Treatment
Accepted wisdom is that there is no cure for FIP; treatment is symptomatic and palliative only, i.e. typically the owner is advised to make the cat as comfortable as possible. Prednisone or other immunosuppressive drugs prescribed by a veterinarian may help to prolong the cat's life for a few weeks or months, but may be contraindicated in certain cases due to concomitant infection(s), although this risk can be mitigated somewhat by also treating with antibiotics. Newer approaches using immune modulators are being developed by several companies.
Effusive FIP usually progresses too rapidly for any meaningful therapy to be attempted.
Quarantine is not necessary as FIP is not truly an infectious disease. Feline Enteric Coronavirus is shed in the feces and can be passed on to other cats, however, it is the mutated form of the virus that leads to FIP. This form is only found in macrophages and is therefore not shed and not contagious.
As FIP signs can be easily overlooked, it is highly advised to have your cat examined by your family veterinarian at any signs of abdominal distention, changes in the eyes, chronic diarrhea, unusual lethargy or respiratory infection. While treatment will only be symptomatic, it may prolong the life of the cat as well as soften the blow to the owner. FIP patients can benefit from cytotoxic drugs such as methotrexate and cytoxan, and from corticosteroids such as methylprednisone or prednisolone; although it is not a cure, it often improves appetite and weight, and can make the cat less lethargic. In some cases, cytotoxic drugs can induce a brief remission, and even corticosteroids alone can give the cat 3-5 more months of good quality life. In spite of these treatments, however, prognosis remains extremely poor.
Read more about this topic: Feline Infectious Peritonitis
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