I know...up to a couple of months ago, I was very convinced that FIP is not contagious - and some strain of the virrus may not be. .but now I know that it's not true..
_____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 17, 2006 6:24 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: another despair - prayer for Rikki - ARF/FIP? If Olive's necropsy showed FIP, then maybe they really all do have FIP. It has not made sense to me, given that FIP experts say it is a mutation, not a virus in itself. But maybe particular corona viruses are more likely to mutate or something, and maybe that is the one going around that house. I am really sorry you are going through this. The only thing I know of that helps with FIP symptoms (but is not a cure) is steroids; the combined dexamethasone and depomedrol shots can help with FIP like they do with lymphoma. My Buddy may have had FIP-- lymphoma was never definitely diagnosed because he had no masses anywhere and his blood work was all fine in the beginning, just weight loss, lethargy, and dull matted coat, and then he got uveitis in his eye and kidney failure and anemia, and died of anemia. He lived with it for about 4 months on steroids. It was either lymphoma, or leukemia, or dry FIP. My vet thought it was dry FIP. He got sick shortly after Patches entered the household, and she had been exposed to a cat with FIP right before coming. I called and spoke to an FIP expert at Cornell who told me not to worry about exposure that way because FIP itself is not contagious, so I didn't. Maybe the form of corona virus that caused it was contagious, and maybe he got it. He was 18 months old. None of the others got it, and I think some were under 2. But who knows. No one claims to completely understand FIP. Hideyo, all I can say is that I feel terrible you are going through this. The suddenness of Rikki's symptoms make me think, though, that even if all the others have had FIP, maybe something else is going on with him. But maybe not., Michelle In a message dated 11/17/2006 8:08:57 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I think none of the kitties whom she lost recently to FIP at this past incident was felk positive - (she had sent me the details of every kitty whom she lost as I was very curious to find out what happened) -Karen who also lost 6 of her kitties to FIP recently and none of them were felk positive either.. I ended up doing necropaise on Olive as my vet suggested and it was FIP - and I am assuming that the rest of my babies were also FIP - I am not sure which portion of the symptoms don't sound like FIP except Rikki- I really wish it was something else.. I have not lost any kitties older than two years old - three were less than 1 year, and Peter was 1.5 years old..- I don't know for sure if Rikki has FIP and it caused ARF or not - but there was nothing that he could get into - please trust me - I would think of all the reasons to cause what' s causing - Rikki's blood work is very similar to Peter though Rikki's liver is functions are fine- I did all the blood parasite tests on Rikki - and it was all negative - what else could it be? I don't keep any chemicals at all in my house for cleaning supplies - as I get so worried about it .. if not, FIP - what could it be? If you have any other ideas of the cause, I would love to look into it..please let me know.. I have two separate houses where I keep my cats next to each other.. none of the kitties from the other house (they are all older than 3 years old and I have not brought any new kitties to the house for the past three years or so) - When I read about the symptoms (both lab and clinical) of FIP -they are very much what my kitties have gotten - it just attacks differents part of the body, whether it's liver, kidney or CNS...
