My cat might have FIP

[carolina griego]

I had a question Rex is eating just fine even a little more than before because i have been spoiling him and giving him more chicken through out the day, today I noticed that the whole day he has not gone pee the whole day. I called some of the emergency clinics and they said it might be a urinary tract infection.
But I heard different things from the two Vets one told me that just because they took out yellowish fluid it doesnt mean its Fip that it could have been pee because it turns into bacteria but the other vet I called said that my vet should have known by looking at it because they tell the difference. And also they both said that my vet should have known just by feeling beacause with the UTI his abdominal would have been hard and the Fip soft.
I dont know if I should take him to emergency to get checked for Uti or just wait until tomorrow for a PCR test his abdominal has been swallen for 7 days now.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

That is really bad if your vet has mistaken a UTI for FIP...i know they are all "letters of the alphabet" but I'd hope they could tell the difference! With FIP the fluid is in the abdomen and chest, in the space around the organs. With a UTI the fluid would be trapped within the bladder? And I'd not think he would have that for 7 days without it being critical by now as a blockage of the urethra in a male cat can be fatal quickly.

I do think that if you are not confident with what the vet has done for Rex, I probably wouldn't hesitate to take to another vet asap.

 

[carolina griego]

Thanks again Brigitte your always so much help, my vet did show me that the X-Ray showed the fluid was covering the abdomen. Today I called and the Elsa test was positive and I told them what you told me about the Elsa test not being accurate and about doing a PCR test and they said you were right. I'm upset they didn't bring it the PCR in the first place I'm taking him as soon as they open tomorrow,If there was a chance of a Uti I was going to take him now but they said if the abdomen is not hard than it's not a Uti

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I couldn't remember if they had done an xray in which case yes they would see where the fluid was and could rule out the possibility of something like UTI. How weird that they could see that the PCR was the better test when you pointed it out to them. Maybe they hadn't really thought about what they were testing for, but if this is lymphatic fluid then there will be antibodies and even if only exposed to Coronavirus it would be positive. If it makes you feel any better, I had a similar issue with one of the specialists with Zari... they ran an IFA test rather than PCR on her bone marrow and I simply couldn't understand why they did it. Fortunately the lab saved the slides and the new specialist I took her to, called them up and had them run it again. I suspect some just live in the older testing world before PCR was a familiar tool....

 

[carolina griego]

When you say that if it is a "is lymphatic fluid then there will be antibodies and even if only exposed to Coronavirus it would be positive" your talking about the Elsa test they did right. So can they use the same blood or fluid that they previously tested?
That way they dont hurt him again

 

[Patti]

It is possible they did the Elisa test first because the PCR is much more expensive, so wanted to start with the basics. Just make sure they run the PCR on the abdominal fluid as that will be most telling. I don't know if they will still have the samples they previously drew, you will have to ask your vet. However, if the belly is filling up again it might be time to drain off more fluid so that Rex is more comfortable.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Sometimes a Lab will keep the sample in case other tests need to be run. I don't personally see the sense in running the cheaper test when it won't really help diagnose the disease. But as Patti says, drawing more abdominal fluid will only make Rex more comfortable...

 

[Patti]

In this situation I agree because FIP is so tricky, but in many instances if the less expensive test is negative they won't pursue further, more expensive testing.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

How many cats would test negative for coronavirus when sick...especially a cat that came from a large scale cattery? I agree for the most part in doing the basic less expensive testing first...but in this case with a very sick cat in need of a diagnosis..this seemed unnecessary cost-saving.

 

[Patti]

Just stating the facts, didn't say I agree with them...