A Second Opinion

After a very emotional lunch on Tuesday finding out the results of Fry's test, I talked to one of the clients at my work about what was going on. This guy is an Emergency Veterinarian and had me tell him what I knew about Fry's results and helped me calm down and understand a little more of what was going on.

Symptoms of FIP:
-weight loss
-loss of appetite
-abnormally bloated stomach
-ongoing fever

What we know:

- Fry has tested high on the titer test. This blood test detects the presence of antibodies to the Feline Coronavirus. These antibodies exist even if the cat has only been exposed to the virus. There is no way to differentiate between the thousands of varieties of the Coronavirus and the fatal FIP virus. Fry's results on this test were high. The normal ratio is 1:100. Fry's was 1:6400. A high result is not good especially if the cat has other signs that point to FIP. But a high result doesn't mean much either. So we don't know if he has FIP or just a corona virus that his body is trying to become immune to.

- Fry lost 1.5 pounds in one month. He is slowly gaining weight. The E-Vet friend said that he has never seen a cat with FIP begin to get better like Fry has.

- He was acting lazy, not lethargic. Yes, he was not himself last week. He wasn't running around like a loony, wasn't really interested in eating, but he was eating. NOW he is going crazy like normal and being much more vocal by 'talking' or complaining when we come home. He is pooping and urinating regularly without complaint or pain. We were advised to just feed Fry what ever he wanted to eat. We are giving him a diet of half wet food and wet dry food with bits of cooked chicken mixed in. He really enjoys this and usually snarfs his food down right away now.

E-Vet said that with the titer test is unable to differentiate between deadly FIP or a relatively harmless virus, so you just have to take the results with a grain of salt. Many cats can have the Coronavirus but are just carriers. 30-40% of all cats are positive for the antibodies of the Feline Coronavirus. Less than 1% of these exposed cats will develop the fatal FIP.

So! All that we know for sure is that Fry has been exposed to the Coronavirus. Tomorrow, Fry is going to the vet for an ultrasound to check that there is nothing else going on like Lymphoma and to see if there is any abnormal fluid buildup.

E-Vet has offered to take a look at his bloodwork and ultrasound and possibly show it to other vets and get their input. He also advised for Fry to have the titer test again soon and see if his numbers have gone up or come down. All we need to do is just watch him closely.

There is no reason to freak out...yet...

and hopefully never!