Proper dosing is crucial in treating FIP. It’s important to follow the prescribed dosage strictly and not adjust it without consulting a veterinarian. Inaccurate dosing can lead to ineffective treatment or even adverse effects on the cat’s health.

This is the most commonly used treatment for FIP, as well as the most documented. It is effective for all forms of FIP (with correct dosing).

The typical protocol is 12 weeks (84 days) of continuous treatment:

Dosage for injections:

6 mg/kg for Wet and Dry FIP

8 mg/kg for Ocular FIP

10 mg/kg for Neurological FIP

Our calculator was developed to help you to simplify the calculations. For more accurate dosage, you may check use the amounts above, or request for your vet to determine a suitable dosage. 

Dosage for tablets:

* For Wet FIP and Dry FIP

3kg

1x 30mg Fipmed tablet (With actual amount of 45mg GS441524. Approximately 75% absorption after digestion)

4kg

1x 40mg Fipmed tablet (With actual amount of 60mg GS441524. Approximately 75% absorption after digestion)

5kg

1x 50mg Fipmed tablet (With actual amount of 75mg GS441524. Approximately 75% absorption after digestion)

* For Ocular FIP and Neurological FIP, please double the dose. Take two tablets instead of one. 

* Please note that this is the official recommended dosage for GS441524. Beware of any other dosage instructions. If a higher dosage is recommended, it could be that the medicine is not GS441524 but EIDD 2801. EIDD2801 has high toxicity and has mutagenic properties. It will cause cancer in cats later in life. EIDD2801 is predominantly manufactured in capsule format. 

Adjustments of dosage throughout treatment journey

We recommend that the dose be modified with weekly weight checks. Many of these cats might gain a lot of weight, either because they are so skinny in the start or because they are growing, or both. If there is some weight loss during the first few weeks of therapy, do not reduce the dosage. Failure to gain a good amount of weight during treatment is considered a bad sign.

Do not increase a dosage unless there are compelling reasons to do so, such as failure, sluggish progress, low activity levels, failure of initial clinical indicators to resolve, or a change in disease form to include ophthalmic or neurological symptoms.

Here is where the art comes in, since you don’t want to become too focused on particular blood levels that aren’t quite typical and overlook the cat’s general health.

For example, the globulin may still be a bit high, but other essential blood test readings and health status are fine. If there is significant reason to increase the dosage, it should always be from +2 to +5 mg/kg daily and for a minimum of 4 weeks. If 4 weeks extends the 12-week treatment time, the treatment time is extended to accommodate.

A positive response to any increase in dosage should be expected, and failure to see improvement indicates that the dosage is still insufficient, drug resistance is occurring, the cat does not have FIP, or there are other diseases complicating the treatment.

Knowing when your cat is fully recovered from FIP 

One of the most difficult decisions is to select when to cease treatment. Although some cats, often younger ones with wet FIP, can be cured in as little as 8 weeks and possibly sooner, the usual treatment time is 12 weeks. Some cats may even require dose modifications and even extended therapy durations.

Critical blood values such as hematocrit, total protein, albumin, and globulin levels, as well as total WBC and absolute lymphocyte counts, typically normalise in cats at 8-10 weeks, when there is frequently an unexpected increase in activity levels. It is thought, but not confirmed, that the cat’s own immunity to the virus develops between 8 and 10 weeks.

Sadly, there is no easy test that will identify whether a cure has occurred and the fear of relapse sometimes pushes owners, treatment counsellors, and veterinarians to continue therapy beyond 84 days.

Fear of relapses will also encourage those persons participating in the decision process to be too careful about single blood readings that are a little anomalous like a little high globulin or slightly low A:G ratio.

It should be recalled that a normal range for a blood value includes the majority of animals, but that it is a bell-shaped curve, and that a few exceptional cases will have values on the outskirts of these curves. Consider the degree of pathology that can arise in a FIP sick abdomen, as well as how scarring and other lasting effects can affect normal looks in cats that have been properly treated. When such concerns emerge, it is preferable to examine the entire picture rather than just one little aspect.

The most important result of treatment is the return to normal health, which has two components – outward signs of health and inward signs of health. Outward signs of health include a return to normal activity levels, appetite, appropriate weight gain and/or growth, and coat quality. The latter is frequently one of the finest indicators of a cat’s health.

The return to normal of certain essential values based on periodic complete blood counts (CBC) and serum chemical profiles is one of the inward markers of health. The hematocrit and the relative and absolute total white blood cell, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts are the most relevant variables in the CBC. The serum chemistry panel (or serum electrophoresis panelmost )’s relevant values are total protein, globulin, albumin, and the A:G ratio. Bilirubin levels are frequently increased in cats with exuberant FIP and can be used to track the degree and duration of the inflammation.

When faced with ambiguous uncertainties from numerous test methods, the final choice to discontinue or extend therapy should always be based on the outward manifestations of health rather than the results of any single test.

Administration Method

The optimum dose of FIP medication is critical for increasing its efficacy. Subcutaneous, or beneath the skin, administration is the recommended route for GS-441524 injections. Oral formulations, on the other hand, are given to cats either by mixing them into their food or directly through an oral syringe.

Drugs to avoid

L-lysine: Never administer L-lysine to a cat with Fe-CoV infection or FIP because it is hostile to arginine, which is required for immunological function.

Steroids after stabilisation: During the early illness, supportive (symptomatic) medication may be required to keep cats alive long enough for antivirals to take action. Anti-inflammatories are frequently included in the medications (corticosteroids, NSAIDS). It is preferable to avoid using these medications excessively, unless on a short basis and only if there is a compelling rationale for doing so, especially in extremely unwell cats over the first few days.

The primary objective of treating FIP is to prevent viral replication in macrophages, which will instantly stop the generation of the various inflammatory and immunosuppressive cytokines that produce FIP symptoms. While certain medications, such as corticosteroids and NSAIDS, may reduce inflammatory cytokines, GS-441524 totally block these damaging cytokines. Within 24-48 hours, FipMed will induce significant improvements in temperature, activity, hunger, and other symptoms. This improvement will be significantly greater than any other drug can provide. As a result, unless there is a compelling reason to continue using other medications, they should be discontinued as soon as there is a noticeable and consistent improvement in FIP symptoms.

In addition to masking FIP-related symptoms, steroids may interfere with the distribution of GS-441524 through the blood-brain barrier. Several investigations have demonstrated that steroids can reduce permeability across the blood-brain barrier. In cats, decreased permeability may reduce the efficiency of GS-441524 and raise the likelihood of relapse.

Some Antibiotics: Fluoroquinolone antibiotics contain fluorine and can enter the brain/nervous system. Because of that, their side effects can cause neurologic symptoms. Since we are treating very sick kitties, we want to try not to add new symptoms that could confuse treatment when possible. If your veterinarian believes a fluoroquinolone antibiotic is needed, please follow their advice since there are some diseases that must take this class of drug.

Drugs that may impact the CNS: FIP may pass through the blood-brain barrier. Once it develops, it can be very difficult to cure cats with neurological and ocular cases. Cats that have been infected for extended lengths of time are more likely to develop neurological symtpoms, suggesting that the virus has invaded the brain. This is true for the vast majority of Dry-FIP patients. Drugs that impact the central nervous system may impact permeability across the blood-brain barrier, which could reduce the effectiveness of FIP treatment.

Finally, knowing how to correctly administer FIP treatment can help increase your cat’s chances of recovery and extend its life. Contact us or your veterinarian about recommended dosing quantities and frequency, as well as any queries you have concerning administration techniques.