L Lysine for a Cat with Feline Herpes

Long Version:

My cat, Carrot, had feline herpes when he was found abandoned as a kitten. There was a lot of damage done to his eyes so a layer of both of his eyes was removed. This resulted in him having constant drainage from both eyes. We have had him for about 6 months and haven't seen a break out of the herpes which is surprising because of the stress of going to a new home and the adoption of our second cat.

Now it seems like he is starting to have a breakout (weird since there is no new stress that I can think of). It is hard to tell since his eyes are always goopy and we wipe them at least once or twice most days. Lately,  both eyes have started to produce a lot more goo and seem to be bugging him. He keeps washing his face with particular focus on his eyes. I am planning to keep wiping them regularly to make sure they stay clear. I think getting him some L Lysine might be a good idea also.

The problem:

I want to get my cat some L Lysine for symptoms of his feline herpes, but Carrot is super picky about what he eats, so treats with the supplement in them are unlikely to work and the powder won't work since he only eats dry food. I found a gel form called Viralys that seems to get good reviews. I would bet that I can put that in his mouth after teeth brushing and get him to take it this way, but I don't know if it would be any good.

Would this be a good thing to try? Any other ideas on what I should be doing to help him?

Also, I have an almost six month old kitten. Can she get this from him? Is it possible she already has it since she had a bad URI a few months ago shortly after we got her?

NewYork1303 said:

 
Long Version:

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Hi

I presume he won't eat any wet food that you might offer?  Gel caps can work well. And if he is actively sick then in theory the other cat could catch it, but may not.  I have a blind cat who's left eye is missing and even though its just a slightly open socket, we sometimes use an antibacterial eye ointment when she gets goopy, you could talk to your vet about this.  Another way to administer the l-lysine would be to dissolve in a tasty liquid like chicken broth, and then squirt into her mouth using an oral syringe.

He's terrible about wet food. I've tried giving it to him in many different flavors and he just doesn't like it. I didn't think about dissolving the powder in something.  That definitely might work for him. He's not acting sick right now, just goopier than normal.