Feline herpes help

[danipoz]

My 1.5 year old was getting sick every 1.5-2months ( sneezing, pink/red eyelids and eye discharge) since he was a kitten. Vet treated him always but didnt explain to me whats making him sick.. so because iwas worried about the frequency of symptoms i took him to another vet who told me he had feline herpes but didnt recommend anything. Now my boy has a flare up again and i was researching a little bit on this topic and found something about Lysine which helps flare ups, i did not find any in the vets store and pet stores. Only one i could find is in the human pharmacy, lysine capsules 500mg. Are they safe to use on my cat to try and prevent his flare ups?

 

[Maurey]

Where are you located? There are many L-lysine options for cats, both in powder and treat form. I’ll link a few popular supplements below. If they’re not in stock on Amazon, you can probably get them on Chewy. If you’re in Europe, check out Zooplus.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FULBT4/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U4P1RY/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMEBH06/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U2I87W/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKCSPC8/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016WG7UF8/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BNW1L88/?tag=thecatsite

 

[danipoz]

Where are you located? There are many L-lysine options for cats, both in powder and treat form. I’ll link a few popular supplements below. If they’re not in stock on Amazon, you can probably get them on Chewy. If you’re in Europe, check out Zooplus.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FULBT4/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U4P1RY/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMEBH06/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U2I87W/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKCSPC8/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016WG7UF8/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BNW1L88/?tag=thecatsite

I live in Serbia, i can't order from Amazon... i can but the shipping costs are high. But i guess the human and cat types are same maybe some flavour in the cats version?

 

[di and bob]

The supplement should be online at any site that provides cat care, I get mine online at Walmart. I get them as treats so the cats accept them better. my cats frequently had this problem and now I have cats with Leukemia, so I give DMG, a liquid supplement I put in a shared packet of Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors every day. It builds up the immune system and has helped tremendously.

 

[di and bob]

The recommended dosage is 250mg twice a day for flare-ups. So open the capsule and give him half, mixed in his food twice a day. some studies show it does help, some say it doesn't. Personally, I've had much better luck with DMG to build up teh immune system and help them not get it.

 

[Maurey]

I live in Serbia, i can't order from Amazon... i can but the shipping costs are high. But i guess the human and cat types are same maybe some flavour in the cats version?

If you’re in Serbia, you might be best off getting the human version of the supplement, and dosing as di and bob has mentioned, if you can find human L-lysine in that dosage.

That said, this Serbian pet shop sells these beta glucan tablets for cats, which is also considered good for immune support in cats. https://www.pet-centar.rs/vetapro-preparat-za-pse-i-macke-immunoxantin-50caps.aspx

 

[danipoz]

If you’re in Serbia, you might be best off getting the human version of the supplement, and dosing as di and bob has mentioned, if you can find human L-lysine in that dosage.

That said, this Serbian pet shop sells these beta glucan tablets for cats, which is also considered good for immune support in cats. https://www.pet-centar.rs/vetapro-preparat-za-pse-i-macke-immunoxantin-50caps.aspx

Hey i actually saw those tablets when i was looking for Lysine. I actually order food from that pet shop. Will these tablets also work like lysine?

 

[Maurey]

Hey i actually saw those tablets when i was looking for Lysine. I actually order food from that pet shop. Will these tablets also work like lysine?

They work differently (different mechanism of action + l-lysine is an amino acid, while beta glucan is a sugar (a polysaccharide, specifically)), but they have similar effect in aiding the immune system. That said, there’s more research on L-lysine use in cats, so that’s why it tends to be recommended more often by vets. You could always try calling your vet to ask directly. To my knowledge, there’s no reason you can’t give both, either.

edit: that being said, it’s currently controversial whether l-lysine is helpful to cats with herpes. Here’s a breakdown of why that is L-lysine for Feline Herpes Virus - Catwatch Newsletter