First of all I want to share the following links with you for quick official information:
Official Information:
https://www.fipvetguide.com/additional-resources
Dr. Niels Pedersen from the University of California has found out in his studies that there is a drug that can help curing cats who have developed the deadly FIP virus (Feline Infectious Peritonitis). Most cats in the study who got the treatment could be fully cured within only 84 days.
These studies are brand new, so unfortunately only few vets know about them and lots of vets will rather suggest euthanasia still, because this is what vets had to do with diagnosed FIP cats in the past as there has not been a cure and the cats were suffering - with an average life expectancy of only 9 days. (Source: https://www.maxizoo.ie/magazine/cat/health/fip-feline-infectious-peritonitis/)
The drug that is effective in most FIP cases is called GS-441524.
It is an antiviral drug that has been found during Covid19 research. If you look up “GS-441524” on the internet you will find several pages where the medicine can be ordered from. Unfortunately in most countries the drug is still not legal - not because it is dangerous, but due to patent reasons. In the UK and Czech Republic there already are legal treatment options.
If your cat has FIP and is not treated with GS or a similar antiviral drug, your cat will die. There is some time pressure, so please act quickly to help your feline friend.
To be safe that you order your GS-441524 from a reliable source, I recommend that you rely on the following information:
Information on access to treatment
The Facebook Group that I want to recommend to you is FIP Global. There are other groups like the FIP Fighters or best known the FIP Warriors but my personal experience with FIP Global has been the best.
Important to know is that most of these admins leading the groups are no vets but normal people like you and me who are dedicated to safe FIP cats.
What does that mean? They have read the studies and helped treating lots of cats with FIP, so they have a lot of experience - but you don’t need to listen to every suggestion made in the group. Your vet often still knows better.
Some FIP groups are kind of getting a bit radical against veterinarians because the treatment is new and vets often know very little about GS treatment. That does not mean that they can’t give good recommendations to make your cat feel better on their way of healing though! My personal experience with a German Facebook Group was that they have given me some starting help, but when I did not want to listen to everything they asked me to do, they did not want to help me further. (They have asked me to get my cat out of the clinic that helped keeping him alive while trying to secure the diagnosis.)
Please don’t let these people take all decisions for you! Only you can decide what’s best for your cat and as long as your vet wants to help you with the treatment and does not recommend euthanasia, please consider their opinion!
The GS treatment and a two-week hospital stay have helped my little Wintery to get back on his feet after his FIP broke out badly with massive liquid effusions in his belly. Wintery would surely have been better sooner if he got access to the GS medication earlier, but I don’t know if he would have survived without further medical help from our veterinarians in intensive care. Probably not! They have helped remove a full litre of liquid effusions from his belly. The GS treatment has stopped the build up of more liquid. Wintery’s condition was awful but he still got back to his old self within only a week of time (he is still in treatment now that I am writing this, but feeling very well).
FIP IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE
Even PCR tests can be negative, so please don’t fully trust those tests when it comes to FIP - especially FIP in a serious stadium! My Wintery had two negative PCR tests, he never got a clear FIP diagnose, but the vets are still sure that it is FIP because of a positive reaction to the GS-441524 that I have given him.
Vets are not allowed to get the medicine for you or to help you with injecting it. They could lose their jobs for that. Talking about the study and helping your cat feel better while you take care of the treatment yourself is absolutely legal. If one vet is too scared to give FIP advice, call the next vet and if you have the chance, call a specialist from an university hospital that has experience with FIP and makes studies themselves. When you are very lucky your cat can be part of a study and they will take the costs - but that is rare. I got in touch with LMU Munich and Prof. Dr. Katrin Hartmann’s team. Unfortunately I had to wait two months for an appointment - I could not wait for their advice and had to read Dr. Niels Pedersen’s studies myself and trust Twitter friends and Facebook Groups until then. They could not tell me much more than I have already read in Dr. Pedersen’s articles that you can all find online.
COSTS
The Facebook Groups are very financially supportive too and will help you raising funds, so don’t worry about the costs so much. Yes, the meds are very expensive, but it always depends on many factors like the brand you choose and the dosage you need.
Example: I found 24mg pills for 21 $. If your cat needs 6mg/kg and weights 4kg you pay 21 $ a day for 84 days of treatment. 21 $ x 84 days = 504 $.
If you need a dosage of 20mg/kg for your 5kg cat though, you’ll need 21 $ x 5kg x 84 days = approximately 8.820 $. (A dosage of 20mg/kg or more is rare and rather used for relapse treatment or cases like Winterys when you have started with a dosage that was too low).
Dosage Advice
If you are getting help from a Facebook Group they will most likely give you good dosage recommendations. Important to know: chances are that your cat is developing a resistance to the meds, please do not give your cat less GS than has been recommended to you. The amount of GS you need depends on your cats weight and the kind of FIP it has. Dry and wet FIP need a lower dosage than ocular or neurological FIP.
If you don’t trust your admin or you are not getting any help online, there are online calculators:
https://curefip.com/dosage-calculator
https://fiptreatment.com/dose-calculator/
https://www.fipwarriors.eu/en/calc/
I myself have not noticed the signs of neurological FIP in my cat, so I have treated him with only 6-8mg/kg and then got the recommendation to raise the daily dosage up to 20mg/kg for 60 more days. That is why I recommend to be in touch with an admin, so that you don’t miss important signs that an experienced person would consider right away.
Pick “the right brand”?
FIP groups are fighting and even splitting up about the difficult topic which brand can be recommended and which one is not good enough.
The most important thing is that your cat is getting help fast! You can think about picking the best brand for the rest of their treatment after your cat is back on their feet. They need help and GS NOW, so as long as your cat is in critical condition you should take the first GS that you can get to make the cat get better and survive!
You should be careful though and make sure it is not being sold by just anyone but by an actual admin of a big FIP group or a trustworthy website - you don't want to become a victim of fraud in this difficult and stressful situation!
My Wintery has been treated with a brand that has not been recommended by most FIP groups (but some) because of “low quality” and “high price”. The GS still helped him recover!
We have completed 84 days of treatment and are adding another two months of treatment because of initial dosage mistakes. We hope that you can cure your cat within only 84 days! New studies are in the making, those are showing that in many cases FIP can even be cured even faster. So watch out for news from University of California and LMU Munich. (A shorter treatment would make things more affordable, but I personally would not risk it without clearer results. Backlashes are extra expensive because you need a higher dose and most likely 84 more days...).
Is FIP contagious?
FIP is a mutation that in most cases happens inside of your cat. You don’t have to isolate your FIP cat unless the cat is losing belly water after it has been punctured for tests or treatment.
How do I recognise FIP early?
If your cat is suddenly losing a lot of weight this could be the first warning sign that should be checked by your veterinarian quickly. Other symptoms of FIP can be fever (often more than 40°C) and lethargy, throwing up, diarrhea and later also liquid build up in the belly or chest area. More information on diagnosing FIP.
More Advice:
Give your cat GS injections instead of pills as long as they are struggling with diarrhea or vomiting. This way you can make sure that they are still getting the dosage they need.
LMU has recommended to not give your cat access to food an hour prior and an hour after giving a GS pill so the pill can be fully absorbed.
Give your cat the needed GS dose every 24 hours. Stick to that time to make the treatment effective. Splitting the dosage into two 12 hour dosages is possible, too.
Ask your vet if your cat’s blood results are showing an anemia, if they do you should give your cat some vitamin
B12 daily. Dosage according to the supplement’s package slip.
As your cat’s liver needs to cope with the GS, it is recommended to protect your cats liver with a liver supplement. Wintery preferred Rescave Hepar over Epato supplements - I am sure there are similar supplements that help just as good, but Rescave Hepar is my personal recommendation because Wintery considers it a snack.
High Calory Food and Appetite stimulants can be used to help your cat gain weight. You don’t need to give your cat those supplements if their weight is back to normal.
Please go for blood and urine checks with your cat. Bladder crystals are considered a potential GS side effect. Ask your vetenarian for food recommendations if your cat is developing those.Wintery has actually developed some bladder crystals but they have been found early and they are easily treatable compared to an illness like FIP.
Check in with your FIP admin before you end the treatment.
Keep up to date with Dr. Pedersen’s studies and other new studies about FIP.