We adopted Charmander June of 2019.  We originally wanted to just foster him, but he ended up being one of the sweetest, most fun loving, and playful cats so we just had to keep him.  Sadly, on December 9, 2019, Charmander was diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).  If left untreated, FIP is 100% fatal.

We first started noticing a change in Charmander at the beginning of December.  He was slowly starting to lose his appetite and no longer seemed interesting in playing with the other cats or the toys he used to love so much.  On December 9, 2019, we took Charmander to the vet, expecting to find that he was under the weather due to a cold or another minor condition.  But it turned out he had a fever of almost 104 degrees, jaundice, anemia, and high liver and protein levels.  The vet suspected FIP, but told us we would get definitive results in a few days.

While waiting for the test results, Charmander’s condition deteriorated.  He had lost his appetite almost completely (we are currently syringe feeding him and he is not eating and drinking on his own), was sleeping all the time, and could not even walk around the house.  Then, the vet called and, based on the bloodwork and symptoms, confirmed FIP.  Our vet told us that the disease was not curable and that we should just focus on making him as comfortable as possible during his last few weeks.

Immediately, we started researching FIP and found some recent FIP clinical trials with an antiviral drug had been conducted at UC Davis by Dr. Pederson.  The last clinical trial had amazing success rates.  Unfortunately, the trial ended 5 years ago and the antiviral is currently undergoing FDA approval.  This process will likely take years.  Without the antiviral treatment, Charmander had no chance against FIP.  Thankfully, we found a support group on Facebook and other cats who also had FIP.  Through this support group on Facebook, we found an access to the antiviral.  That night, Charmander and I drove over 5 hours to get the antiviral.

In just one day after taking the antiviral, Charmander’s fever broke.  His condition has been slowly improving.  However, this antiviral is extremely expensive.  The starting recommended daily dose for Charmander (based on his body weight), is 1.1ml.  This translates to $78.76 for his daily dose.  As Charmander gains weight, his treatment will become more expensive.  The treatment course is one injection every day for 12 weeks.  Roughly, $551.32 a week or $6,615.84 for the total treatment.  Keep in mind this is only his starting dose, and will change as his weight increases.

In addition to his antiviral, we are giving him B12 fluids, subcutaneous fluids, and liver supplements.  This is an additional $109.8 per month.  Additionally, blood work is done every month.  This is a further $300 a month.

We have already spent over $500 over the last few days stabilizing his fever, stimulating his appetite, and getting blood work from our vet.  We are asking for your help with the antiviral treatment as his and our last hope.

Many people have told us to euthanize him.  This had never even been an option for us as Charmander is our family and our best friend.

With your help, we will have hope for him.  Thank you so much for your donations and support in this fight against FIP.  Please keep Charmander in your prayers and share this post as much as possible.


Please give Charmander a follow on his Facebook and Instagram page so you can follow his uphill battle.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savingcharmander
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savingcharmander

If you prefer to support us through Venmo (GoFundMe charges fees), our venmo is @savingcharmander.

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