Complications of FIP: IMHA, sepsis and myocarditis

Overview

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is a severe disease of cats due to mutations in the ubiquitous feline coronavirus. Until recently, it was an almost universally fatal disease of cats with no effective long-term therapies available. Thankfully in recent years, the development of highly effective anti-viral medications and their increasing availability to clinicians means that many cats are now surviving this disease – a true breakthrough of veterinary medicine. However, this is presenting new challenges to overcome. Because more and more cats with FIP are surviving, new disease processes that associated with FIP disease are being recognised. People infected with the similar SARS-coronavirus-2 (the cause of COVID-19 disease in humans) can present with a spectrum of clinical signs and secondary problems.

Complications such as myocarditis and associative immune haemolytic anaemia (IMHA) are being increasingly recognised, either while patients are infected or shortly thereafter. Several studies have now reported cats with FIP also developing myocarditis and associative IMHA. Moreover, several cats with FIP may present with severe clinical signs and clinicopathological abnormalities compatible with sepsis/SIRS, and early recognition is crucial for treatment of these cases and this session will focus on recognition of critically ill cats with FIP. This discussion aims to update participants on these comorbidities in cats with FIP and explain the impact that these diseases can have on the treatment and prognosis for cats with FIP.

Learning Objectives:

Recognise and diagnose comorbidities in cats with FIP
Be able to manage cats with IMHA and/or myocarditis and FIP
Recognise the change in prognosis and complications of cats that present with FIP and comorbidities