Please send positive energy, prayers, and thoughts to my cat!

LizaS33

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Further to my previous two posts - my precious and loving male cat was diagnosed with FIP last week by my local vet.

I have since then been trying to find a vet that would be willing to source us Remdesivir (legal in South Africa) so that we can start treatment asap.

We had to, unfortunately, rush him to our largest animal hospital (some 200 km from our home) yesterday morning, as he gained another 2cm in abdominal girth overnight and had completely lost his appetite.

The doctors withdrew almost a liter of fluid from his abdomen, and after X-rays, an ultrasound, and some bloodwork, they are in agreement that we are looking at wet FIP. Another specialist will look at him today to confirm the diagnosis, after which they will today liaise with their network of other veterinary clinics and hospitals to source us Remdesivir. I have had to, unfortunately, leave him behind to stay in the hospital, which is breaking my heart. I hope he doesn't stress too much, as he must i.a. feel that we have abandoned him!

Please send your positive energy, thoughts, and prayers to Gryskat! I am unable to concentrate, and am already in a state, as I don't know what I will do if we cannot find medicine quick enough or if he doesn't make it to treatment.

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Mietze1960

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Further to my previous two posts - my precious and loving male cat was diagnosed with FIP last week by my local vet.

I have since then been trying to find a vet that would be willing to source us Remdesivir (legal in South Africa) so that we can start treatment asap.

We had to, unfortunately, rush him to our largest animal hospital (some 200 km from our home) yesterday morning, as he gained another 2cm in abdominal girth overnight and had completely lost his appetite.

The doctors withdrew almost a liter of fluid from his abdomen, and after X-rays, an ultrasound, and some bloodwork, they are in agreement that we are looking at wet FIP. Another specialist will look at him today to confirm the diagnosis, after which they will today liaise with their network of other veterinary clinics and hospitals to source us Remdesivir. I have had to, unfortunately, leave him behind to stay in the hospital, which is breaking my heart. I hope he doesn't stress too much, as he must i.a. feel that we have abandoned him!

Please send your positive energy, thoughts, and prayers to Gryskat! I am unable to concentrate, and am already in a state, as I don't know what I will do if we cannot find medicine quick enough or if he doesn't make it to treatment.

View attachment 395726
Sending your kitty good vibes and prayers.
 

neely

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Having experienced FIP firsthand with our 3 year old cat awhile back I can empathize with what you're going through. :hugs:
Sending special thoughts and positive vibes for Gryskat. :vibes::vibes::vibes::grouphug:

I thought this thread might have some helpful information for you:
FIP Is Treatable Now?
 

trishc59

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Further to my previous two posts - my precious and loving male cat was diagnosed with FIP last week by my local vet.

I have since then been trying to find a vet that would be willing to source us Remdesivir (legal in South Africa) so that we can start treatment asap.

We had to, unfortunately, rush him to our largest animal hospital (some 200 km from our home) yesterday morning, as he gained another 2cm in abdominal girth overnight and had completely lost his appetite.

The doctors withdrew almost a liter of fluid from his abdomen, and after X-rays, an ultrasound, and some bloodwork, they are in agreement that we are looking at wet FIP. Another specialist will look at him today to confirm the diagnosis, after which they will today liaise with their network of other veterinary clinics and hospitals to source us Remdesivir. I have had to, unfortunately, leave him behind to stay in the hospital, which is breaking my heart. I hope he doesn't stress too much, as he must i.a. feel that we have abandoned him!

Please send your positive energy, thoughts, and prayers to Gryskat! I am unable to concentrate, and am already in a state, as I don't know what I will do if we cannot find medicine quick enough or if he doesn't make it to treatment.

View attachment 395726
I will be praying for your beloved fur baby, I know how you are feeling my 16 year fur baby is my heart and she also has health issues. We just need to love them. God bless
 
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LizaS33

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Thank you all for your very kind wishes, thoughts, prayers, and responses. I very much appreciate it.

I feel kind of emotionally knackered. It has been a rollercoaster of gathering contacts and information and talking to veterinarians. I have in fact been in contact with the FIP Warriors Group, and have also been chatting to a local lady who runs a local FIP support group who has been very supportive and helpful. I also emailed a doctor in Australia, as well as another lady who is an international expert in FIP, and both parties have been incredibly helpful and prompt in their replies. I have also finally found an incredible vet that is willing to treat my boy with the new medication for the FIP.

However, there are a few red-tape hoops that we need to jump through before the permit for the medication's use can be issued. It may be another day or two before we can commence treatment.

Meanwhile, my boy is staying in hospital. They have inserted a feeding tube to keep him eating. He must just stay strong and stable!
 
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LizaS33

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Thank you to everybody for your prayers and good wishes!

Herewith a quick update. I am very happy to report that Gryskat has been home for almost two weeks now after having spent 8 days in the veterinary hospital. We are on day 18 of treatment, which consists of a daily subcutaneous injection of Remdesivir. The injections are going well and he is handling it like a champ.

He is improving in leaps and bounds and appears for all intents and purposes to be a 100% healthy cat. He is eating extremely well, playing, running around the house and the garden, and is grooming with a level of thoroughness that I have not seen in months.

The ascites liquid have mostly been reabsorbed, and his body is sleek-looking.

I am immeasurably grateful for our blessings on this path. Everything is working out to the best possible outcome. I was blessed to have been put in touch with a local distributor of the correct medication, and I was blessed to have had him at the best specialist at our nearest city who acted on my wishes to pursue the FIP treatment and kept Gryskat stable and well-fed until we could legally start treating him.

We have a long way to go. The total treatment consists of 84 days of SQ injections, after which we will enter an 84 day observation period. This treatment is also insanely expensive.

Thank you all for your wishes and prayers. Please keep sending the good energy and wishes! I simply know that Gryskat is on the road to full recovery, and I am looking forward to receiving the veterinary verdict of 'fully cured' in a few months' time!

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tabbytom

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He is improving in leaps and bounds and appears for all intents and purposes to be a 100% healthy cat. He is eating extremely well, playing, running around the house and the garden, and is grooming with a level of thoroughness that I have not seen in months.
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to hear that he's on the mend!
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Antonio65

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He is improving in leaps and bounds and appears for all intents and purposes to be a 100% healthy cat. He is eating extremely well, playing, running around the house and the garden, and is grooming with a level of thoroughness that I have not seen in months.
That's so great news!

We have a long way to go. The total treatment consists of 84 days of SQ injections, after which we will enter an 84 day observation period. This treatment is also insanely expensive.
Sounds very much like the GS course of therapy, that is 84 days of daily treatment at a crazy cost, and about three month observation period.

Fingers crossed all is fine!
 
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LizaS33

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Sounds very much like the GS course of therapy, that is 84 days of daily treatment at a crazy cost, and about three month observation period.
Yip, Remdesivir is near-identical to the GS44 compound. In fact, if I understand it correctly, the GS44 compound is the active ingredient in Remdesivir. The treatments are therefore similar, and the cost is eye-popping! :headshake:
 

Antonio65

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Eye popping is right! You have my greatest respect. Life is worth more. Let’s just hope that the medicines are more widely available soon. No one should have to face what you face to save your loved one. I am thankful you got the medicine.
What is difficult to face in this matter, apart from the cost, is the fact that getting hold of this medicine is not always easy.
I had to treat two feral cats of mine and the vet introduced me to a group of people who seemed to have the access key to the supply.
I spent a fortune on that kitty, who finished the treatment, actually he was treated even a week longer than the standard course, and he recovered fine, but a month after the end of the therapy he got worse and died in a few days :bawling2:

His brother got sick with FIP a few months later, we ordered the same medicine from the same people, but the cat died the day we received the drug...

I spent a fortune twice, and I would do that again, a cat's life is worth more!
 
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Jcatbird

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Antonio65 Antonio65 There are people fighting to get these drugs more available. In the future, we may have access to it through better channels and with less expense. UC Davis has been doing testing. I am so sorry you lost your kitties to this but hope for the future comes through learning about all of this. You and LizaS33 LizaS33 have contributed to the knowledge that we need. Thank you for that and for giving everything you could to work towards life. My heart is with you both.
 
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LizaS33

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Eye popping is right! You have my greatest respect. Life is worth more. Let’s just hope that the medicines are more widely available soon. No one should have to face what you face to save your loved one. I am thankful you got the medicine.
I don't know yet how I am going to cover the full treatment. I have already used up half of the reserves in my overdraft and am barely 20% through treatment. However, there is a lot of money on this planet and I'll have to work to channel some of it towards Gryskat's treatment, but there is only one Gryskat. Thank you so much for your kind words - they affected me greatly, and I am grateful for all the emotional support on this forum!
 
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LizaS33

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What is difficult to face in this matter, apart from the cost, is the fact that getting hold of this medicine is not always easy.
You are quite right! It was quite a marathon to fight to get hold of the medicine in time! In my country, we are allowed to legally obtain Remdesivir, as long as there is a veterinary prescription and a permit in place. The permit is tricky - a veterinarian has to apply to our government for this Section 21 permit, which allows the use of medication for off-label purposes. The usual turn-around time supposedly for the government to issue the permit is apparently 24 to 48 hours. However, I have heard of instances in which people had to wait for 6 months and longer! These various delays obviously created great anxiety for me, as my kitty was in high-care during that time and had to be forcibly fed through a feeding tube! Thankfully the permit came through within a few days, and we could legally start treatment.

I had to treat two feral cats of mine and the vet introduced me to a group of people who seemed to have the access key to the supply.
I spent a fortune on that kitty, who finished the treatment, actually he was treated even a week longer than the standard course, and he recovered fine, but a month after the end of the therapy he got worse and died in a few days :bawling2:
I am so sorry to hear this. This also obviously worries me a great deal! I have heard of relapses, but according to my research, the relapses are rare and usually respond to a reinitialization of treatment. Did your kitty that relapsed have the wet or dry form of FIP? Were there any neurological issues?

His brother got sick with FIP a few months later, we ordered the same medicine from the same people, but the cat died the day we received the drug...

I spent a fortune twice, and I would do that again, a cat's life is worth more!
I am so sorry to hear this! We are all pioneers in this treatment, and I can only hope that FIP treatment will become commonplace and very affordable soon!
 
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