In 2021, Deuce was born to a Feral cat under the care of a local cat rescue. At 3 months old she was put in a foster home until a forever home was found. She was healthy and the Cat Rescue had plans of placing her and her littermate in a Cat Cafe for adoption. Deuce began to tilt her head so she was taken to a veterinary and diagnosed with inner ear infection. For 3 months she was treated with antibiotics with no progress in resolving the tilted head or ear Infection. After that she was transferred to Harmony Hill Animal Hospital In Sterling VA for a more conclusive diagnosis. Through extensive blood work and examination, Dr. Kathleen Werden, DVM, diagnosed her with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Deuce was put on a regimen of 84 injections, one per day. The medication administered caused a burning sensation but Deuce persevered through the treatment. After the last injection, and more blood work, she went through a 3 month observation period in which she did not show any signs of regressing and she was cured. Deuce now lives a happy, loving life with her adoptive family. She continues to have a tilted head, which was the result of having FIP, but it does not impair any of her daily activities. -Pet Parent Dottie
"The dry form of FIP causes infection and inflammatory lesions around the blood vessels in a cat’s body. This infection can affect the brain, liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin. This form often causes the cat to have seizures and move in an abnormal or uncoordinated way. In some cases, cats will also have excessive thirst and urination, vomiting, weight loss, and jaundice." * Source: Cat FIP Symptoms
The dry (granulomatous) form of FIP is a bit more difficult to diagnose, and can be an invasive process if one wants to dive a little deeper into getting more answers. If one chooses to go that route, taking tissue biopsies is one of those options; it can be samples from the brain, eyes, or from other parts of the body, depending on where the suspected granulomas are being formed. The medication to treat FIP is given in 84 injections, once a day (that's a lot of pricks), and the patient is periodically taken in for checkups to see how things are progressing. To read more about FIP click the links below.
Thankfully with the advancement of feline medicine, Deuce and other cats now have a chance to live long happy lives.
More Information
https://everycat.org/education/cat-health-research-library/?_sf_s=FIP
https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/study/preventing-feline-infectious-peritonitis
https://catvets.com/guidelines/practice-guidelines/fip-guidelines
