Lysine Supplement to Treat Feline Herpes

[Pokeymeg]

So one of my cats has been having minor eye irritations for months (1-2x a month, clears up really fast, within 24 hours).... This past Wednesday his eye looked REALLY BAD so we took him to the pet ER where they immediately recognized it as feline herpes...I thought it was allergies, sensitively to litter, rough housing with his sister, etc, up until this point. What an ignorant cat momma I was :-(

Since then, I've been reading up on it and Lysine seems to be a popular supplement to help minimize outbreaks. Anyone have any experience? Suggestions?

 

[TardisTortoise]

We have a clinic cat that was diagnosed with it and we use a product called lysinex. It is nice because she eats it so we don't have to force it down her. She only has had one flare up in the 2 years since she was diagnosed. Her symptoms were much less severe then before. Did they do any tests to diagnose? Or just base it on her symptoms? I would have her tested if they are just basing it on symptoms.

 

[Pokeymeg]

We have a clinic cat that was diagnosed with it and we use a product called lysinex. It is nice because she eats it so we don't have to force it down her. She only has had one flare up in the 2 years since she was diagnosed. Her symptoms were much less severe then before. Did they do any tests to diagnose? Or just base it on her symptoms? I would have her tested if they are just basing it on symptoms.

I do plan to bring my cat in for a follow up at our regular vet now that it is not an emergency, because I'd love to know if there are other options as well! And talk to them before starting lysine...I can already see his other eye starting to 'flare up' this morning, poor baby :-(

From what I've read, diagnosis is often done by symptoms alone because testing is expense and often results in a false result....I kind of hope my vet shares that sentiment and skips the expense, but we'll see...I was sooo hoping to wait until after my wedding to investigate his eye problems and rack up vet bills, but (breaking news) apparently cats do what they want - who knew??? Hahaha they're just like tortoises, stubborn things....

 

[Pokeymeg]

Does anyone else have any experience with treating feline herpes with lysine?

 

[Rutibegga]

Yes. My 13 year old cat has had a number of bad flare ups in the last several years, including one this spring the caused a pretty severe ulcer on her right eye.

She's actually on long-term famcyclovir, an antiviral, to reduce her flare ups. We tried to add lysine as well, but she won't eat the chews, eats around the powder, and fights the gel form like a little whirling dervish. That said, I'd love to get her on it in combination with her other medication, as her bouts have been more frequent and much more severe as she ages. I work in a feline only veterinary practice, and we recommend it regularly, and the specialist I work her to at the University of Pennsylvania also made the recommendation.

I've been thinking about trying a tablet form, but I was also told to not worry too much about and keep her stress level low. The twice-daily pill she's already on was really upsetting for her for a while, but she's finally started to accept it, so I might try again.

 

[Pokeymeg]

Yes. My 13 year old cat has had a number of bad flare ups in the last several years, including one this spring the caused a pretty severe ulcer on her right eye.

She's actually on long-term famcyclovir, an antiviral, to reduce her flare ups. We tried to add lysine as well, but she won't eat the chews, eats around the powder, and fights the gel form like a little whirling dervish. That said, I'd love to get her on it in combination with her other medication, as her bouts have been more frequent and much more severe as she ages. I work in a feline only veterinary practice, and we recommend it regularly, and the specialist I work her to at the University of Pennsylvania also made the recommendation.

I've been thinking about trying a tablet form, but I was also told to not worry too much about and keep her stress level low. The twice-daily pill she's already on was really upsetting for her for a while, but she's finally started to accept it, so I might try again.

Your cat is beautiful And wow, I thought my cat was picky!

We tried an antiviral med, given via oral syringe, but he hated it so much he started foaming at the mouth to get it out (and there was human bloodshed). The gel is OK... He doesn't like it, but doesn't fight like he's possessed by the devil. He won't touch the chews. The most success we've had is sprinkling the powder in canned food.... Not terribly precise for dosage purposes, but he's definitely having far fewer flare ups so far.

Is it normal for flare ups to get worse with age? If so, definitely not looking forward to that! He's not even 2 yet!

 

[Rutibegga]

I don't think it's normal, no. Usually cats with immune suppression have the worst time--kittens, elderly, cats in hoarding or shelter situations, etc... We suspect Evie has something else going on that's exacerbating her situation., though we can't figure out what. Clear lab work, clear films... Frustrating. She's 13, but she's an active, healthy 13. I don't know... She's the most loving, cuddly little cat I've ever had, and this is frustrating me to no end.

 

[StephjShank]

So one of my cats has been having minor eye irritations for months (1-2x a month, clears up really fast, within 24 hours).... This past Wednesday his eye looked REALLY BAD so we took him to the pet ER where they immediately recognized it as feline herpes...I thought it was allergies, sensitively to litter, rough housing with his sister, etc, up until this point. What an ignorant cat momma I was :-(

Since then, I've been reading up on it and Lysine seems to be a popular supplement to help minimize outbreaks. Anyone have any experience? Suggestions?

At my clinic we prescribe Enysil which is lysine. It does tend to improve the condition, and its worth a try!

 

[Pokeymeg]

I don't think it's normal, no. Usually cats with immune suppression have the worst time--kittens, elderly, cats in hoarding or shelter situations, etc... We suspect Evie has something else going on that's exacerbating her situation., though we can't figure out what. Clear lab work, clear films... Frustrating. She's 13, but she's an active, healthy 13. I don't know... She's the most loving, cuddly little cat I've ever had, and this is frustrating me to no end.

Oh how frustrating!! I hope you can figure it out :-/

 

[TardisTortoise]

We use a product called lysinex. Most cats will eat it, but if they don't the company will replace the product so we can give the client their money back.