I was browsing the blogs tonight in between doing Ebay, and I found this blog and lab work explanation. It is done very well and addresses the balance of the lab results I haven't posted.
(yep, totally the easy way out, but I am trying to get moved...
I will address the differences and important results in regards to FIP in conclusion however.
http://vettechs.blogspot.com/2005/04/blood-test-results.html
because FIP can be difficult to diagnose with tests alone, and some vets rarely see it, it is sometimes mistaken for something else, and something else is sometimes mistaken for FIP.
Clear diagnostic testing will someday hopefully be available, but to some extent I doubt it. The why is because IF the experts are correct and the mutation of the non lethal to lethal virus occurs within each cat, then there will never be an accurate "standard" because each mutated virus will simply be a little different. This is also why I am not encouraged that there will ever be a practical cure. But neither am I convinced that the experts are completely correct either.
Signs and symptoms of FIP:
1.swollen belly that feels like a balloon of water.
fluid withdrawn from the belly can be from clear to pale yellow to urine colored. It is thready and sticky to the touch.
2. loss of weight, starting between shoulder blades with the weight feeling like it is just dropping off the cat, until the cat has lost so much weight, they also lose all their muscle
3. rear leg weakness
4. wobbly walking
5. seizures
6. severe lethargy
7. jaundice
8.albumin/globulin ration of <0.4 FIP cats can frequently keep eating until the very end.
I have observed cats die within 3 days of starting to look sick, and I have cats now that have looked sick for 6+ months.
Nothing I have tried worked, but in the last 18 months, I have observed things that have helped. Extended my time with the cats. However, and I will be honest here, in extending my time with the cats, I am causing myself additional stress and pain. SO for those who choose to euthanize right at the begining, this is one of the few times I completely understand.
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The vet recommended euthanizia for my FeLV positive cats even though they didn't show any signs of illness yet. Whenever a pet is uncomfortable and uncurable I think the kindest thing to do is euthanize. It's a difficult decision. A relative of mine recently found a cat and brought him in, he was sick and she took him in and put him on antibiotics, he tested negative for everything. She had him neutered. He got better then she realized that her other 2 cats hated him and she took him back to the vet and wanted him put down! The vet refused, she then took him to the shelter. My family wouldn't tell me for months, they knew how I'd react. I haven't talked to her since I found out, I know I will have a hard time not speaking my mind.
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