Review of Lysine for Cats

It wasn’t too long after Lily was diagnosed with stomatitis that someone recommended that I start giving her Lysine. I have been giving it to her ever since and have seen what happens if I stop giving it to her.

Lysine for cats is similar to Vitamin C for humans. It is an amino acid that helps boost the immune system. I’m sure there are far more technical descriptions about lysine and cats, but that is the extent of my knowledge. This is the same thing as L-Lysine that humans take, but the one for cats includes flavoring to make it more palatable for them.

When I first heard about Lysine I talked to my vet about it. I didn’t want to give something to Lily that might harm her. According to my vet, Lysine is safe for cats and has no harmful side effects.

There are a lot of different Lysines on the market, but the one I give to Lily (and all of my cats) is called Vetoquinol Viralys Powder. As I said above, I started giving it to her within a month or two of her being diagnosed with stomatitis. It helped, though I admit that it wasn’t enough to “cure” the inflammation in her mouth. But, it did help lessen the pain and redness.

I wasn’t sure exactly how helpful Lysine was to Lily but I did know that she no longer drooled while on it. Then came a day when I ran out. I had ordered more before running out but the seller accidentally sent the wrong item. Lily went without Lysine for a week while I waited for the Lysine to arrive. During that week her stomatitis got worse to the point where she was drooling again. The drool was tinged with blood and I knew she was in terrible pain. Never again will I let Lily go without the Lysine.

Today Lily is still on Lysine, as well as PlaqueOff and a steroid cream. You can read my review of PlaqueOff here, and see how I give the Lysine and PlaqueOff to Lily here.

Lysine for Cats
 

I buy my Lysine from Amazon. The prices are low and free shipping is offered. Initially I bought it in a small container (100g). About six months later I discovered that it also comes in a much larger container (600g) and now I buy that one. It is more cost effective to buy the larger container, especially now that I’m giving it to all five of my cats every day. I keep the small container to use daily and fill it with Lysine from the big container as needed.

Here is a picture of the two different sizes so you can get an idea of how large they each are.

Review of -Lysine for Cats

The small container lasted for several months when I gave it to just Lily, but ran out quickly after I started giving to our other four cats. The large container has lasted for almost a year and cost much less per gram than the smaller container.

The Lysine that I buy is from Viralys (seen above) and comes with a dosage spoon so you don’t have to figure out the dose yourself. The daily recommended dose is about 500mg.

Comments

Review of Lysine for Cats — 22 Comments

  1. I want to thank you for this website. My cat Kiki was recently dx with stomatitis and the only solution my vet gave me was steroids initially, Atopica after that along with Gabapentin for pain or have all teeth extracted. I searched for answers while mulling the extraction and found this site. Hoping that the recommended Viralys and plaque off would help, I bought. he was in so much discomfort it was difficult to get her to take it. I started using the Atopica which helped her discomfort greatly. Afterwards I started her on the Viralys, Plaque Off and grain-free food and he’s doing really well! I keep Atopica and Gabapentin on hand just in case, but to see him with a healthy appetite and looking lively again is fantastic! I will never be without Viralys or Plaque Off again! Thank you for posting so much information!

    • Lisa,

      This is WONDERFUL to hear!!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the Viralys Lysine and PlaqueOff.

      Rochelle

  2. Oreo diagnosed with stomatitis and needs treatment. Has had steroid shot from vet and will start the plaque off and lysine.

  3. I took Henry to the vet today to have his nails clipped and his gums looked at. The tech said his gums looked really bad, very red. Henry has been taking PlaqueOff for seven weeks now, possibly eight. I tried to give him an herbal anti-inflammatory, but it made him throw up. I don’t want to give him a steroid again, and I certainly don’t want to his his teeth pulled. He is two years old and in every other way seems to be a healthy cat: he eats well, maintains his eight, plays, sleeps, uses the letterbox regularly. I have him on wet food only because one website said that grains aggravate auto-immune diseases. I think my plan is to give the PlaqueOff another four weeks, and if his gums still look bad, ask for a strong antibiotic, and if that still doesn’t work, then I guess I will have to reconsider giving him a steroid.

  4. I posted this on the “PlaqueOff” review page, but since some people might not read both pages, am also posting it here.

    Based on a friend’s experience with the company Vitality Science Holistic Pet Remedies, I am considering purchasing this product for my cat, who has stomatitis:

    https://www.vitalityscience.com/product/advanced-immune-restoration/

    I’ve been giving my cat PlaqueOff and Lysine for about three weeks, and although my vet has not seen improvement, I’d like to give the PlaqueOff and Lysine a full 8 weeks before I do anything else.

    The next thing I would consider is the “Advanced Immune Restoration Cat Cancer Support” product above, as the company tells me that since stomatitis is an immune related issue, and the Advanced Immune product raises immune competence, it is an appropriate product for my cat.

    Has anyone else used this product for their cut with stomatitis?

    Thanks for any feedback.

    Anna

    • Anna,

      I’ve not heard of this product so thank you for sharing the link and information!

      Please do give the PlaqueOff the full eight weeks before deciding if it helps or not. It took eight weeks for Lily before her mouth looked greatly improved, and she continued to see improvement in the following weeks. There is still some redness in the back of her throat, which you can see in the picture of her two years after starting PlaqueOff – http://stomatitisincats.com/review-of-plaqueoff-for-cats – but it is under control and she’s not in any pain now.

      Please keep us posted on your cat’s progress, including if you use the pet food and how it works of your cat.

      Rochelle

  5. My Stevie has Stomatitis, when I first took him to the Vet his Gums were inflamed, the Vet showed me & I even saw a yellow ameba shaped thing on his upper Gum. He gave him 2 shots for it. I saw the Vet a month later, Stevie’s Gums were still very red, but a little less & no yellow thing, he gave him another shot & Predozone, liquid, to start in a week, & suggested total teeth extraction.
    I was frantic, & came across your articles about Lilly, which helped to read about an actual cat. His symptoms were very much like Lilly’s, I got some Plaque Off, Lysine & Brewers Yeast. I mixed all in his wet food in the morning, just the meat no water, he eats it, but not all, they only eat Grain Free Food, I added the meds for 3 weeks.
    It’s probably been 3 months now, he won’t let me lift his Lip too high, but I can see his lower top Gum not so red, & he is eating Kibbles & Treats, & he does play at night, & he acts normal. I really want to keep his teeth, he’s only 1 1/2 years old, but I am constantly worried about him, are there any other supplements that might help him?
    I want to avoid taking him to the Vet for now cuz he is really scared of going.

    • Kandyce,

      It sounds like there has been improvement, which is good! I know there are a lot of comments on this site, but there is also a lot of information from other people who have shared what helped them, such as grain-free and raw meat diets.

      Your cat might also benefit from Prednisolone, which is the steroid cream that Lily was on for about a year. That will help with the inflammation. You could call your vet and ask if he/she can prescribe a prescription for it without seeing your cat. I don’t know if that is possible but it’s worth asking about, as well as explaining that your cat is afraid of the car/carrier/vet’s office.

      Please keep us posted about Stevie’s progress.

      Rochelle

  6. Thank you for all the great info !! I know you love this brand,link to it on amazon ect..but just wanted to let ppl know,esp ppl like myself that are on a serious budget,esp if they have multiple cats,That you can also buy regular powdered l-lysine and add flavorings your cat will like(which is what makes it the “cat version”) to save you a LOT of money.i have 6 cats i give it to and i buy a 3 lb,pharmaceutical grade container at local healthfood store for $13. At petfood store i bought a 1.5 lb jar of store brand dental health/ intestional support supplement.It contains powdered brewers yeast/ liver& other flavorings,seaweed( the same ascophyllum nodosumm d1070 thats in the other great,but very expensive for the large sized container,plaque reducer you also recommend(but has no mint flavors that a lot of cats wont touch) ,acidophilus, a preservative& i thibk thats it in ingredients. But it only cost $11 !! I throw it all together in the blender to mix it up well,then add that to my cats wet food.that mix so far has lasted me over 3 yrs now (& prob will last a few more..it doesn’t go bad)& it only costs me $24 …for BOTH !! I have one cat that doesn’t thankfully have the stomatitis & i never want him to,but he gets a smaller dise also,just in case,since theyre all from the same litter. while he has no symptoms,he DOES have that rotten smelling breath they were all born with .So JIC,he gets it also,once a day.He loves it,mixed with a little water,or as a super treat,with tuna juice and spritzed over the crunchy food only he can eat 🙂

    • Yvette,

      Yes, it is a prescription that your vet will have to write. Then you will take it to a specialty pharmacy to have it custom made. Be prepared for a trial-and-error period before your vet knows the right dosage of steroid for your cat.

      Rochelle

  7. Hi Rochelle,
    I was very happy to come across your blog. I work with a cat rescue and we have had MULTIPLE cats with stomatitis, most of whom have had to have all or most of their teeth removed. They have done well with this procedure, all of them still eat dry food, some as their only food by their choice. I finally got the vet to admit that stomatitis could be caused by a virus, which would explain why not only so many of our cats have gotten it but that it seems to come in clusters as well. Not wanting to put the cats through extensive dental procedures, not to mention the expense, I’ve decided to try the Lysine. I have several cats with feline herpes that I have recently bought a gel for (one already had her teeth removed, the other is showing signs of early stomatitis) and I’ve got powder on order to put on all of the cat’s food. I’m encouraged by your success and hope this helps. I’ll look for the PlaqueOff, as well.

    • Pati,

      The foster mom who I adopted Lily from agrees with you that there is a contagious element to stomatitis. She suspects that it is contagious when there are ulcers in the mouth. We have been fortunate that none of our other four cats have come down with it.

      I hope that the Lysine and PlaqueOff are helpful in your cat rescue organization.

      Rochelle

  8. Where do u get the steroid cream? Thanks for ur treatment info. Will order. My 🐱 received antibiotics and cortisone shots as needed. Very horrible disease. Thank u again. Interested in cream instead of shot.

    • Judy,

      Our vet prescribed the steroid cream and I took the prescription to a specialty pharmacy where they make prescriptions. Unfortunately, this isn’t something you will be able to order. It is a trial and error kind of thing to find the right steroid strength for your kitty. I hope this helps.

      Rochelle

  9. Hi Rochelle
    I took my 1 year old Siamese cat, Sasha to my vet to be spayed. When I brought her home, she did not eat or drink water. Did not think much about it till the next day. Sasha was drooling and her breath was very bad. My vet was closed on Thursdays so I took her to my local animal hospital. She stayed 2 nights so they could run tests on her and gave her sub q to hydrate her.
    They said her tongue was ulcerated. I was given sucralfate for her mouth. I took Sasha to my vet today to have her stitches taken and I was told that Sasha has stomatitis. I have owned many mixed breed cats and never had this ever happened to them. So after googled this disease, I came across your article. I ordered the lysine and plaque off. Sasha is eating but she seems to have trouble chewing on the right side.
    Thanks again for sharing Lily and her bout with this disease.

    • Karen,

      I’m very sorry to hear that Sasha has stomatitis, but hopefully the supplements will get it under control, as it did for Lily. Please keep us posted on her progress.

      Rochelle

  10. Hi Rochelle,

    My question is, if I try plaque off and lysine, is there a need to try the steroid? My cats are inflamed but it hasn’t gotten to emergency time yet where we would be considering teeth extraction. Should I just start with plaque off and lysine and skip the steroid? Thanks so much. You know more than any vet I have seen so far.

    • Robin,

      This is a hard question to answer because I don’t know what your cat’s mouth and throat looks like, but if I was in your shoes I would use all three for at least eight weeks because that is how long it takes for the PlaqueOff to work. That way you won’t risk the inflammation getting worse while you wait for the PlaqueOff to work its magic.

      I recommend getting in the habit of checking your cat’s mouth every so often so you know when it changes, either for the better or worse. Your cat won’t like this, but get comfortable and then gently open your cat’s mouth. Make sure it is wide enough so you can see the gums in the back of the mouth and the throat.

      Then, after the eight weeks has passed for the PlaqueOff and you have an understanding of what is “normal” for your cat, you can consider weaning your cat off the steroid. Do not stop the steroid cold turkey. It would be best to talk to your vet to learn the safest way to stop the steroids.

      I was able to wean Lily off the steroids but I still check her mouth about once a month. I’d hate for her to start suffering again without me realizing that the inflammation has gotten worse but by checking I can get her back on the steroids if needed. (My fingers are crossed that she’ll never need them again!)

      I hope that helps,
      Rochelle

  11. I read your blog about Lily and stomatitis. I purchased ProDen PlaqueOff at that time. Sweetie was diagnosed with stomatitis around March 2014. The PlaqueOff initially lessened the redness on one side of his gums but the other remains stubborn. His breath has remained rank with no change in that. His drooling has been rare, always clear since changing his diet to Holistic (Orajin Six Fish or Chicken) and all canned food with no grains etc.. Canned food is Dave’s 96%, Fussy Cat, and some Halo.Today I received my order of Viralys Oral Gel for cats-L-Lysine HCI and also TropiClean fresh breath for clean teeth and fresh breath: oral care water additive which I am VERY interested in. Do you know/have you had feed back if these products eased or cured anyone’s cat’s stomatitis?

    • Tonya,

      I don’t have experience with the other products you are asking about but I did buy a water additive for Lily before I started her on PlaqueOff (I no longer remember what it was called). Some cats are okay with the additive but Lily didn’t like it. She refused to drink water that had it in, so I have no idea if it would have helped her or not.

      Every cat is different and, sadly, there is no known cure for stomatitis. The best you can hope for is to control the symptoms. Hopefully one or more of the products you bought for Sweetie will help. Please keep us posted about what does or doesn’t work.

      Rochelle