# Which form of L-Lysine works best for your kitty?



## Shamu (Aug 6, 2010)

Right now the vet has me give Maxie L-lysine for her feline herpes. (The Source Natural Brand) in the form of powder - 1/8 teaspoon 2 times day with her canned meals. (500 mg) She recommended that is the best possible type of L-lysine and the best way to give Maxie the L-lysine. Problem is, she still has her runny eye. The vet said as long as it's clear, which it is, its fine. It's just a condition she will have, and to continue giving maxie the L-lysine as prescribed.

I just wish I could stop her runny eye  
It can't be comfortable for her 


I've heard of the L-lysine treats, or the pill form, and or/some give it just once a day - the 500 mg all at once. So I'm wondering if need to switch. I know different vets differ and experiences are different too.

So I wanted to ask if any of you want to please share your experiences with feline herpes and what you do use (and how you do) to treat you kitty, I'd greatly appreciate it, thank you very much.  Just helpful to see what others do and any advice, thanks!


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

L-lysine isn't a cure for herpes (unfortunately). What it DOES do is inhibit the herpesvirus' ability to replicate, which makes it easier for the cat's own immune system to knock back and suppress a herpes flare-up. If your cat has a weak immune system, or herpes gets a really strong headstart before you start L-lysine, it still may take a good long while for your cat to suppress the virus.

A runny, non-gunky eye probably isn't bothering your cat much. If the eye gets gunky and infected looking, though, you should pick up some eye antibiotic from your vet.

Feed Maxie high quality food to help support a healthy immune system. and keep her happy and stress-free (stress can induce or prolong a herpes flare-up). She'll be fine.

Oh, to answer your specific questions, I buy whatever L-lysine is cheapest at K-Mart or Walmart, then I crush and mix 500 mg once a day into a canned food meal for any cat who seems to be having a herpes flare-up.

Laurie


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## furryfriends251 (Jan 1, 2009)

Grain free foods help a lot to control herpes flareups.

Jack and Jill have eyes that are badly affected by the herpes virus. Before I started raw feeding their eyes would get so bad that they couldn't close them at times. They would have had to be surgically removed if I hadn't switched everyone to raw when I did.

Here are Jill's eyes today:








They still aren't "normal" but she seems to be able to see just fine. It is a huge improvement compared to 1.5 years ago...

I know raw feeding isn't for everyone but it still does help a lot to switch to a high quality grain free wet food. The reason is cats with the herpes virus need foods that are high in lysine and low in arginine. Grains and other plants tend to be too high in arginine, meat and dairy products are much higher in lysine.

Nightmare, my picky non-raw fed cat, this last week had a very watery eye. I don't know if he had something in it as he won't let me get that close to him. He gets a lot of differant wet foods but mostly things that are grain free. Thursday I started to mix 1000mg of lysine in with each of his meals. Saturday he could open his eye all the way though it was still a bit watery. Once it is cleared up I will keep mixing lysine in with his food for a week and then quit. He has never had this problem before...


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

I feed Egypt a 500 mg/day whole pill in her kibble. She eats it right up with her Orijen dry (she gets about 1/2 cup of that per day). I buy the L-lysine at Target, but I do give it every morning religiously. She had a really bad flare up in June into July back when I first adopted her. The vet actually thanked me for rescuing her from the shelter. It took about 2 weeks for her eye to return to normal. Her immune system was very weak. It took about a full month for her to stop repeatedly having sneezing fits.

Now, she still sneezes, once sneeze at a time, once or twice a day, but her nose isn't runny at all. I feed her Weruva canned foods (the no grain chicken flavors) and supplement that with organic, grass fed raw as well (chicken thighs, small drumsticks, livers, hearts, and sometimes fish). She's been doing very well since.


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## gibsgirl94 (Aug 5, 2010)

I have 3 cats and right now we are going through a flare up. We are going on 2 months of the virus being passed between the cats. Right now I have 2 healthy cats and 1 sick cat. I am currently giving 1000 mg of powder per day in their wet food, 500 mg per feeding. I use the Viralys brand prescribed from our vet. I have also done treats but only 1 of my cats will eat them. Once all the sickness is gone I will drop the lysine down to 500 mg per day. I don't know if one form is better than the other. I paid about $18 for a bag of treats and $20 for the powder which is lasting me about 3 to 3 1/2 weeks. Good luck and I hope your kitty gets better soon! It can be very frustrating to see your kitty sick for such a long period of time.


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## wEngelw (Jun 25, 2009)

I don't think any form is better than the other. It's whatever is cheapest and easiest to get into your cat. If she eats the powder fine, I don't think there's really any reason to switch. I think it's all the same. Zaya had a flare-up a couple weeks ago and I was giving her chews/treats. The total she was getting was about 1000mg a day. She got better VERY fast. Like within two days she was fine. She always has a little of the eye thing too. But it's very minor and doesn't seem to bother her.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Wow. Timely post.

Fay was at the Vet's this morning. She had a runny eye that scared me and I mentioned she'd been sneezing so I got the whole virus like herpes lecture and was offered L_lysine but was told I'd have to pill her 2x a day. That's not going to happen with pill hating Fay and the vet said it wasn't really necessary.

Now I can look into getting it into her another way. 

Thanks


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

I stopped at Petsmart tonight and didn't find any specific L-Lysine treats. Brand name? Treat name?


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

I'd just like to add that a pill slicer/crusher at a local pharmacy is really cheap. You can either grind the pills into powder or slice them into small portions and mix them with wet food.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Bunny, I wish I could get Fay to eat wet food. Her will was stronger than mine on that.


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## NRD (Mar 31, 2010)

VitaminShoppe sells big bottles of 500 mg powder lysine clear capsules (180 capsules) that are easy to pull apart to let the powder mix with wet food. It's their house brand and is frequently on sale. I am confident other health food stores, Target, etc, would also have these types of capsules, which are very handy, and the lysine dissolves right in. I've never had any problem with food rejection as a result.


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## furryfriends251 (Jan 1, 2009)

You can get lysine from almost any grocery store. Just mix it in with wet food or you can warm up some dry food for a few seconds (to get the outside fat layer wet) and mix powdered lysine into it.


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## Shamu (Aug 6, 2010)

I got my L-Lysine from a Whole Foods Coop. It was 10.00 per bottle, it came in the powder form. Thing is, Maxie is breathing fine, no mucus or anything, but her eye still runs here and there. I told the vet and she said as long as she's "healthy" that's just her condition. Nothing in her eye, she checked it. 

As for the L-lysine treats - I seen them online a while ago. If you google, L-lysine treats for cats, I'm sure you'll see a link, but the one I saw you have to order online. I asked my vet about these also, she said that its best to use the powder form, as some products or these treats may not give the accurate amount. I've still thought about getting them though, perhaps they'd work better. 

I can't believe how many cats have this, wow! It's like an outbreak or something. 10 years ago I dont remember kitties having this so much. It's sad, I feel so bad for them.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Shamu said:


> I can't believe how many cats have this, wow! It's like an outbreak or something. 10 years ago I dont remember kitties having this so much. It's sad, I feel so bad for them.


I read an article a year or two ago that stated that more than 90% of cats are infected with herpesvirus. so it's just a fact of life if you have a cat. In most cats, herpesvirus lies dormant most of the time, so it's really no big deal. Even when it does flare up, it rarely causes serious illness. Usually it's just a runny or crusty eye and maybe some sneezing.

Laurie


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