Rhea's Last Hope - FIP Treatment

Hi friends,

On May 23rd, our one year old baby Rhea went to the vet to get checked for a distended belly. What we thought was maybe some constipation or an upset tummy turned out to be way more serious. X-rays showed that she had significant fluid in her abdomen, and we rushed over to one of the best emergency vet clinics in our area for more testing and evaluation. Unfortunately, all results pointed to feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP. It originates from a common virus that many cats get, the feline coronavirus. However, in rare cases the virus mutates into FIP and in the form Rhea has, it causes an overwhelming immune response leading to fluid buildup in the abdomen, chest, and brain, ultimately leading to death. Historically, it has been a death sentence with no approved treatment or cure here in the United States. If we’re lucky, we would have a couple weeks with her.

But there’s still hope. A drug very similar to Remdesivir, which you may have heard of in treating human coronavirus and Ebola, has been proven up to 90% successful in the survival of cats with FIP. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get a hold of and extremely expensive. Kim and I are committed to doing everything we can to save Rhea, even if that means spending an estimated $5,000 on medication and going to as many follow-up appointments as necessary until one day we hear the words, “she’s cured.”

We are never usually ones to ask for help, but in this case every little bit makes a big difference. Even for those of you who can’t donate, please keep Rhea in your thoughts and prayers - she is too good for this world and deserves so much more than just living to see her first birthday.

A little background: Last May, Kim and I adopted Rhea and Panda as 5 week old kittens who were found outside and born to a feral mom. They are almost identical, but with personalities of their very own and they’re quite attached. When they’re not pouncing, rolling, and playing, they’re napping together or cleaning each other. They were an unexpected addition to our lives, but now we could never imagine life without them.

Here is a link to a study done on FIP treatments.

Attached below is her emergency vet bill and some great photos of our baby Rhea and her sister Panda: