Sunday, October 25, 2009

PET TIP OF THE WEEK L-LYSINE



Our Miracle



L-lysine is an amino acid that can be found in any health department of any grocery store and pharmacy. I use Nature Made, but there are several companies that produce it. I got mine at CVS Pharmacy, but you can get it a little cheaper at Walmart.

What is L-lysine?
As state above it is an amino acid that helps promote immune system health. You can take it and so can your dog and cat! It was originally recommended to my by a dental vet. As a matter of fact she gave me the bottle right out of her desk to give to my cat that had stomatitis. Stomatitis is advanced gum disease and in most cases caused by a compromised immune system due to sickness or advanced age. We put Chuggles on it to help his immune system, along with the medications, to fight the gum disease. It worked and I have been sold on it ever since.

I have been rescuing cats for about 8 years now. For many years around the fall season my cats would get a cold or “rhinitis.” One by one my cats would get sick and one by one I would take them to the vet and get antibiotics and they always got a steroid shot because a cat that struggles breathing through the nose, struggles smelling their food and a cat WILL NOT eat what it can't smell, and that includes drinking water. A fast acting steroid really boosts the medication and within a day cats are feeling better, still somewhat stuffy, but they can breathe better and eat. It wasn't uncommon for me to spend at least 500 dollars at the vets over the course of the fall months because of Rhinitis..

Rhinitis in cats is generally due to a weakened immune system caused by Feline Herpes Virus (FHV). Something interesting that I found out is that FHV is as common in cats as Herpes Simplex 1 is in humans. HS1 is cold sores, canker sores in and around your mouth and nose. Many stray cats and even those that are born to healthy mothers that were once stray or homeless are born with FHV, because generally the mother has it even when not symptomatic. Yes even some pure breeds have it because it is so common and extremely contagious. But what I didn't know was that I could actually prevent a FHV from flaring up in my cats simply by feeding them L-lysine! By preventing the flare, I am also preventing the rhinitis from showing its face in my cats.

Again L-lysine is an amino acid that boosts the immune system. FHV as any virus or illness, will compromise the immune system. By giving the cats L-lysine, it helps the immune system to stay strong. When I rescue an adult cat I immediately put them on 500mg of L-lysine if they weigh more then 8 lbs. If their weight is frail or is a kitten then its 250mg. I start them on this even before their first well kitty check up at the vet. Then after the vet visit and they are put on any de-wormer or medication, I keep them on the daily dose of L-lysine through out the course of treatment. After treatment I lower the L-lysine to maintenance and give them the same dose every other day.

This is the third fall season with no rhinitis in any of our cats! An $8.00 bottle saves me hundreds at the vet!!! My cats are healthy, all a good weight, and I don't have to spend hours giving steam treatments to cats and getting special “smelly food” to encourage them to eat. As a matter of fact, since I learned about the benefits of L-lysine in animals, I have not had to take my cats in to the vet for any illness! Just shots and wellness check up visits is pretty much all we do., They get L-lysine to boost the immune system and yogurt to promote good digestive health.

If your cat is over 8 years of age, OR suffers from any chronic illness such as, Feline Leukemia, Diabetes, thyroid issues, put them on L-lysine and you will see a difference in their over all health very soon.

I realize that I have written mostly about the effects of L-lysine on cats, but it does the same thing for dogs too. If you have a dog that is sickly, suffers from a chronic illness, that includes cancers too, put them on L-lysine while on treatment. It only BOOST the immune system and allows the medication to do its job better. It is an amino acid and will not hurt your dog. Some of your better quality pet foods have L-lysine in it.


Proper doses for dogs and cats based on 500 mg pills.
LARGE BREED DOGS, Crush and put 2 pills into food..
Medium breeds dogs and average cats 1 pill,
small and toy breed dogs and kittens ½ pill.
With medical treatment once a dayh
Maintenance once every 2 days

Disclaimer: Before you start any treatment for your pet it is important to consult your vet first.

Thank you for reading. I hope you find this tip of the week helpful. If you would like to treat your dog or cat to a healthy gourmet treat, please take a moment to visit our store at:
www.OLA.com/store/MMKR
OR contact me at MarysMiracleKittyRescue@Yahoo.com.
All sales go to help support the kitties in our rescue.

Thank you

23 comments:

  1. What an excellent article! I have 14 rescued cats and one of them has never responded to antibiotics, this makes so much sense! I'm going to start her on the lysine and see how she responds. Although my cats go to a vet for their shots, etc., I have to treat them myself as much as possible due to financial costs. This is the perfect place to start! Thank you!

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  2. Thank you for posting this! My cat has chronic rhinitis and I keep trying different approaches to get him to feel better. Do cats generally not mind the taste of the l-lysine in their food?

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  3. i have trouble getting them to eat it on there food so i took a syringe crushed up a pill and put water to it and gave it slowly by mouth to my cats and dogs the cats wont like it but it gets it down and fast. dont put the whole syringe of mix in as it will cause them to aspirate. just small 1 cc or 2 cc per squirt till gone.

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  4. L-Lysine was just recommended to me by a friend for my 1 yr. old cat that has had a runny eye since he was a kitten. After 3 days no more runny eye and it has been 2 weeks now! I have a hard time crushing the pill so I let it sit in a drop of water over night and just mix with a little canned for in the morning.

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  5. I run a large cat rescue and we buy l-lysine powder by the pound. It is kept in shakers and sprinkled on all dry food. It has no taste and they have no problem eating it. It has made a world of difference in their health and in our Vet bills.

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  6. Hello - I own a pet supply store and have seen no improvement in symptoms for cats with herpes virus with Lysine supplementation, though immune support has shown us almost immediate improvement in symptoms such as respiratory and eye issues. So, I did some digging, and saw this fairly recent paper suggesting that Lysine is ineffective in cats for FHV-1 and in fact may be detrimental or even dangerous. Thought I'd pass it along in case you or your vets hadn't seen it yet. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4647294/
    All the Best

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    1. Find this article quite funny really as they based their findings on a study conducted over a 3 week period. You cannot base findings on this amount of time. It should be based on testimonials from cat owners. Also, as with any study, statistics will always help make your theory show true.

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    2. I have a cat whom i rescued and she turned out to have the feline herpies virus and she has been on lysine chews for 2 years now and she only gets a flar up maybe once or twice a year now. I get her blood work done every 6 months and everything comes back great!

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    3. Pet supply store owner huh....youre either a goddamned vet or youre in bed with the vets....like any other doctor, keep us away from anything cheap and easy that actually works, and keep us coming into your useless money machine offices spending a fortune for you to fumble around and do nothing. Go to hell

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  7. Is it safe to give a new nursing queen? I have a few strays that have gunky eyes I've started on L-lysine. This queen sneezes a lot, wondering if this would be safe for her kittens if passed through her breast milk

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  8. I have feral cats and rescue cats. :..sounds like a great idea ....actuall started using today....

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  9. There seems to be conflicting thoughts on L Lysine. I just adopted a 5 year old cat that has runny eyes, gook in eyes and sneezing and breathing sounds blocked too. I also have two other cats at home. I am confused too, why would the shelter allow me to adopt a cat that has FHV and how do I know if it is FHV or just a runny nose, eye prob. etc. I have been to the vet once with him but don't feel I got solid answers, going again. And I have tried to talk to HUmane Society but not getting answers either.

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    1. 80% of cats who come from a shelter likely have been in contact with a cat with FHV which is highly contagious. My boy who I got as a kitten has it and it's not usually a big deal. It usually clears itself in less than a week. Occasionally eye drops will be needed, but don't regret getting that cat or blame the shelter. They may not have known.

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    2. FHV cannot be tested for unless exhibiting symptoms. So the shelter would not be able to check for this unless already showing.

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  10. My 13 yr old cat, who is asthmatic, got pneumonia last Fall, and nearly died. After spending $2000 at the emergency vet, and not eating for 2 weeks, and being so full of mucus that she couldn't breathe, I finally came across L-Lysine..and tried it. It is the only thing that worked. Within an hour, she perked up enough to eat something and her stuffed up nose started to clear, and she was breathing better. Long story short, she gradually recovered. So, I am very confused by the reports that this does not work. It saved my cats life. No vet told me about this. I found out about it online.

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  11. I have had to treat one of my 6 cats and 5 dogs here or there for things and I have found earthclinic.com to be a great resource for home (economical) remedies for both people and pets. For cats with pink eye and or other eye and/or respiratory issues...apple cider vinegar and lysine work great together to cure them. Just put the ACV on their fur and they will lick it off, getting it into their system. Both work quickly, too.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Sorry. Not gel caps, but my cat will not eat. Do I use a eye dropper and squirt in in her cheek?

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  12. To give my cats......l-lysine powder. In their food....I have 2 kittens 3 months old.....and 4 adult cats......I feed them all together in 2 round bowls....how do I know how much l-lysine in bowls when I feed them.....and do I do this once a day....

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    1. I believe that if for a kitten then its 250mg per day and if powder then apparently can add this to dry food. Or mix in with something they enjoy eating. I have actually ordered some l-lysine paste Viralys as my cat has calicivirus and herpes.

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  13. My 22 year old cat, has anumber of chronic conditions including kidney disease, thyroid problelms annd rhinitus. He used to be a fat boy but now is quite thin. Few days agoo the pharmacist suggested I try him on Lysine. In the last couple of days hehas reverted to a much younger cat, running around the house, slapping me with his paw as he used to and also showing a greater interest in birds again, to the point of stalking again.

    It it may be a coincidence, but it is remarkable, and I am also sure he is putting on Weight.

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  14. l-lysine is sold at Walmart (Canada or US) IN caplet FORM, JUST OPEN UP THE CAPSULE AND POUR ON WET OR DRY FOOD, EVEN IN WATER.

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