Hello, FeLVie fans. This is a special update on Charles, and I’m sorry to say it is not good news.

In the last update, you’ll remember that Charles had blood work done, and some of his numbers were slightly off. A couple of weeks ago, Charles became lethargic and was not eating well. He also had a high fever, he was dehydrated, and X-rays showed a lot of fluid in his abdomen.

We brought Charles to an emergency hospital immediately for supportive care and diagnostic testing. An ultrasound of his abdomen showed a large quantity of fluid and an enlarged liver, spleen, and kidneys. Samples were taken of the fluid and organs, as we suspected lymphoma or feline infectious peritonitis (FIP).

Test results showed us that Charles has FIP. As soon as he came home, we started him on antiviral treatment, with great hope. This relatively new protocol is usually curative, amazing for a condition that was once always fatal. Within 24 hours of receiving his first dose of medication, his fever had resolved, he was eating well, and he appeared much brighter.

But, our optimism was somewhat cautious. Since Charles is FeLV+ and immune-compromised, we knew the treatment might not provide a cure.

Unhappily, his good progress has not lasted. Charles now has an abdominal mass. This was not felt on palpation when his belly was filled with fluid, nor did it show up on the ultrasounds done at the emergency hospital.

We are concerned that he may have lymphoma in addition to FIP. Given his FeLV+ status as well as his FIP, we will not put him through chemotherapy if that is the case. It’s likely that we’ll start him on steroids, in hopes that this will help him feel better while we schedule an ultrasound.

Please hold a good thought for our boy. And, thank you for your faithful generosity, which makes it possible for us to give Charles everything he needs (including boundless love). We’ll provide further updates as we have more news.

Your Correspondent,
Stephanie