We would like to share a very special story. Max is a young cat who was neutered at the Community Cat Complex. Very shortly after his neuter, his caretakers noted very odd behaviors. After some testing, Max was determined to likely have feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). In the past, an FIP diagnosis was considered fatal. Fortunately, there has been a great deal of progress made in the treatment of FIP and a treatment now exists. Unfortunately, this treatment is expensive and hard to get in the US. Max was very ill when he was diagnosed and was having violent seizure-like episodes. There was no time to waste if Max was going to have any chance at survival.
Alley Cat Advocates put saving Max’s life as a top priority and our veterinarians and director made the move to seek out assistance. Through a series of connections, a source for the drug, GS-441524, that would give Max a chance was located.
Protocol for treatment required that Max receive an injection at precisely the same time every day for 84 days. For months’ staff set alarms, came in on days off and made sure that Max got his treatment like clockwork.
Quickly, Max began to improve. His episodes vanished in the first week. He started to become more steady on his feet. Little by little Max continued to improve. With each week we could see more of his personality come through. He quickly started to play and engage with staff. He was becoming a normal kitten again.
Max recently completed his round of injections and is now in the monitoring phase of his treatment. For 84 days he will be carefully monitored and will have periodic exams and bloodwork to be sure that the fip has completely cleared his system.
The life-saving treatment for Max comes with a hefty price tag, but we believe that Max’s life is worth it. In addition, every cat that is successfully treated moves veterinary medicine closer to being able to make this treatment both more cost effective and more easily accessible to every cat that is faced with FIP.
We are honored to have been able to save Max’s life AND help future FIP victims.
