L-Lysine for cats

cat.ling

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Is L-Lysine something you could safely give to cats regularly, or only when needed? My Beau had a cold this past month, but it cleared up completely about 2 weeks ago. Today he sneezed a few times, so I'm worried he might get another cold again as I've heard stories of recurring colds in cats. I went out and bought the 500 mg tablets and gave him half of one cut up with his food. He hasn't sneezed so far. I don't know if the L-Lysine really works that fast, or if I am just over-reactive to his sneezes.


Another reason I'm worried about his sneezing is I'm worried he might have caught a chill because I bought him a fountain and he's been playing with it all day (and 2 days ago he was playing in another fountain that I first bought but returned to get this 2nd one-- I'll post up the story and pics/vids later). His paws get all wet, and sometimes his tushy and tail when he sits down on the wet floor or towel around the fountain. He dries pretty quickly though, and when I catch him playing with it, I try to towel dry him.
 
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hissy

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You want to be careful and check ingredients. If there is propylene glycol listed do not buy that brand, find the purer form of L-Lysine. Propylene Glycol is used also in the manufacturing of antifreeze and can cause harm to cats when given to them. buying from a health food store will allow you to find the purer form which will not harm your cat at all.
 
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cat.ling

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That is good to know! I checked the bottle I bought (Spring Valley brand Natural L-Lysine from Wal-mart) and it doesn't list propylene glycol as an ingredient: cellulose (plant origin), silica, vegetable magnesium stearate. Also says "No gluten, no yeast, no wheat, no milk or milk derivatives, no lactose, no sugar, no preservatives, no soy, no artificual color/flavor, no sodium (less than 5 mg per serving), no chemical solvents."

I'm just wondering if L-Lysine is something I should be giving to my cat that much? I'm tending to think I shouldn't. I've only given him that one dose. I think I had a mini-panic when I heard him sneeze. He'd gone through one cold already okay, but I hear about those recurring cases and I'm scared of that!
 

plebayo

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I'm just wondering if L-Lysine is something I should be giving to my cat that much? I'm tending to think I shouldn't. I've only given him that one dose. I think I had a mini-panic when I heard him sneeze. He'd gone through one cold already okay, but I hear about those recurring cases and I'm scared of that!
Lysine is pretty safe to be given every day if need be. Has your vet talked to you about the possibility of feline herpes? I had a cat that had it and he would get a cold every once in a while [and sometimes sneeze 15 times in a row!] I would put him on Lysine whenever he caught a cold. In general it's just a good immune system booster and is easily digest even in powder form, cats really don't mind it in their food.
 

rang_27

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My vet has recommended L-Lysine for Jordan to take everyday. He has feline herpes and it helps prevent outbreaks.

Hissy, thanks for the warning. I never even thought to check that out.
 
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cat.ling

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No, the vet hasn't talked to me about herpes. When Beau had the cold, she prescribed Clavamox, and it worked on him. It wasn't a bad cold, mostly sneezing. He had one day of runny nose (clear discharge) which he slept through mostly. He never lost his appetite.

I've been to the vet 3 times since I got Beau last month-- general check up, then the cold, then booster shot for his feline distemper. The shelter gave him the first vaccine and the rabies shot. The vet didn't talk to me that much. When asked which food is good, she said wet food was to be avoided, and she recc'd Pro Plan and Science Diet (
).

Beau sneezed once today, that I know of. I've been with him all day pretty much. When I'm home, he follows me around. He's sleeping on the computer desk next to me right now.
 
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cat.ling

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Yes, thank you Momofmany! I'll look for that, although I have a pretty big bottle of the pills. I'll ask the vet about it to be sure in Beau's case.
 

momofmany

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You can always take the L-Lysine tablets to use it up. It only an essential amino acid and has helped me with cold sores when I get them.

And the great thing about the powder - 1/4 tsp is roughly equal to about 1 tablet. If you want to cut the dose in half and do 250 twice a day, then use 1/8 tsp measuring spoon.

And lasting a year is my best guess. That is using 1/4 tsp a day during normal time then doubling it up if they have any type of URI or herpes flare up.
 

carolina

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What impressed me about that powder is that you get nearly 500mg in 1/4 teaspoon! Also that there are no other ingredients in it - That's awesome! I am betting Lucky wont mind to have it added on her dry food - fingers crossed!
 

misskalamata

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I'm wondering if I should try giving L-Lysine to one of my cats - he sneezes frequently (sometimes with clear to yellowish white snot), but the vet said he was fine. The other cats don't seem to have caught anything from him, so maybe he's just a sneezy kitty.

The propylene glycol thing surprised me...the water additive I'm giving the cats contains propylene glycol...and I got the additive from the vet!

 

hissy

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Originally Posted by MissKalamata

I'm wondering if I should try giving L-Lysine to one of my cats - he sneezes frequently (sometimes with clear to yellowish white snot), but the vet said he was fine. The other cats don't seem to have caught anything from him, so maybe he's just a sneezy kitty.

The propylene glycol thing surprised me...the water additive I'm giving the cats contains propylene glycol...and I got the additive from the vet!

It is also used as an additive to the solvents turpentine, acetone and spray varnish. Not something a cat needs to have in their system.
 

misskalamata

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Since I already paid for this bottle of additive (which claims to be safe for daily ingestion), I intend to use the whole thing...Hissy, are you saying I shouldn't get another bottle after this one? I don't want to give the cats anything harmful, but at the same time I don't want them to have bad teeth. Maybe there's dental water additives without propylene glycol? Should I mention this concern to the vet?
(oh, and sorry for going off topic here)
 

fifi1puss

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You don't need to go to the vet to figure out if your cat has Feline Herpes (imho) there is nothing that can be done about it. The sneezing thing will happen pretty much everyday but its ok. Just watch for discharge coming from the eye or nose, especially a funky color like yellow or green or brown. Than he may have an infection that will need the clavamox.

The Lysine is good for helping to keep the immune system strong. My cat Fiona has the FH and has only had one instance of a cold since i've had her. I give it to all my cats. I get the powder from dr's foster and smith (they have a website) Added benefit of it making their fur nice. I give 5oomg daily and if she is seeming to be really stuffed up I give her 1000mg daily till she feels better.

I also rub her nose to keep the mucous flowing (she likes it so it must make her feel better) I also help clean the boogies out of her nose (she can't do it herself) I also need to clean her eyes everyday since she has weepy eyes.

I keep her stress level low and lots of play.
 

grogs

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When my vet prescribed L-lysine for Thufir, it came in what looked like a giant syringe with ~ 50 doses in it. I just squeezed out one dose each day and wiped it on his front paw. It had the consistency of peanut butter and apparently tasted OK because he never seemed overly reluctant to lick it off. To me, that's the easiest form of medication I've ever had to give to a cat.

As the others have said, I think the L-lysine itself is pretty safe and I'd be more worried about the other things with it than the lysine. I take 1000 mg every day and it's absolutely awesome at preventing fever blisters and not bad at boosting resistances in general. Before I started taking it daily, I would take it at the first sign of a developing fever blister and it would just stop it in its tracks.
 

misskalamata

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The only L-Lysine I can find is L-Lysine Hydrochloride. Is that the right stuff? Can you even get it in pure form?
 

sharky

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get caps (human)from health food store ... vet gave me a paste enisyl f it woks for the one s who dont like wet food and the power from the caps ... I got 6 online for the price of 1.5 at the vet
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by MissKalamata

The only L-Lysine I can find is L-Lysine Hydrochloride. Is that the right stuff? Can you even get it in pure form?
Look at my post earlier in this thread. That is 100% pure pharmaceutical grade Lysine. The price is a fraction of what you will spend on pastes or from a vet.
 
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