Zylkene..

peeka73

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Hi,

My cat Tripper's been on Zylkene for over 2 weeks at this point.  The vet suggested that he take it to help with his stress levels.  I have no idea if it helped or not, since the 2 weeks after he was given it, he had an e-collar on and was on all sorts of drugs.  Right after I removed his e-collar last week, he started scratching himself quite a bit.  He was exhibiting all the same signs of allergy he had during the latter part of his cystitis episode 3 years ago.  It subsided, but then came back.  I spoke with the vet and they suggested I give him chlorpheniramine, and it definitely helped.  Since then, I've noticed he's looked subdued.. depressed.. inactive?  He is just not the insane, energetic kitty from before his bout of cystitis.  And at this point, I'm not sure if this is what the zylkene supplement does or if he is just not feeling well.  And it's hard to tell if he was like this prior since the e-collar made him very subdued.  He was not interested in playing or doing anything except sleep, with the e-collar on.  

I'll give my vet a call tomorrow, but I guess my question to you guys is, for those who gave zylkene to your cat, did their personality change completely?  

- Grace
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I'm sorry you didn't get any responses on Sunday, and guess by now you have contacted your Vet?  What did he say? 

Honestly, I've never even heard of Zylkene.
 
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peeka73

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Hi! Thanks for your response.  :)  Mine's not an emergency, so I figure folks will answer possibly later.

I did call my vet today and they said that depending on the cat, their personalities may change a bit.  Usually subtle, but mine's like an 180.  Perhaps his usual personality is his stressed self?  He's just subdued and quiet compared to his usual rambunctious self.  But otherwise, he is healthy and peeing like normal.  

Zylkene is a supplement from the UK that was recently allowed to be dispensed in the US.  My vet recommended it for my cat who has anxiety.  She believes his cystitis may stem from anxiety since he was already on Purina UR canned food for years.  

Tripper is prone to weird reactions to drugs in general, so I won't be surprised if this too, also effects him more than others.  (he's one of those that loses motor control of his back half when on Xanax.. and EXTRA loopy after getting dental cleaning done.)  But I was concerned since it was such a huge difference from his usual self that I was curious if others had similar reports.  And according to my vet, it seems to be normal?
 

redcat57

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Does anyone else have input on Zylkene?

I just picked Lillianna up from the vet.

She needs to be sedated to give her vaccinations or examinations.

The vet said they might start carrying Zylkene and it might be good for Lilly's anxiety in general.

I figured I would ask.

It looks pretty expensive on Amazon, and the vet is usually (understandably) more.
 

rosiedozy

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My cat has severe allergic dermatitis to all proteins in food .She has had a bad time for several months now , I have been racking my brain as to why she is not improving despite immunotherapy vaccines, atopica and steroids together with Hills z/ diet Prior to her current outbreak in November I had started her on Zylkene after the stress of a bowel washout for furballs. I was about to order another supply today when I checked the ingredients and found that the main ingredient is casein, a milk protein, which can cause allergies. I have stopped the Zylkene now and hate to think that I have been making her skin worse by feeding her this every day.
Does anyone else have any experience of an allergy to Zylkene?
Rosydozy
 

abby calico

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my cat has been on Zylkene for 2 weeks now. I'm also having a difficult time telling if she isn't feeling well or if her lethargy and laziness is an effect zyklene. She was put on it along with Flagyl because she was having stress colitis with extreme irritability and bloody stools and not eating. She was doing better but yesterday barely ate (she finished flagyl 2 days ago) so I'm considering taking her to the vet. She just laid around all day.
 

Boris Diamond

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One of my cats has been taking 75 mg. of Zylkene for almost a month.  I was hoping it would reduce his prey drive and aggressiveness.  He gets along great with me, but not so well with other cats.  From my reading, it appears that some cats are really knocked out by this stuff.  I started my cat at 1/4 dose to see how he would react.  He does not seem affected by it.  I have not noticed any allergic reactions.  But since I have noticed very little difference in my cat, I will probably not continue it.

If you continue to use it, consider getting the 450 mg capsules and splitting the dose.  It is much cheaper.  Zylkene is not dose critical, so if it's a little different each day, it's OK.  Since it is a supplement and not a drug, it is hard to overdose.
 
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