News

22nd November 2024

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We are absolutely delighted to share this updated, official UK treatment protocol! 😺😸😻😺😸😻
🐈 Progress in the UK for FIP cats' treatment and diagnosis has moved at immense pace in recent months and we are extremely pleased to read the latest guidance in the updated official protocol. 🥰
🥊 The guidance that is now in place will mean more cats will be saved from FIP! 🎉 
And that is what it is about for us, that is what it has always been about - owners and cats working with their vets 👨‍⚕️🤝👩‍⚕️ to beat FIP 🥊 and ultimately making it a condition which can be routinely treated at general practice level ✅️ and in an affordable way for owners ✅️ so they can keep their furry best friend thriving. 🐈🎉
🐈‍⬛ FIP has never discriminated cats due to finances, breed etc but the legal treatment protocol has 🙄 and it has taken far too long to get to a position where the highest percentage of cats can be saved - we are almost there... Veterinary misinformation (not knowing the most recent protocol) and medication markups now remain as the main barriers to be broken down, for once, and for all! ❌️
✨✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️️The battle is not over but the future for FIP cats is the brightest it has ever been! 🥰
✨✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨
📑 Key, notable points from the newly updated (November 2024) UK FIP treatment procotol are outlined below. Please read the whole document for all of the information available.
❗️Please note that the information within the updated protocol and "The dosages below are based on experience using reputable preparations of known antiviral content. Extrapolation is not applicable to other oral preparations where the active component and/or its content are not known or provided by the manufacturer." 
➡️ *This basically means that this information does not apply to non-vet sources of FIP medications sourced online eg via blackmarket promoting groups.*
🎉🎉🎉 4️⃣2️⃣ days oral treatment:
🐾"Oral GS-441524 (available as a suspension 50 mg/mL and tablets 50 mg (quad-scored)) can be used from the start of FIP treatment for the entire treatment course (e.g., 6️⃣-12week/4️⃣2️⃣-84-days; see later regarding the duration of treatment courses)."
🐾"Duration of antiviral treatment For most cats, an 84 day/12 week treatment course remains recommended. However, shorter courses of 4️⃣2️⃣ days at 1️⃣5️⃣mg/kg q24hrs (6️⃣ weeks) have been used successfully to treat cats with effusive FIP in a recent study (Zuzzi-Krebitz, AM, Buchta K et al, 2024). 
Importantly, these cats almost all responded rapidly, with clinical (including effusion resolution), haematological and biochemical (including AGP) parameters returning to normal in most cats within 28 days.
This is not true of all cats with FIP and hence treatment duration should be decided on the basis of the cat's response. 
Shorter courses may be suitable if treated cats respond rapidly, with resolution of clinical signs (including effusions), normalisation of biochemistry abnormalities (and if available normalised serum AGP at 4 and 6 weeks). 
Cats should be closely monitored for relapse. AGP is not available in many countries and it may be that serum amyloid A (SAA) can be used similarly, but further studies are needed. 
Communication with owners should discuss that, currently, most published response rates and outcomes are for cats treated for 12 weeks."
🐾"If stopping after 6 weeks (please see note on 'Duration of antiviral treatment' above (pg 2) regarding an earlier monitoring time point if the cat has effusive FIP, responds very quickly and a 6 week treatment course is being contemplated) the cat should be monitored for signs of relapse. Any illness should prompt veterinary examination and measuring of AGP (if available) after one month along with a physical examination may be useful. Caregivers can be encouraged to weigh the cat at home and monitor appetite and informed that relapse can take a different form to the original presentation."
🎉🎉🎉 Definitive diagnosis is not necessary ➡️ trial treatment is acceptable!
🐾"Note on using antiviral treatment trials as an aid to diagnosis. In some situations, it is not possible to achieve a definitive diagnosis of FIP due to cost constraints, availability of testing, or instability of the patient precluding invasive testing. Antiviral treatment trials can be considered using an appropriate dosage and objective measures to identify improvement."🥳
🎉🎉🎉 Supportive care for FIP cats ❤️‍🩹💪
"Cats with FIP may benefit from various types of supportive care."
🎉🎉🎉 Potential urinary issues 🔎
"Uroliths of GS-441524 have been rarely described, although not with the legaly available GS-441524 or remdesivir preparations, so it may be that they occur when ilegal or unlicensed preparations containing higher (often unknown) levels of antivirals are used. 
➡️ It may be prudent, when using high dosages of antivirals, to increase water  intake 💧 and investigate any urinary signs that develop. 🧪🧫 Urine can be assessed for crystals that could represent GS-441524."

*The medication available from vets (GS-441524) is now the cheapest it has ever been from the pharmaceuticals.
Vets can mark up as they please, but they should think carefully about this in a life-and-death situation such as FIP*

  • GS-441524 is available in both tablet and suspension (liquid) forms.
  • Another, very effective antiviral treatment is also available to vets from Bova UK: EIDD-1931 tablets. Information about it is contained within the brochure linked here.
  • How do you know if FIP treatment is working? AGP is a valuable marker to evaluate treatment with GS-441524, according to this paper https://doi.org/10.3390/v16050791


“Treatment Details
Oral GS-441524 is very effective, with many studies showing recovery rates of >8️⃣5️⃣%. Other effective antivirals include GC376, remdesivir, molnupiravir (EIDD-2801).”

“Supportive treatment is EXTREMELY important 💪 and can include appetite stimulants, nutrition, fluid therapy, effusion drainage (e.g. thoracocentesis if dyspnoeic), analgesics, anti-emetic and anti-pyretic drugs.”

The above was updated according to the latest data on treatment: https://www.abcdcatsvets.org/portfolio-item/factsheets-tools-for-feline-infectious-peritonitis-fip/