FIP New Drug Trial: Luna's Five-Week Post-Trial Update (2017)

Well, my friends, the good news keeps coming. I'm happy to announce that Luna's most recent set of labs is perfect! The anemia has entirely resolved, her platelets are now normal, her white cell count is still normal, and the white cell differential is perfect. This draw included chemistry to check her liver to ensure no damage from the drug. Her liver enzymes are perfect, except for one component (GGT) that is quite elevated. However, at this time, it is not a cause for alarm. Her phosphorus is also high but is also not concerning to the team. Her total protein is also in the normal range, which means her little body has absorbed and discarded what was in that nasty abdominal fluid from the wet FIP. It's like night and day looking at her values from 6 weeks ago, when she was diagnosed, till today. I can only imagine how excited the team must be about how well Luna is progressing. To be more specific for those who understand the CBC & CHEMISTRY results, here is what we are seeing in addition to what I mentioned above. Her labs will be rechecked in four weeks:

  • Her White Cell Count remains in the normal range @ 11.3 from initially being 24.6!

  • Her Red Blood Cells were 5.5 and now are 7.4 and in the normal range.

  • Her Hemoglobin was 9.0 and is now 11.6, and her Hematocrit was 29.1 and is now 37--both normal ranges!

As for weight gain, Luna has picked up 11 ounces since being discharged from UC Davis four weeks ago. I don't know if this is enough or what is expected, but it's at least in the right direction. We have had a scare twice this past week with two small bouts of diarrhea and her temperature hitting 102.4 one day, but otherwise, her eating, elimination, and temperature have all been normal. She is playful, mischievous (she took a swim in the toilet yesterday), and loves birdwatching and catching bugs that get on the screens. We will try our best to feed her more of a raw diet in a few days to see if that helps her weight gain and overall health. She is a little stuffy in the mornings and sneezes a lot when she wakes up but doesn't do that during the day, so hopefully, it's nothing to be concerned about. Also, her jaws creak loudly when she yawns; not sure what this is about. I know that is random, but I want to ensure her little bones stay strong, so hopefully, it is nothing.