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Join FIP Warriors® on Facebook during your cat's FIP treatment journey for additional support.
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Communicate with your veterinarian and alert them to any concerns or questions you may have during treatment.
Weigh at least 2x per week and NEVER decrease dose with weight loss. Keep dose the same and let weight catch up.
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Make sure your cat is getting 200-250 calories per day. ASSISTED FEEDING can be done until your kitty eats on their own.
BLOOD WORK SCHEDULE
Regular weight checks are a key part of treatment!
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It's very important to weigh the cat 2-3 times per week as the dose of GS is calculated taking the cat’s weight into consideration
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It’s a good idea to keep a log of the weights to track progress - download ours here
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The dose is never adjusted down for weight loss - always calculate dose based on cat's HIGHEST weight since diagnosis
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We also never lower dosage during treatment
Blood work should be performed at or around days 30, 60 and 80 of treatment
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We do this to see how the kitty is doing on the inside as well as on the outside by observing clinical improvements
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The first set of blood work done around day 30 may not show much if any improvement so don’t be alarmed if that’s the case
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The day 60 labs tell us a lot more about how treatment is progressing
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If results are not at desired levels by day 60, dosage might increased to help blood values reach the desired levels by day 84
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During the 84-day observation period that follows treatment, blood work should be run every 4-6 weeks
WEIGHING YOUR CAT
Compounded oral GS options state the TOTAL amount of GS in each pill or capsule
That makes the pharmacy-compunded oral protocols as follows:
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15mg/kg for basic Wet Abdominal FIP
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15mg/kg if there is pleural effusion or fluid in the chest cavity
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15mg/kg for Dry FIP
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20mg/kg for Ocular or Neurological FIP
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If the cat is FIV positive, FeLV positive or was given a shot of Depomedrol, we add 5mg/kg to the dosage for each condition
Compounded injectable GS options state the amount of GS per mL in each vial
That makes the pharmacy-compunded injectable protocols as follows:
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8mg/kg for basic Wet Abdominal FIP
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8mg/kg if there is pleural effusion or fluid in the chest cavity
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8mg/kg for Dry FIP
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10mg/kg for Ocular or Neurological FIP
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If the cat is FIV positive, FeLV positive or was given a shot of Depomedrol, we add 2mg/kg to the dosage for each condition
DOSING FOR COMPOUNDED ORAL GS:
DOSING FOR COMPOUNDED INJECTABLE GS:
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When treating with oral GS, remove cat’s food and fast overnight (leave water available)
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Give full dose of tablets or capsules first thing in the morning
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Wait one hour then feed full meal
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A small treat (such as Churu or pill pockets) can be used when giving meds
FASTING PROTOCOL FOR ORAL GS
TREATMENT OVERVIEW
Treatment with GS is an MINIMUM of 84 days followed by 84 days of observation
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GS has recently become available through compounding pharmacies in the United States in both oral formulations and sterile injectables
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What this means: ANY VETERINARIAN can prescribe GS and have the order filled in one of the participating compounding pharmacies
AVAILABILITY OF GS IN THE US
Miss or skip doses. Your cat is fighting a fatal disease and it's critical all full doses are given
DON'T
Run out of medication. Make sure to refill all prescription meds well ahead of time
DON'T
Ignore supportive care. Most cats will need added support-especially at the beginning of treatment
DON'T
Have your cat vaccinated during FIP treatment without discussing the pros/cons with your vet
DON'T
Avoiding all unnecessary stress is critical for an FIP kitty
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No new pets
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No vaccines (exceptions detailed below)
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No surgeries (except spay and neuter as per the below)
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No big lifestyle changes if possible
MINIMIZE STRESS FOR YOUR CAT
There is no ONE answer regarding how to proceed with or without vaccines for an FIP kitty
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There are many factors which can increase your cat’s risk of contracting diseases, such as where you live, whether you have a single cat or multi-cat home, whether you foster, whether your cat is strictly indoor or not, if your cat has already had any vaccines, if your cat has other health issues, etc.
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The FVRCP vaccine protects kitty against 3 highly contagious and life-threatening feline diseases, Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (that's the FVR part of the vaccine name), Feline Calicivirus (represented by the C), and Feline Panleukopenia (the P at the end of the vaccine name).
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An FIP Warriors® veterinarian who has treated hundreds of FIP patients feels that the benefits of giving the FVRCP vaccines during treatment outweigh the risks but prefers to wait for a year after cure to give the rabies vaccine
VACCINES
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If the cat undergoing treatment is not spayed or neutered yet, that surgery should be scheduled for between weeks 8-10 while on GS (after the 8 week blood work is reviewed)
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If this timing for the spay or neuter is not possible, one can simply extend the GS treatment for 2 full weeks post-surgery
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If the cat cannot be fixed during treatment, the recommendation is to wait until the observation period is over and cat is considered cured
SURGERIES
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Dr. Niels Pedersen, retired veterinarian and professor emeritus at UC Davis is credited with discovering that GS cures FIP
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GS and Remdesivir (which you may have heard of for treating Covid in humans) are closely related and nearly chemically identical
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The exact dosing is determined by type of FIP, cat weight and concentration of the GS medication
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GS is typically administered as an injection given under the skin (sub-cu) or oral medication