In this episode of Current Vet, Dr Lottie talks about feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:29 Case
03:10 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
04:35 Clinical Signs
07:07 Diagnosis
11:47 Treatment
17:19 Prevention
18:15 Key Points
19:26 Outro

Recommended Reading

• Hartmann, K. (2005) ‘Feline infectious peritonitis’, Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 35(1), pp. 39–79. doi: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2004.10.011.

While this is a great overview of FIP, it was written in 2005 when the latest treatment options and antivirals were not yet available

• EveryCat Health Foundation has some great research updates and summaries on FIP
• iCatCare has an amazing document outlining the treatments available for FIP, their contraindications, side effects, costs and recommended schedules as well as covering a few FAQs on FIP treatment. It was updated in July 2025. https://icatcare.org/resources/icatcare_fipupdate_july25.pdf
• The 2022 AAFP/EveryCat FIP Diagnosis Guidelines give a great summary of FIP itself, the diagnostic options available, pros and cons or each option and then an summary at the end https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1098612X221118761

References

• Fischer, Y., Sauter-Louis, C. and Hartmann, K. (2012) ‘Diagnostic accuracy of the Rivalta test for feline infectious peritonitis’, Veterinary Clinical Pathology, 41(4), pp. 558–567. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-165X.2012.00464.x.
• Tasker, S. (2018) ‘Diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis: update on evidence supporting available tests’, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 20(3), pp. 228–243. doi: 10.1177/1098612X18758592.
• Felten, S. and Hartmann, K. (2019) ‘Diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis: a review of the current literature’, Viruses, 11(11), p. 1068. doi: 10.3390/v11111068.
• Tekes, G. and Thiel, H.-J. (2016) ‘Feline coronaviruses: pathogenesis of feline infectious peritonitis’, Advances in Virus Research, 96, pp. 193–218. doi: 10.1016/bs.aivir.2016.08.002.
• Taylor, S.S., Coggins, S., Barker, E.N., Gunn-Moore, D., Jeevaratnam, K., Norris, J.M., et al. (2023)‘Retrospective study and outcome of 307 cats with feline infectious peritonitis treated with legally sourced veterinary compounded preparations of remdesivir and GS-441524 (2020–2022)’, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 25(9). doi: 10.1177/1098612X231194460.
• Thayer, V., Gogolski, S., and Olah, G.A. et al. (2022) ‘2022 AAFP/EveryCat Feline Infectious Peritonitis Diagnosis Guidelines’, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 24(9), pp. 905-933. doi: 10.1177/1098612X221118761.

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.
While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.