Vet not helping

[Maria1998]

Hi, I have a seven month old male ragdoll. He was totally fine when I brought him home last summer just had bad bowels which quickly calmed down after finding the right diet for him. On a health check at the vets in November they wanted to do a three day stool sample which when came back showed he has feline coronavirus. We have seven other male cats all indoor so the vet said our kitten probably had it and he came to us. He has been totally fine other than a bad case of gingervitas which we are controlling through anti inflammatory medication and llysene chews.
A few days ago we noticed he occasionally would jump or twitch while lying down every time he breathed. I took him to the vets and he did a blood test. Everything came back fine apart from slightly high blood and temperature. I asked the vet what this means but he just kept saying get ready to lose him. That most kittens that have FIP are gone in weeks. But when I asked if his coronavirus had developed into FIP he shouted at me "There is no test for this".
He placed him on antibiotics and I have to return in a week. I am now so worried I just my watch my kitten sleep to see if he is jumping or twitching.
The vet said his lungs were not crackly but clear. Also, he has a few episodes of twitching or trembling while sleeping a few months ago. If this was FIP he would b dead by now ?.
Please, any advice or help. I have spent days reading every article I can find online about this. I love this little boy so much. I would die for him. The thought of losing him makes me ill. I am so worried but the vet just takes my money and talks down to me.

 

[tnl]

Please find a different vet and get a second opinion!! Years ago I had a vet that diagnosed my cat with FIP. He was a year old at the time. We were ready to put him to sleep and he started grooming himself. The vet said "they don't usually do that when they're sick". We took him home and he lived until he was 18 years old! I also took him for a second opinion and that vet said he was misdiagnosed.

 

[Maria1998]

Please find a different vet and get a second opinion!! Years ago I had a vet that diagnosed my cat with FIP. He was a year old at the time. We were ready to put him to sleep and he started grooming himself. The vet said "they don't usually do that when they're sick". We took him home and he lived until he was 18 years old! I also took him for a second opinion and that vet said he was misdiagnosed.

I have an appointment next Thursday the day after his antibiotics end. If I still feel they are not helping I will go to the other vets in town. I spoke to them this morning and they said I needs to ask my vet to transfer his records to do this. I have all eight cats with my vet so I guess I was a little scared of insulting them by asking for a second opinion but it really will be my only hope it I get no where next week.
Thank you for the advice

 

[klunick]

I have an appointment next Thursday the day after his antibiotics end. If I still feel they are not helping I will go to the other vets in town. I spoke to them this morning and they said I needs to ask my vet to transfer his records to do this. I have all eight cats with my vet so I guess I was a little scared of insulting them by asking for a second opinion but it really will be my only hope it I get no where next week.
Thank you for the advice

If your vet is insulted by getting another opinion, he/she isn't a decent vet. No vet should discourage a client getting a second opinion.

 

[Maria1998]

If your vet is insulted by getting another opinion, he/she isn't a decent vet. No vet should discourage a client getting a second opinion.

I just feel so talked down to by them. When he first had his diagnosis for coronavirus another female vet called be back because I had asked them and she was really rude. Sighing every time I asked a question.
I have spent thousands at this vets over the years. I am not wealthy but work so much overtime to pay these bills and feel really let down. You are right. I do need a second opinion.
Can anyone tell me if he has a single symptom really would mean he is almost definitely developing a form of FIP ?

 

[stephanietx]

Number one, you need a new vet. Your vet is rude and not helpful. If you feel talked down to, the vet doesn't have a good bedside manner. Number 2, if your kitty does have FIP, there IS a treatment for it. It's very expensive, but I know of a couple of kitties who have recovered from it.
What You Should Know About Feline Infectious Peritonitis

FIP Has a Cure! Here’s Why It’s Hard to Get

Finally: Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is treatable!

 

[tnl]

I asked the vet what this means but he just kept saying get ready to lose him.

Your vet was very cruel by saying this and should have never said it!

How common is infection with feline coronavirus in comparison with FIP disease?
Many cats (up to 50% in single cat households and as high as 80-90% in multi-cat environments) become infected with one or more strains of feline coronavirus at some time in their lives. The majority of cats with feline enteric coronavirus (about 90% or more) remain healthy. The incidence of feline infectious peritonitis disease is low (only 5 to 10% of infected cats and less than 1% of cats admitted to veterinary hospitals).

Feline Infectious Peritonitis

 

[kittenmittens84]

omg WHY do some vets continue to do this to people? It’s so infuriating! The FCoV test is NOT a test for FIP. At all. Feline coronavirus is not the same thing as FIP, and a positive FCoV test on its own means essentially nothing.

Here’s the thing: 70-90% of all cats that have lived in multi cat environments (so a shelter, cattery, multi-cat home) have had feline coronavirus at some point, and around half of cats in single cat environments. It’s a virus that’s endemic to domestic cats and 99% of the time it either has no symptoms or causes mild GI upset that goes away on its own. For reasons that we don’t yet understand, in like .5-1% of cats the FCoV virus mutates, and that mutation causes FIP.

Currently there is no one single test for the mutated version of the virus that causes FIP, so a very large percentage of cats who do not have FIP and will never develop it will test positive on the test your vet did. For some reason it’s way too common to find vets doing these tests randomly and then telling owners their cat has feline coronavirus with no background information, which only does a good job scaring people. It’s one of the leading causes of death of cats under 2 so it baffles me that there’s so much confusion about it still (on the part of professionals, not you OP!)

Occasional twitching while relaxed or sleeping is completely normal for cats and not something that you should worry about as a sign of FIP. It does not sound like your cat has any symptoms that would be associated with FIP, or even with being sick at all.

FIP is a complex disease that can be hard to diagnose because it can present in a lot of ways, but common symptoms are: constant fever that isn’t resolved by antibiotics, loss of appetite, weight loss, a buildup of fluid in the abdomen or chest causing a visible potbelly, lethargy, hesitation jumping to high places, back leg weakness and difficulty walking, stumbling, cloudiness or redness in eyes, swollen lymph nodes, and intestinal or spinal lesions.

I’d find a new vet.

 

[Maria1998]

Thank you so much for the help, kind words and advice.
I contacted a animal hospital and they will see him today. Nervous but happy that I am doing everything for him.
I will post here later when I have news. Fingers crossed for my beautiful boy.

 

[Antonio65]

Everything came back fine apart from slightly high blood and temperature. I asked the vet what this means but he just kept saying get ready to lose him. That most kittens that have FIP are gone in weeks. But when I asked if his coronavirus had developed into FIP he shouted at me "There is no test for this".

This is more than enough to go elsewhere!
There are other clinical signs that might prove a cat is developing FIP. There's no sure test, that's alright, but a single high BP and temperature say just nothing.
Like stephanietx has said, this vet has no bedside manners. Vets like this one should never work as vets.
In my life I met several dozens of vets, but only a couple were that rude. Needless to say that I don't want to deal with them anymore!

Find another vet.

 

[Maria1998]

Hi everybody.
So I just received a call from the animal hospital. My kitten has no heart of fluid issues. They said he has a problem with his spine which is why his breathing is bad when he lies in certain positions. It needs to be monitored for the future but his X-Ray and scans will be sent to the specialist. I know this could be serious long term but I am so relieved it is not what it could have been. I feel really let down and angry that my vet kind of have up on my boy. Thank you for all your advice and help. I can't wait to bring him home and fuss him.