FIP - Feline Infectios Peritonitis - What To Do About It

FIP is a corona virus that infects cats. It can, in it's initial stages, look just like a routine cold, mild fever or diarrhea. It's insidious and comes in several forms. The most common form is the 'wet' form in which the cat's abdomen fills up with a sticky, yellow honey like fluid. Young kittens may look like they have a full belly after eating too much or it could be chalked up to roundworms. If you hold your kitten up and his belly has a pear like shape and it's full and jiggly, you may want to have your local veterinarian take a good look. If I'm suspicious about FIP, I put a tiny needle in the abdomen and aspirate some fluid. It's relatively painless (most cats don't even notice you're doing it). If fluid can be removed from the abdomen, it's a bad sign. And if the fluid in the abdomen is a bit sticky and stringy and yellow colored it's diagnostic of FIP. FIP can also cause fluid buildup in the chest cavity and there is also a dry form.

The problem with FIP, with the exception of the diagnostic honey colored abdominal fluid, is that it's hard to diagnose. The typical blood test is rather untrustworthy. Another problem is that once it is finally diagnosed, many cats are really sick and just about all of them die.

Certain homeopathic remedies are helpful with FIP. The homeopathic remedy Apis mell. 30c can be purchased at a health food store and this may help to remove the accumulated fluid in the abdomen. Give this remedy 4 to 6 times a day. Homeopathic remedies come in potencies and you can use higher potencies (like 200c) of Apis if needed. Another good remedy that is indicated in cats with loving and cuddly personalities is Pulsatilla 30x. This remedy can be given 2x a day.

It used to be thought that the corona virus that causes FIP would cross-react with a different corona virus that causes diarrhea in kittens. This is why veterinarians would get back so many (false) positives when testing healthy kittens and cats. It's now known that it's the exact same corona virus is causing both the diarrhea in kittens and the FIP! Kittens easily recover from the diarrhea and then have a 'memory' of the virus in their immune system - which causes the positive blood test. But they don't have FIP. They fought the FIP off when they had corona virus in the form diarrhea as a kitten. In some cats the virus mutates later on and becomes the pathogenic FIP form, resulting in a full-blown case of FIP.

In my opinion, the reason most cases of FIP are fatal is because the cat that gets it is not able to fight it off, and when it's finally diagnosed they've become so compromised and so sick that they just can't win the battle. Certain homeopathic remedies are helpful with FIP. The homeopathic remedy Apis mell. 30c can be purchased at a health food store and this helps to remove the accumulated fluid in the abdomen. Give this remedy 4-6 times a day. Homeopathic remedies come in potencies and you can use higher potencies (like 200c) also. Another good remedy that is indicated in cats with loving and cuddly personalities is Pulsatilla 30x. This remedy can be given 2x a day. There is also a special form of water that can help with the inflammation

As so many cats get corona virus as a kitten we want all cats to be well armed with a preventive supplement so they can put the virus in it's place early on by keeping every cat's immune system strong. It's important to give your kitten or your cat all the tools needed to fight off all the cat viruses and diseases, including FIP. It would be good to give L-glutamine for the immune system, 100 Vitamin D3 that is very important for immune function, Vitamins C and E and zinc along with phytonutrient support for detoxification. No cat or cat owner deserves the pain of discovering their cat has FIP. An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure!

Dr. Deva Khalsa has practiced as a holistic veterinarian for over 30 years. She is a well-known author and lecturer. Find out about nutrition and health. Learn about the special water she is using for FIP.