L-Lysine questions please.....

nursemanda

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Hey! I want to firstly thank you ALL for being so dedicated in your posting and follow ups. I can't tell you how encouraging and hugely informative everyone has been. I haven't tried this lysine yet but I'm SO excited to start. My poor girl has been sneezing and had a runny nose for almost a year now (prior to that she only had flare upand her vet just didn't take me seriously and I can't afford to keep going back. Going to try Lysine (despite the article i read saying it doesn't seem to help pffft) at this point i'm willing to try anything. She can hardly play now without sneezing and snorting :( I'll keep you all posted in the coming weeks to let you know how she's faring. Any improvement will have been expressly related to the lysine so if she does get better, those studies can take their data and shove it! :p *fingers crossed*
 

nursemanda

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and omigosh mphscat! That had to be so horrible for you both to go through!! I'm SO sorry to hear that's what your kitty's problem was. My prayers for you and your fur baby <3 
 

rosiedozy

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Just to confirm what you all believe, l lysine does work!
Rosie was due a herpes flare up 2 days ago, following her last steroid injection
Didn't happen, no symptoms at all. Tried l lysine 500mg twice a day starting when she had her steroid injection 12 days ago, and obviously the bigger dose, and giving it twice a day has done the trick. She is very immunocompromised so I am so pleased, no need to dread the next depomedrone.
She is out of her jacket and out of the bucket, and got the all clear from the vet regarding her skin allergy.
Thank you all for your posts which pointed me in the right direction.
 

angels mommy

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That's wonderful news! Yes, it really does work. I mean, why wouldn't it? I am suprised that some vets don't know about this! It was my vet that told me about it, long before I even flound this wondedful site.
It's such a simple thing that you would think all vets know about. My vet even sold it. Powder form & treats.
 
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valkyri

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Update: Our cat Charm passed away from complications of FHV. He was very sick for a very long time. While both L-Lysine and Ensyl-F helped alleviate the symptoms, we still lost him. We went ahead and invested in Fish-Mox. It is an antibiotic targeted specifically for aquatic animals. I read here on the forums that it may help with FHV. It HAS helped some of out other surviving cats, especially the kittens, whose symptoms completely disappeared. It also cured a stubborn infection that was threatening the life of one of our outdoor boys. He had a supporating leg wound, and was dying. Fish Mox saved his life. There are website online where you can research dosages of Fish Mox for cats and dogs.

If Ensyl-F or L-Lysine is helping, but not eliminating your cats symptoms, please try Fish Mox. I am not a vet, just a concerned cat rescuer. Good luck, everyone! Hugs. -V
 

valkyri

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Thank you. I am still heartbroken. He was blind, and always on my lap. He even stayed between my legs when I slept. He was one of the most loving cats I have even known. I sobbed like a baby for hours afterward. His was not an easy death, five hours of suffering. It was awful. Some people think it is odd to grieve for a cat. I know that here is the one place where people actually understand the depths of the losses we face. Many hugs back to you. Many hugs. -Valeri
 

angels mommy

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Thank you. I am still heartbroken. He was blind, and always on my lap. He even stayed between my legs when I slept. He was one of the most loving cats I have even known. I sobbed like a baby for hours afterward. His was not an easy death, five hours of suffering. It was awful. Some people think it is odd to grieve for a cat. I know that here is the one place where people actually understand the depths of the losses we face. Many hugs back to you. Many hugs. -Valeri
Yes, you are right about that. You are in the right place. We do understand. Last sunday was 4 months already since Angels been gone. Its gone by so fast. As hard as it is, it does get better.
I had many moments of sobbing. I am much better now, but you never know when that emotion is going to sneak up on you. He was my heart. My one & only, my soul kitty for sure.
Have you posted a page on the Rainbow Bridge thread yet? It may help you to do that, when you are ready. Just know that he knows how much you loved him, & i'm sure he is still by your side much of the time. :hugs:

Kelly
 

squirrellycatt

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I've read through the posts on this topic because I've been very worried about my cat. He's about 18-19, rescued so we don't know for sure; I got him a year before my daughter was born and she just got her regular drivers license. We're very blessed that our pampered, furry family member has supported us through thick and thin for so long.

Marcus has always had this background nasal congestion. His vets said he must have allergies. Recently he started coughing, and worried that maybe this congestion had actually moved to his chest, off to the vet.

Well, not that kind of congestion.
I had to start him on thyroid and heart meds, and in his stress of congestive heart failure, trips to the vet, and trial and error in pilling he had a bad outbreak of herpes (we still thought it was a secondary infection from the "allergies".) The nasal decongestant and antibiotics caused him to stop eating, vomit, then diareah, and more vomiting. My poor senior boy was getting so weak, and not getting meds or calories.

More trips to the vet for med injections and fluids. Rx canned food, limited success.
I found TCS researching nutrition and I've been cruising topic threads for various safe ways to interest his appetite without drastically changing his food all at once.

I didn't know about giving L-Lysine to cats, but it makes perfect sense. Finally one of his new vets mentioned herpes and lysine in passing, but was rushing to another exam room.

So, I looked that up here too.
You guys have been so informative. I'm very grateful!

It's been a rough and scary month (I refused to give up on him just because of his age) and his sneezing and congestion seem to be clearing up after just a few days of giving lysine. He's eating better without the congestion in his tummy and sense of smell impaired, not completely back to normal, but consistently more and more. And since I give him his meds in his food, win-win
 

jennyr

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I have an 11 year old herpes cat, who also has other medical issues and so I have to be careful about what I give him. He has been getting L-lysine for years to help his runny eyes. It is a bit controversial these days, as the latest study could find no correlation between L-lysine and improvement in herpes, but many people do find it helps. I have spoken to my vet about it, especially in the light of Wellington's other issues (|he has now just been diagnosed with diabetes). and she is in favour of continuing the lysine.
 

mrsty

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My indoor/outdoor cat had the "eye problems" for years. My vet never said anything about it, and I found out myself on-line about it possibly being herpes. So I found these PetNaturals of Vermont L-Lysine treats. Started giving her those for a few weeks and she happily ate them and the eye issues have cleared up. There dosage on the package is 1-2 chews daily and there is 250 mg of lysine per chew. I did notice that she can get a flare up if under any stress...but usually she won't eat them if she doesn't need them, which is just amazing to me how animals know what they need sometimes.
 

galina bolshoy

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As far as I am aware Lysine has to be administered carefully! It counteracts another important amino-acid Argenine and if you give too much you may lower A's presence that may be no less dangerous.
 

fancykats

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Just gave first dose of "one click" of the paste with food. My Sr. Tonk immediately vomited. Help!!!
 

valkyri

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I wish I could help, but none of our cats have ever vomitted because of it. A few refuse to eat it, if given the choice, but even then, no bad reactions. What brand did you give? How much did you give? Also, check the expiration date. Was there something that seemed "off" about it, so that you may think it may be a bad batch? How is he feeling now? -Valeri
 

mrsty

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If anyone is interested I did some searching online about this and found a site that said Lysine was not good for cats that had herpes because of its effect on arginine. Evidently, increasing lysine decreases arginine, another essential amino acid that cats need. It talked about several studies that had been done that "proved" it did not help. As part of the study they contacted many vet offices in different countries and found that vets were perscribing lysine for herpes in cats regularly and in massive amounts. Sorry, I did not save the link, but it was easy enough to find....several references to "feline lysine and arginine". I swear my girl benefits from the Lysine when she seems in a flare up for some reason. I use the treats I mentioned in a previous post but only for a few days...maybe she only has a mild case. According to these sites though herepes flare ups should be treated with antibiotics. Great...seems all my vet does is pump my cats full of antibiotics. Becareful of that Convenia....but that's another topic.
 

jennyr

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If anyone is interested I did some searching online about this and found a site that said Lysine was not good for cats that had herpes because of its effect on arginine. Evidently, increasing lysine decreases arginine, another essential amino acid that cats need. It talked about several studies that had been done that "proved" it did not help. As part of the study they contacted many vet offices in different countries and found that vets were perscribing lysine for herpes in cats regularly and in massive amounts. Sorry, I did not save the link, but it was easy enough to find....several references to "feline lysine and arginine". I swear my girl benefits from the Lysine when she seems in a flare up for some reason. I use the treats I mentioned in a previous post but only for a few days...maybe she only has a mild case. According to these sites though herepes flare ups should be treated with antibiotics. Great...seems all my vet does is pump my cats full of antibiotics. Becareful of that Convenia....but that's another topic.
It is another of those controversial topics that has research on both sides, and much anecdotal evidence. I use L-lysine for my herpes boy and it helps, but I do not give it all the time. I do not see how antibiotics can help, as herpes is a virus, and not affected by antibiotics. The arginine issue has been much discussed, we have an article on it all here[thread="309898"][/thread]
 

mrsty

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Yes, evidently very controversial. I will continue to give my girl her lysine treats as long as they seem to keep flare ups under control. I do not like how vets just seem to throw broad spectrum antibiotics at everything. I take my cats in for dental cleanings and regardless of whether there is an infection involved my vet always gives them an antibiotic shot (Convenia). Now I admit it is convenient (hence the name) to not have to try to pill cats or even give them transdermals, which my cats hardly tolerated any better...but if they did not have an infected tooth why did they get the shot? When I ask the answer is "as a precaution"....as long as they get some pain medication for the cleaning to help any discomfort I don't understand why antibiotics are needed. And I know, a virus will not respond to antibiotics anyway.
 

apollobw

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I got this brand: Tomlyn Scientifics L-Lysine Health Supplement Powder for Cats, 100gm, on Amazon for $11.84, and I think it said to just use 1/2 of their little scoop and sprinkle on food once a day. Sampson eyes had a lot of discharge and he was sneezing and it almost completely cleared this up after three treatments. I sprinkled it on the food while he was already eating it and he just kept right on eating.
 

angels mommy

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 @MrsTY   I agree with you. It always helped Angel when he used to have flare ups, even though they were small, after getting it under control after his first two years with me. He usually just needed some Neo Poly eye drops every few months during that time. Never any respiratory issues ever. Thank goodness.   

After that first two years, his last 4 with me he never needed the eye drops again, because he got lysine everyday!  Doubles dose if his eyes started getting "that look" & then he was fine after a week or two of that.
 

springtree

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Well, this may seem a bit out of left field but I've had success with, and recommended to other pet parents treating incurable conditions;  plant/flower essences by Green Hope Farm.  www.greenhopeessences.com   The owner, Molly, is the real deal, detailed, thoughtful information on her website and numerous essence offerings. All four of my cats love 'em, I apply topically to their coats, squeezing 3-4 drops onto their back or neck and rub in a little so it doesn't roll off.  How many cats do you know that enjoy having liquid dropped onto their fur?    Its OK if the cats/licks it  injests the essences.  They work on our electrical bodies and have no side effects or worries of overdosing.  The essences are subtly powerful, be consistent, apply 3X per day initially, then monitor for improvements and can then reduce to 1X per day or few times per week as needed.  Some pet owners put the drops in the pet's water or food - if you only have one animal this is OK.  

Off the top of my head, Teasel & Golden Armour are used to combat viruses.  I also use Flow Free, Anxiety, Showcats, Abandonment & Abuse on them as needed.  You can email questions from the website and staff or oftentimes the owner herself with get back to you within 24 hours with specific recommendations.  They're inexpensive, easy to apply, no side effects.  
 
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