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Oral GS versus Injections?
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What are the Side Effects of GS?
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Can GS be Used in FECV Shedders?
FIP causes inflammation of the intestinal tract. While some cats will be fine starting on oral meds, asking an inflamed colon to now absorb multiple pills a day can be challenging. Absorption through injection is easier on the sick cat's body. For critical patients, it is recommended to at least start with injections until cat is stable before considering switching to oral meds. Each patient should be evaluated to determine the best route of administration of GS.
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The most common side effects of GS injections are pain during administration and the possibility of skin lesions forming at or near the injection sites
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Rarely allergic reactions have been reported where there is hair loss or other skin conditions and can be treated symptomatically
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After a series of injections, some cats’ skin becomes thicker and harder to inject. Massaging the skin around all injection areas to help break up the fascia-the layer under the skin-that gets so tight and tough sticking to the outer layer
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A paper describing uroliths composed of GS found in 2 cats can be read here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38032049/
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Side effects from oral GS are rare to non-existant.
NO. Misuse of GS-441524 to try and control FCoV is dangerous as it can potentially cause the virus to become resistant to GS. The available anti-virals should only be used to treat active FIP cases.
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What is GS-441524?
How Long is Treatment?
Is There a Cure for FIP?
In a word, YES! In recent years, antiviral medications such as GS-441524 and Remdesivir have shown remarkable success in treating FIP. Thanks to the FDA's recent decision* to permit compounding pharmacies in the United States to fill prescriptions for GS products, it is now widely available through veterinarians.
GS-441524, or simply put, "GS" is an anti-viral drug (nucleoside analog) that has cured cats with FIP in field trials conduced at UC Davis by Dr. Niels Pedersen and his team as well as hundreds of thousands of cats world-wide since its discovery.
Based on Dr. Pedersen’s original field trial, the recommended treatment is a MINIMUM of 12 weeks or 84 days of daily sub-cutaneous injections or oral medication. Blood work should be checked just before the end of the 12 week treatment period to confirm treatment can be stopped.
A vaccine has been developed and is available.
That said:
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It has to be used in kittens at least 16 weeks of age (most cats are already exposed to coronavirus at this age)
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It is not effective in cats already exposed to coronavirus (which is most cats)
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It is not effective against the common serotype of FIPV, and even when all factors are optimal
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It has low efficacy
In short, it does not work in the environments where it is needed most (catteries and shelters) and is not justified in older pet cats where FIP is hardly seen. UC Davis researchers do not recommend its use.
Is There a Vaccine for FIP?