An 84-day antiviral course for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) costs $2,000 to $6,000 in the US, 1,700 to 5,200 GBP in the UK, and 6,000 to 18,000 CNY in China. There are 2 protocol types behind that range: a daily injection protocol at 2,000 to 3,800 and an oral tablet protocol at 2,400 to 6,000. The course is 12 weeks long, or 84 days, with 3 monitoring points inside it. Prices move 1.5-3x with city and hospital tier, and the drug line alone is 80 to 85 percent of the total.
Why the course is 84 days and not 42
Forty-two days was the earlier standard, and relapse after a short course is the reason the longer one became usual. The 84-day course is what most clinicians now use, and it is billed in 3 blocks of 28 days because that is how pharmacies and compounding labs dispense. Every quote should therefore be readable 3 ways: per day, per 28-day block, and per full course. A course quoted at 84 days that cannot be restated as 3 blocks of 28 is usually a 42-day course with a second 42-day option attached, and the second block is where the 2,000 to 6,000 spread opens up.
The two protocols and the 600 gap between them
Protocol A is injectable: 84 doses, 1 visit per dose if you cannot inject at home, and a subcutaneous route most owners learn in 3 to 5 teaching sessions. Protocol B is oral: 84 days of tablets, no needles, and a higher drug price because the oral product is often compounded rather than manufactured for cats. In the US the gap at the low end is 400 a course (2,000 against 2,400); at the top end it is 2,200 (3,800 against 6,000). A 3 kg cat and a 6 kg cat differ by 60 to 100 percent on the same drug line at the same pharmacy, so the first thing to check on any quote is the weight band written on it. Choosing injection to save money works only if you do the injections yourself, because 12 weekly clinic visits at 25 to 45 each add 300 to 540 back.
The full 84-day bill, line by line
| Line item | US (USD) | UK (GBP) | China (CNY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol A: injectable antiviral, 84 daily doses | 1,650–2,800 | 1,395–2,440 | 5,080–8,300 |
| Protocol B: oral antiviral, 84 days of tablets | 2,050–5,000 | 1,795–4,340 | 6,080–15,300 |
| Pre-treatment labs and effusion PCR | 150–350 | 130–300 | 400–1,000 |
| 3 monitoring rechecks: day 7, 28, 56 | 90–300 | 80–260 | 250–800 |
| Needles, syringes, gloves for 84 days | 60–200 | 50–170 | 150–500 |
| Day 84 recheck and closing labs | 50–150 | 45–130 | 120–400 |
| Total, protocol A (84 days, injectable) | 2,000–3,800 | 1,700–3,300 | 6,000–11,000 |
| Total, protocol B (84 days, oral) | 2,400–6,000 | 2,100–5,200 | 7,000–18,000 |
The 2 protocol rows are alternatives, not additions: a course uses row 1 or row 2, then adds rows 3 to 6. Read that way, protocol A totals 2,000 to 3,800 and protocol B totals 2,400 to 6,000, which is the 2,000 to 6,000 range in the opening paragraph. Everything except the drug line is 350 to 1,000 across 84 days, so a quote that doubles the non-drug items is padding, not a more thorough course.
What the 3 monitoring points actually buy
Day 7, day 28, and day 56 are the standard checkpoints, with a closing visit at day 84. Each recheck is an exam plus at least 1 lab panel: 30 to 100 per visit in the US, 27 to 87 in the UK, 83 to 267 CNY in China. Three rechecks at that rate run 90 to 300 in the US. The day 7 visit matters most, because it is the first point where the clinician can judge the response and decide whether the plan continues unchanged, changes route, or stops.
Where the 1.5-3x comes from
Four inputs. Drug source: a licensed human product bought at hospital price against a compounded oral suspension, which can differ 2 to 3x by itself. Weight band: a 3 kg cat and a 6 kg cat sit in different bands, and the drug line scales with weight, not with the course length. City and hospital tier: a university hospital prices 1.5 to 3x a suburban practice for the same 84 days. And dispensing size: buying 28 days at a time costs 5 to 15 percent more per day than buying the whole 84 days in 1 order, but wastes less if the course stops early.
What pushes a course past 6,000
Three things, all disclosed before day 1 in a written estimate. A course extended by 2 to 4 weeks after the day 84 review adds 12 to 33 percent of the drug line, which is 200 to 1,650 in the US. A 2 to 5 day hospital stay at 80 to 400 per day adds 160 to 2,000. A second lab panel mid-course, usually because the cat is not eating, adds 80 to 250. None of these are hidden; they are simply not in the first quote.
How to read the quote you are handed
Ask for 4 numbers: price per day, price per 28-day block, total for 84 days, and the price of the same course at the next weight band up. A quote that gives only a monthly figure hides a 12-week commitment behind a 4-week number. Compare that total against other recurring cat costs, since an 84-day course is a large one-off rather than a yearly line, and the yearly figures in the yearly flea treatment cost show what a normal recurring item looks like at 60 to 240 a year.
Two more checks. Ask whether the drug is dispensed as 84 days in 1 order or 3 blocks of 28, and ask what happens to unopened vials if the course stops at day 56. Then put both protocol quotes into the cost calculator and compare per-day, not per-course.
Four steps before day 1
- Get the 84-day total in writing with the drug line separated from labs, rechecks, and supplies.
- Confirm which protocol the quote is for, and get the other protocol quoted too: the gap is 400 to 2,200 in the US.
- Decide who gives the 84 doses before you pay, because 12 clinic visits add 300 to 540.
- Ask what a 2-week extension would cost, so a day 84 review does not arrive as a surprise invoice.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
Is the 84-day course the only option, or can it be shortened?
Eighty-four days is the course length most clinicians use, billed as 3 blocks of 28 days. Shorter courses were the earlier standard and relapses clustered after they stopped, which is why the longer course is now usual. Any change to the length is a clinical decision made at a monitoring point such as day 28 or day 56, and it should be priced in writing before it happens, because 2 to 4 extra weeks add 12 to 33 percent of the drug line.
Why does the oral protocol cost more than the injectable one?
The oral product is usually compounded rather than manufactured for cats, so the drug price per day is higher. In the US the low ends are 2,000 for injectable and 2,400 for oral; the high ends are 3,800 and 6,000. Injections look cheaper only if you give them yourself, since 12 weekly clinic visits at 25 to 45 each add 300 to 540 to the course.
What is usually missing from a first FIP quote?
Supplies, monitoring rechecks, and the closing labs. Needles and syringes for 84 days add 60 to 200, 3 rechecks add 90 to 300, and the day 84 panel adds 50 to 150 in the US. A 2 to 5 day hospital stay at 80 to 400 per day and a 2 to 4 week extension are the 2 items that can push a course past 6,000, and both should be written into the estimate upfront.