Frequently Asked Questions
What is FIP?
FIP is a chronic, progressive and fatal infectious disease caused by Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus. It is mainly characterized by peritonitis, accumulation of large amounts of ascites and a high fatality rate. 1 Epidemic Characteristics Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus mainly infects 0.5~5 Cats aged under 12 months are more susceptible. Purebred cats, mixed cats and stray cats are more susceptible.
What are the causes of FIP?
FIP is caused by cats being infected with feline coronavirus and then the feline coronavirus mutates. Feline coronavirus is a gastrointestinal virus that usually does not infect other systems. At this time, it is asymptomatic or at most causes mild diarrhea or upper respiratory tract infection, such as sneezing, watery eyes, etc., especially when cats are 5 to 7 weeks old. Because maternal antibody levels will decrease during this period. Any cat carrying feline coronavirus is potentially at risk of developing FIP, but less than 10% of cats will develop FIP due to feline coronavirus mutations. After the virus mutates, it will spread to other body parts besides intestinal epithelial cells, lungs, and blood, gradually causing systemic inflammatory reactions, especially in the abdomen.
Symptoms related to Dry FIP
In cats with Fhe parts of the body tissues that have been invaded by the peritonitis virus, the immune system produces granulation tissue to wrap and block these parts. Because the peritonitis virus may invade various tissues, organs and systems such as the eyes, liver, kidneys, lymph nodes, nervous system, etc., the immune system will overreact in various parts, and affected cats may suffer from a variety of symptoms.
Symptoms related to Wet FIP
Wet FIP is relatively common, accounting for approximately 60% to 70% of all cases, and the disease progresses rapidly . Wet FIP is characterized by fibrous pleurisy and peritonitis, accompanied by obvious pleural and peritoneal effusion, which seriously hinders breathing. Wet FIP effusion appears thick and yellow, mixed with protein, white blood cells, and plasma. However, the effusion is not a product of the viral peritonitis virus, but a manifestation of the overreaction of the humoral immune system; wet FIP is mainly due to the weak cellular immune response and strong humoral immune response of the affected cat.
Did the skin break or ulcerate during the injection?
Due to pH issues, some cats may experience skin damage or ulceration after injections. The injection site must be changed every day. The principle is that the entire back needs to be injected. The drug has a certain acidity, and skin ulcers may occur if injected into the same location for a long time. Due to the long treatment cycle, even if the injection site is changed every day, the skin will ulcerate. This is normal and there is no need to panic. After the cat’s injection causes skin ulceration, you can use iodophor or hydrogen peroxide diluted at 1:2 to disinfect the wound, and then Apply Bailing Jinfang or erythromycin ointment, etc., and when the skin becomes scabbed or falls off during the recovery process, it will be scratched. It is best to wear an Elizabethan ring to prevent the cat from licking or scratching the wound.
Is FIP contagious?
Feline coronavirus is contagious, but after mutating into peritonitis virus, it loses the ability to be transmitted between cats, so FIP itself is not contagious. Feline coronavirus is transmitted through feces or mouth, so sharing cat litter and litter shovels may lead to infection [11]. If a group of cats living in groups are diagnosed with FIP at the same time, it is not that they have infected each other with FIP, but that they have mutated and developed feline coronavirus at the same time; the peritonitis viruses in their bodies have independently mutated and are structurally different.
How long does FIP need to be treated?
The usual treatment cycle should be 12 weeks, which is the safest. , although some cats (wet type) can be cured in 6-8 weeks, this is only an individual case, and the treatment time is determined by the time it takes for the cat’s body to build its immune system. In addition, when cats only suffer from FIP, antibiotics or other drugs are usually not necessary. There is no evidence that interferon or non-specific immune stimulants are useful for FIP.
My cat has a big belly, do I need to drain the fluid?
It is generally not recommended to extract abdominal fluid from wet cats, unless too much fluid is compressing the internal organs, causing the cat to have difficulty breathing. You must know that removing ascites/pleural effusion is not a necessary process for treatment. It can only be used to relieve the symptoms of respiratory discomfort and further diagnose the disease. It is very painful for cats when ascites is removed.
My cat won’t eat, what should I do?
If your cat is picky or refuses to eat, you must intervene. You must know that no matter what, eating is the most basic. Only eating can ensure the body’s nutritional intake. If the cat does not eat for a long time and cannot keep up with its nutrition, the condition will be aggravated. Therefore, when a cat refuses to eat, you need to force feed it. You can feed the cat chicken, fish and other meat foods as well as nutritional cans. You can also soften the food to make it easier to digest. In short, it is necessary to replenish the protein, fat and other energy needed by the cat in time to improve the cat’s resistance.
Will FIP come back?
Theoretically, recurrence is indeed possible. But in practice, cats that follow a complete treatment cycle have a very low probability of recurrence. The most common relapse occurs when the cat does not complete a complete treatment cycle. But VERA offers perfect relapse coverage, which you can view here.
I have two cats, do I need to quarantine the healthy cat?
Feline coronavirus is contagious, but after mutating into peritonitis virus, it loses the ability to be transmitted between cats, so FIP itself is not contagious. Feline coronavirus is spread through feces and mouth, so sharing cat litter, litter scoops, and other behaviors may lead to infection. If a group of cats living in groups are diagnosed with FIP at the same time, it is not that they have infected each other with FIP, but that they have mutated and developed feline coronavirus at the same time; the peritonitis viruses in their bodies have independently mutated and are structurally different.
What should I do if my cat’s temperature rises?
Under normal circumstances, body temperature will return to normal quickly after treatment with GS. But if his body temperature makes you anxious, you can physically cool it down, apply alcohol to the cat’s foot pads, wipe it every once in a while, and always pay attention to whether the cat’s body temperature shows signs of falling. We do not strongly recommend taking additional fever-reducing medications.
What is feline transabdominal PCR test?
PCR, also known as polymerase chain reaction, uses a piece of DNA as a template to amplify the DNA to a sufficient amount for structural and functional analysis with the participation of DNA polymerase and nucleotide substrates. Feline transabdominal PCR testing is a molecular biology technique used to detect the presence of feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) or feline coronavirus (FCoV) in cats. Cat abdominal-transmission PCR detection requires extracting viral RNA from cat feces, saliva or other samples, then using PCR technology to amplify viral RNA fragments, and detecting the presence of PCR amplification products through gel electrophoresis and other means. This detection method can provide rapid diagnosis, but due to its high sensitivity, false positive results may occur. Therefore, PCR detection can be used as an auxiliary method to diagnose feline abdominal transmission, but it needs to be combined with other clinical information and test results to be comprehensive. judge.
Can my cat just take pills without injections?
We do not recommend that cats take pills without injections, even though pills are more convenient and painless. Due to bioavailability reasons, we recommend that you wait at least 4 weeks after injection before switching to tablets. This is the safest method, so we do not recommend you to take risks.
What tests does my cat need to diagnose?
Things we can intuitively feel include: effusion, eye tremors, inflammation, different pupil sizes, iris discoloration, etc., epileptic convulsions, symptoms of viral infection of the nerve center: jaundice, obvious yellow staining of the cat’s ears and skin, urine Abnormal fluid, constipation, loss of appetite, inability to eat food, weight loss, lethargy and still lack of energy, abnormal fever, and anemia.
But if you need a strict medical diagnosis, you may need the following tests:
Examination of biochemical indicators to see if there is an obvious increase in globulin, decrease in albumin, increase in bilirubin, etc.
Imaging examinations, such as B-ultrasound, X-ray, etc., are used to check whether there is pleural or abdominal effusion and whether there is obvious swelling of lymph nodes.
PCR can detect the RNA of the coronavirus and observe whether it mutates at specific points. If both PCR and virus mutation tests are positive, abdominal transmission is highly suspected.
SAA is an indicator used to detect inflammation in the body. In cases of abdominal transmission in cats, varying degrees of inflammation often result as the virus destroys the immune system. The normal value range of SAA is 2.5-4.0g/dl, and the SAA value of patients with feline abdominal transmission is usually higher than this range.
Can FIP be treated with hormonal drugs such as prednisone?
It is undeniable that hormonal drugs can quickly relieve related symptoms, such as prednisone, dexamethasone, cortisone, etc. But this can also cover up some truths and make you mistakenly think that your cat is recovering well. Therefore, the use of such drugs is not recommended for cats without fatal symptoms. In addition, if it is used for cats with brain symptoms, the dosage should be increased appropriately.
Can FIP be prevented?
Since the peritonitis virus that causes FIP is mutated from feline coronavirus, the term “preventing FIP” is not accurate, but rather preventing feline coronavirus. Similar to the treatment for FIP, there are currently no recognized and effective targeted preventive measures for feline coronavirus, and the mutation conditions are unknown, making it difficult to prevent FIP.
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