A veterinarian who grew up in Pennsburg played an integral role in developing a breakthrough treatment that saved the life of a severely ill cat earlier this year. Dr.

Dr. Katelynn Ondek and Shepard, who is recovering  from treatment for the neurologic form of feline in- fectious peritonitis (FIP).

Katelynn Ondek, a 2010 Upper Perkiomen graduate, helped save the life of a cat infected by feline coronavirus.

            Ondek, a resident working toward a specialization in neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital helped to create the treatment of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), considered 100 percent fatal just a few years ago. She diagnosed the animal, known as Shepard, with the neurologic form of FIP after his owners brought the kitten to the University of Illinois hospital. The cat's sibling had to be euthanized three months earlier after presenting similar symptoms.

            "FIP occurs when a very common feline coronavirus, usually confined to the gut, mutates and spreads throughout the body," Ondek said.

            On July 31, the cat had a green nasal discharge and breathing difficulties followed by decreased appetite and lethargy, neurology issues, splaying of the legs and a wobbly gait. Fortunately for Shepard, FIP is a disease that Ondek had taken an interest in and she was already familiar with the symptoms and progression of the illness.

            "I honestly didn't think he was going to make it," Ondek wrote in an email. "[His temperature was 96 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is between 100 and 102 degrees), his heart rate was one third of what a kitten's should be, his blood pressure was too low to read, he had fixed dilated pupils, and he was severely anemic."

            An MRI revealed inflammation. "We paired that with a spinal tap to identify the virus in Shepard's nervous system," said Ondek, who is in her first year of residency at Illinois.

Dr. Katelynn Ondek, DVM, a native of Pennsburg  and 2010 graduate at Upper Perkiomen High School is a resident working toward a specialization in neur- ology and neurosurgery at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

            "It's actually a challenging disease to definitively diagnose [in a live animal] because the mutated, infectious form of the virus is identical to the ubiquitous form that rarely causes illness."

            Despite antibiotics and steroids Shepard continued to decline and only improved after the administration of the drug Remdesevir and blood transfusions at almost twice the standard rate for a cat of Shepard's weight.

            Shepard was the first feline treated legally for the neurologic form of FIP at the University of Illinois. "There are several different forms, and our internal medicine service has treated a few of them. Neurologic is considered the most severe form, and this was the neuro service's first case," Ondek said.

            Shepard also caught a break because a pill form of the drug that worked against the disease, Remdesevir, had become available for use in animals in June of this year.

            Remedesevir had been delivered only by injection and came with a hefty price tag: $775 per 100 mg vial.

            Because the injectable version of the anti-viral drug was needed to fight COVID in humans, it was not legally available for animals until 2022. It is also very difficult to obtain and a black market had sprung up across the country.

            Shepard initially received the injectable form of Remdesevir but transitioned to an oral form, which Ondek described as a "metabolite of Remdesevir," not Remdesivir itself, available legally from several compounding pharmacies and priced at $150 to $200 for the full course of treatment.

            Ondek had to overcome the reservations of Shepard's owners who had done their online research about the alleged differences between the injectable and the oral forms of the treatment.

            "We snatched him directly out of the jaws of death, and he is back to being a functional, playful kitten," Ondek said. "I have never been so emotionally invested in a case, and it was extremely gratifying that it turned out well."

            Shepard is not completely out of the woods yet, but cats that survive 30 days have an 80 percent chance at complete remission. The cat was discharged in early August following an eight-day stay.

            "Shepard's doing great so far," Ondek wrote in early November. "He just finished his antiviral treatments, and his most recent blood work looks pristine. The family sends me videos every once in a while."

            After graduating from Upper Perkiomen, Ondek attended Susquehanna University for neuroscience before moving to the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine. She has since been a rotating intern in Red Bank, NJ, and a neurology specialty intern in Boston before moving to Illinois.

            "Next steps: pass boards, become a board-certified neurologist/neurosurgeon, and then find a job somewhere," said Ondek who is not sure about going into private practice or finding an academic role for her talents.