FAQ Group: General Questions

Tablets can be given with a small amount of food or half an hour after a meal. Make sure you drink enough. Due to the absorption limit in the GI tract, it is especially suitable for high dosages (e.g. neurological FIP) divide the dose into 2x a day. At the same time, a more even level of the active substance in the blood is achieved.

Please pay attention to weighing cats when treating FIP. Above all, do not use cheap personal scales intended for weighing adults. These scales have a high degree of inaccuracy. I know a lot of people weigh a cat by weighing it with and without the cat and the difference is the weight of the cat. Alternatively, you weigh the cat directly, but personal scales are not designed for such a low weight. So this weight may be far from the truth. The fact that a personal scale has a stated accuracy of 0.1 kg does not necessarily mean that it is also the highest weighing error. In fact, deviations of 0.5 kg or more are quite common with personal scales. All you have to do is stand on the scale differently, put it in a different place, or weigh yourself repeatedly, etc., etc.

It is important to remember that a deviation of 0.5 kg for a person weighing 50 kg means 1%, but for a cat weighing e.g. 2.5 kg already means a deviation of 20%. However, knowing the cat's weight is key to determining the correct dose of the medicine.

Therefore, for weighing cats, I recommend either kitchen scales or, even better, baby scales, which also have a fairly large area, and for a restless cat, you can use the function of blocking the weight data so that you can read it in peace.

Especially young or very emaciated cats, whose weight is expected to increase significantly during treatment, should be weighed regularly at least 1-2 times a week.

If you don't want to buy a scale for treatment, just go to the vet once a week and weigh the cat there. Many vets even have scales freely accessible in the waiting room.

And one more piece of advice. With any treatment, a slight overdose is better than an underdose. Therefore, if you have doubts about the accuracy of the weighing, it is better to round up the weight, or use the highest weight from a repeated weighing.

An example of a suitable weight: Baby Ono

FIP can be successfully treated with both forms of medication. Injections are suitable if the cat does not want to take anything at the beginning of the treatment, or vomits or has diarrhea, which could have a significant effect on the absorption of the active substance. Unfortunately, for most cats, the injections are also very painful.

Tablets, on the other hand, are convenient, but they can mostly be divided into 1/4, so it is not possible to achieve a completely accurate dosage, as with injections.

Yes. It is possible if the cat's health condition allows it. It should be noted that gabapentin is a prescription.

L-Lysine should NEVER be given to a cat with an FCoV infection or FIP, because it is antagonistic to arginine, which is essential for immune function. In addition, it is possible that lysine affects the effect of GS-441524.

Rubbing some isopropyl alcohol on your cat's paw pads can help bring down a fever quickly. If the kitten is willing to sit for a while, you can wrap an ice pack in a towel and place it on its body. A fan can also help reduce a fever, but only if the cat is sufficiently calm and remains in a stream of cool air. Fevers that persist for more than 24 hours should be treated by a veterinarian. Strong fevers above 40.5°C require immediate help.

In no case do not give the cat human antipyretics !!! Most of them are fatally toxic for cats even in small doses.

Pumpkin puree is very effective for diarrhea and constipation. The soluble fiber in pumpkin will regulate and deliver the right amount of water to the gastrointestinal tract. It is also loaded with vitamins that are beneficial for cats. Most cats will eat pumpkin willingly if it is mixed into their food. It doesn't hurt to add it to every meal as a precaution. Make sure it's pure pumpkin puree, NOT pie filling.

Another option is a probiotic, such as Fortiflora, which supports proper gut health and the immune system. It is an excellent addition to any cat's diet and can be given daily for any length of time.

If the effusion is in the heart or lung cavity, and the cat is having trouble breathing, at least some of the fluid should be aspirated.

If the effusion is in the abdominal cavity, the fluid should only be aspirated if it is causing breathing problems for the cat, but only enough fluid should be aspirated to return the cat's breathing to normal. In no case is it good to suck out all the liquid.

Although the manufacturers claim that the medicine can be stored at room temperature, in fact it is best to store the solution in the refrigerator. In addition, GS441524 needs a very low pH for its stability. Many manufacturers do not realize that the higher the concentration, the lower the pH is necessary for the solution to be stable. A poorly adjusted pH can be the reason why some brands can show problematic results in concentration tests. In any case, low storage temperatures contribute to higher stability. In the refrigerator, injection solutions should last for about 1 year. It is simply good to follow similar principles as for other injection solutions - storage in the cold and dark.

Ideally, surgical procedures should be postponed or avoided because they stress the cat's immune system. dr. Pedersen recommends waiting until the end of 12 weeks of treatment plus a three-month observation period (post-treatment).

There are exceptions to this rule depending on the specific situation of the treated cat. If lab results show the cat is in good health, consult your veterinarian about the risks and benefits of spaying/neutering during treatment.

In addition, the behavior of an unneutered cat can be much more stressful than the neutering itself. In this case, it is better if the cat is castrated during treatment, if its health allows, than during the three-month observation period.

Castration during treatment is so maybe, if the cat's good clinical condition allows. The ideal time for castration could be the last third of the treatment, so that at least he remains after castration 1 week until the end of treatment.