any relation between feline herpes, gingivitis and eosinophilic granuloma complex?

Pip is a 16-month-old domestic shorthair.  She’s a really cheerful, adventurous and energetic indoor cat.  I adopted her from a shelter when she was about 12 weeks old.  She was very sneezy and had crusty eyes.  Gradually over several months – and with the help of L-lysine, she’s sneeze and crust free!

But – she’s had the swollen lip thing on-and-off over the past year.  She’s an indoor cat, so I don’t think its fleas (the first time, I think it was a flea and the bump was pretty big and red).  Now though, her lip swells a bit and might look like it has a wee blister.  It lasts for a couple of days and subsides.  She eats a variety of canned and some dehydrated raw, featuring a variety of proteins.  No plastic dishes, only stainless steel or china.  I haven’t been able to connect any incidence of  lip swelling with any particular type of food.

Pip also has gingivitis.  It never went away after teething.  At age one, she had a dental cleaning and her teeth were painted with a protectant.  Its now 3 months post-cleaning and she still has that tell-tale red line of gingivitis. Its not an angry red, just a noticeable red line.  The dentist told me that she might outgrow the stomatitis/gingivitis and that some cats do as their immune system matures.

Hmmmm – as their immune system matures…………..since the herpes and the EGC are also immune dysfunctions are these three things related?  Is it possible that she might grow out of the gingivitis + the EGC the same way she seems to have outgrown the herpes?

What supplements might help strengthen her system so that she has the best chance of outgrowing these things, if indeed that’s possible?

I love the Cat Site – great community and such fantastic sharing of info.  I’d love to hear your opinions.

I would suggest adding Lactoferrin, which comes in capsules and can be mixed with food or anything with fat in it (it isn't water soluble but is oil soluble.  It improves the immune system and has done wonders with cats who have had problems with left over signs from herpes or other viruses.  Basically it comes from colostrum, which is the immunity strengthening substance in the first milk of all mammals.  I order it from Amazon for one cat who has an eye that runs.  As long as she gets 1/4 capsule daily, the eye does not run.  It's not a medicine but a natural substance.  It has been used a lot by members here. 

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/267703/stubborn-herpes-infection-add-lactoferrin-in-addition-to-lysine

Look it up, google it to understand what it is if you like, and then order some.  I get the Jarrow Lactoferrin 250 mg. capsules, prices range on Amazon but it's usually available for around $23 for 60 capsules.  I open a capsule and then sprinkle about 1/4 in a dish and mix with bacon fat and baby food and my cat cleans the dish very quickly.

I've found that at times like this when I have run out of it and her eye is running again, it will take about 3 days and then her eye will not run again unless I run out of the lactoferrin.