the amoxicillin. 

 

[catwoman707]

What I have managed to narrow down is how long antibiotics will take to actually begin making a difference, since kittens are so easy to read, and it's right about after the 5th dose is given, it hits the fever, it's attacking the bacteria, and will look like the cat starts getting some energy back, appetite begins to come back, sometimes at full speed, and an overall feeling better attitude, continuing to improve markedly everyday.

This is why alot of people stop giving the entire treatment of antibiotics, because they believe their kid is all better now! Sometimes the bacteria is not all the way gone and will regrow, and they end up retreating again.

So tmrw will be a week on them. When was the last time her temp was checked? Getting fluids will also lower her temp, but temporarily.

It will also help her feel a bit better for a short period.

Another thing with fip is, it will cause a fever, but it doesn't stay always, it will come and go, and sometimes even be below normal. But initially, almost always when I've seen fip, it starts off with a substantial fever.

I need to tell you about how important the syringe feeding really is.

I hear you, you are intimidated and worried about doing it, but it is CRITICAL. Not sure how you were instructed to do, but what I do is use a decent canned pate like wellness which is very pureed, and will go through the tip easily when diluted with water or preferably pediolyte. 

You could have much faster issues if she doesn't get the calories and nutrients she needs daily.

It's okay, not hard, just wrap her in a towel on your lap, snugly since if she doesn't want it she will def. be squirming, stick the tip in the side of her cheek and squeeze small amts out at a time, allow her to swallow and breathe in between.

Have lots of paper towels handy, you will need them if she struggles, but get it done regardless. She doesn't know that she needs it, only that she doesn't feel like eating.

Whether it is actually fip or not, you want her to be as comfy as possible.

It struck me when you said the vet has only seen 3 cases ever??! Wow......it's not THAT rare. Hmm. Unless she is fresh out of school?

 

[misty8723]

I wouldn't stop giving the antibiotics before the 14 days, I know better than that.

But does this mean that even if her temperature does go down, it can still be FIP?  I know there's no test - how do you ever know for sure what it is?  Would an ultrasound do any good?

Her temperature is 104.7.

 

[catwoman707]

No I wasn't thinking you would stop early, just using that as an example of how long it takes for the antibiotics to show improvement.

Yes, it can still be fip.

What I was looking to hear was that it was clear that the antibiotics lowered her temp. If she had a high fever, was put on them and 2 days later her fever suddenly went down, it would seem to point to them working on her fever.

If, several days or more after they were started her temp was still high, I would say probably not going to have an effect on her fever.

If it is infact fip, as time goes by you and the vet will see other signs, the dry form seems to take longer to wreak havoc enough to show, and when it finally does cause enough damage, the cat will clearly decline, usually pretty quickly at that point.

An ultrasound can appear normal, or not.

They would be looking for inflammation in the organs mainly, however depending on how long the cat had fip causing damage, it may very well show nothing abnormal.

As I mentioned, the wet form is SO much easier to diagnose, the dry form is so difficult, it is basically taking several signs and putting them together for a "best guess" diagnosis.

It's more a matter of ruling out anything else.

How is your kitty acting? Eating, drinking, sleeping alot, fever still hanging on? Activity? This started a week ago or must have been before if she was started on clav last Monday.

Can you take a picture and post? Of her face/eyes?

NOT that you can look at a cat and tell what is causing it, but you can tell how bad the kitty is feeling. Especially in their eyes.

I have a picture in my files on my pc of a kitty I had with fip, but I can't look at it, as it hurts my heart, but I can see that she was very unwell, something was def. going on.

I took her pic just before I took her in to be pts. She had abdominal fluid that was classic of wet fip.

.