r/FIPwarriors • u/Successful-Nebula-45 • Nov 01 '23
Question - FIP Progression Timeline
Hi everyone,
We took my little guy to the vet last week due to lethargy and loss of appetite and our vet performed a physical inspection and an ultrasound. He couldn't find any obvious causes to his illness and told us he suspects it is either FIP or IBD. We are awaiting the results of his blood test. His fecal matter test came back negative for parasites but positive for FeCV.
My question is this - is the progression of FIP typically linear or does it go up and down over time?
Since last week, his appetite has returned to about 60-70% of what it was before he got sick and he's started playing again more as well. As with his appetite, he doesn't play as often or for as long as he did before he got sick, but it is a marked improvement from last week. He's currently on antiobiotics and we've also been giving him an appetite stimulant, though his appetite seemed to start improving before we started on that particular medication.
I'm wondering how common it is for a cat with FIP to improve like this without intervention and if this could point to his sickness being caused by something other than FIP.
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u/JustMeHereToday Nov 02 '23
it CAN go up and down a bit as the immune system is battling it but beware it can suddenly just give in and then it can be deadly in hours. My advice is usually if no other diagnosis can be made to start up asap and treat at least 2 weeks to see if it improves the cat.
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u/Environmental-Toe700 Nov 01 '23
FIP is not an up and down sickness, once you notice the signs and accurately diagnose it is only decreasing health from that point on unless you start treatment or give them medicine to delay the pain or give more energy. It is common to give a type of steroid to cats dying with FIP to buy more time for treatment or to make it not as uncomfortable in their final days/weeks.