We are going to try a drug that has had limited success with FIP but it wont hurt. It is called Polyprenyl Immunostimulant. It is off label use as it is for feline herpes. It boosts the immune system. There is nothing on the market for FIP and it is pretty much 100% fatal. PI will give him a chance. He eats very little and was continuing to lose weight so we started syringe feeding him. He seems to feel better today as I think we have halted the weight loss. We may do 2 weeks of steroids to jump start his eating even though it points us in the opposite direction of the PI. We have a follow up appointment Mon. This has been exhaustive and expensive but he is only 6 months old so we are going to give it our best shot.
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What about placing a feeding tube for nutritional support
[QUOTE=Marshfield;9039708]
What about placing a feeding tube for nutritional support[/QUOTE]
I had considered that but the syringe feeding is working. He likes ham baby food.
[B]Jingles & AO continue for Leonard ~
((hugs)) laced with extra strength and patience for his family ~
And what a wonderful family Leonard has supporting him ![/B]
Poor little guy. I will be pulling for him.
Go, Leonard,
What a tough kitten. Hoping he can get through the crisis.
Jingles for Leonard!
Still syringe feeding Leonard. He is gaining weight and feels better so it is baffling. My vet is suspicious for liver shunt because he doesn’t seem like an FIP cat. His main symptom right now is nausea. Only when he eats as he grinds his teeth when being fed but no other time. He is racing around and feels better but doesn’t eat enough to not lose weight. If the test is negative this fri, we are going to consult a GI specialist. We are trying Zofran for nausea as the Cerenia was a pain to give and didn’t seem to help and is fraught with side effects.
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I’m so glad things are at least, stable, and at best, improving.
Have you tried giving him some Pepcid AC? Wonder if that would maybe help with the nausea and teeth grinding?
I have but only for 2-3 days as I felt it didn’t help. If fri is negative, I think we are going to do an EGD.
I was able to manage nausea very effectively in Juliet with a combo of Cerenia, Zofran and Pepcid–but it did take all of that. We also used mirtazipine for appetite. Perhaps worth discussing with your vet.
I just added Pepcid today and maxed out the Zofran dose today. If that doesn’t work, will add Cerenia. Cerenia is the riskiest side effect wise. Tomorrow is a bile acid study which is low on the list but needs to be eliminated. Then off to the GI clinic at K State. FIP not off the list but he certainly isn’t following an FIP course. Was your kitty renal failure?
Yeah, end stage renal failure complicated by a mass in the upper right quadrant.
I’ve honestly never seen a HUGE response to Cerenia alone, although I know several vets love it for nausea, and it absolutely played a role in controlling Juliet. As a substance p inhibitor, it’s also effective at controlling visceral pain, which could be useful for you. An on/off dosing schedule reduces the risk of side effects.
Persistent nausea imo is a pretty severe quality of life issue, and food aversion can really be a pita. Once they know they feel icky when they eat, it can just be hell getting them going again. I’d throw the kitchen sink at him to get that nausea under control. Once you have control, remove things carefully one at a time and monitor.
But this is dragging out over 2 months and 4 rounds of different antibiotics. Some of his labs don’t support it but it appears to be dry FIP.
Immunostimulant should be here Thurs and we will start a 2 week loading dose. It is off label use in FIP and is minimally effective but it is all there is. Hoping he will feel better.
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We added Cerenia to the pepcid/zofran mix along with mertazapine.
Jingles continue.
Poor little guy, he has a great support system. More jingles for Leonard!
Polyprenyl Immunostimulant arrives today. 2 week loading dose. Hopefully see results by then. He is on Zofran Cerenia Mirtazapine and Pepcid AC. He is almost entirely syringe fed. He is however interactive, purrs, rubs up against my legs, especially if I am late with the syringe feed. I can tell he does not feel well but he is not miserable. Want to give the PI a good 6-8 week trial. If that doesn’t work, I guess it’s steroids. We can not find anything else wrong so we presume dry FIP.
Jingles for Leonard … a brave boy … with a great mom !
