Review Of PlaqueOff For Cats

PlaqueOff has been the best thing I have been able to buy over-the-counter for my cat Lily. I discovered PlaqueOff while searching through Amazon.com for anything that might help her stomatitis symptoms.

When I wrote this review in early 2013 I had been giving PlaqueOff to Lily for almost four months. Two years later Lily has improved so much that her stomatitis seems to be completely controlled and I was able to wean her from the steroid cream she had been on. This product has been truly amazing for her, and I think it may be just as helpful to other cats suffering from the symptoms of stomatitis.

IMPORTANT – Before I continue, though, I want to state now that PlaqueOff should not be given to cats that have hyperthyroidism. I discuss this a bit more below, but I want to make this clear so that cat owners of cats with hyperthyroidism know that this is not a product they should use.

[12/19/2013 Edit – When I first started buying PlaqueOff for Cats, it was sold on Amazon by someone located in England. She sold it for about $12, plus $2 shipping. She has since stopped selling it, and someone else is. The new seller has increased the price horrifically. The last time I checked it was being sold for about $39, with shipping that cost about another $39. That is despicable! My guess is that this person is able to sell it for that price because there is no other competition. I know that the regular PlaqueOff product is identical, except that it does not contain brewer’s yeast for flavoring. I bought a bottle before running out of the cat formulation, hoping that Lily would eat that instead. Fortunately, she is fine with it. I suggest you start with the much less expensive PlaqueOff product. If your cat refuses to eat it, then buy the more expensive cat version or add Brewer’s yeast to it.]

What Is PlaqueOff?

PlaqueOff is a powder. The ingredients listed on the package are:

  • Seaweed meal (specially selected Ascophyllum nodosum D1070)
  • Brewer’s yeast

There is another version of this product meant for either dogs or cats that contains only seaweed, but some cats apparently didn’t like the flavor. Brewer’s yeast was added to the cat version to make it palatable to finicky felines. Brewer’s yeast has a flavor most cats love and it is safe for them to eat.

How Does PlaqueOff Work?

The research that I did on this product states that it works systemically. It is believed that the seaweed somehow prevents plaque from sticking to teeth and gums, therefore minimizing a variety of mouth ailments such as plaque, tartar, and bad breath. This product is not meant specifically for stomatitis, but it is helpful because it greatly diminishes plaque, which is most often the cause of stomatitis symptoms.

How Do You Give PlaqueOff To A Cat?

This is very easy. The container comes with a measuring spoon. All you need to do is sprinkle a spoonful of the powder onto either wet or dry food so your cat will ingest the powder with her food.

To be honest, I am not sure if cats will eat this over dry food. My thinking is that the powder will fall to the bottom of the bowl and not get eaten. Therefore, I give this to Lily by mixing it with a small amount of wet food that has been diluted with water.

Are There Any Side Effects Of PlaqueOff?

According to the manufacturer, the answer to this question is, “No.” However, they state that this product should not be given to a cat that suffers from hyperthyroidism. Check with your vet before giving this to your cat if you are unsure if your cat has hyperthyroidism. Otherwise, it is perfectly safe to give this supplement to your cat.

How Long Will One Container Last?

I do not yet know the answer to this. I give Lily one scoop per day, and I started giving it to her almost four months ago. The container says that it should last for about six months, but I have quite a bit left. My guess is that one container will last us between nine months and one year.

04/28/2015 Update: The container that I originally bought, when I was giving it just to Lily, was the 180gm bottle. This size lasted at least six months when given daily to one cat. Now I buy the larger 420gm container and give it to all five of my cats each day. The 420gm container lasts me about one year when given to my five cats.

How Long Will It Take Before You See Improvement In Your Cat’s Stomatitis Symptoms?

According to the manufacturer, it can take between three and eight weeks before you see improvement. Keep in mind this timeframe is for non-stomatitis symptoms. I can tell you that I noticed improvement within four weeks, and even more improvement at eight weeks.

What Is The Difference Between The Two Types of PlaqueOff?

ProDen makes two versions of PlaqueOff: PlaqueOff Animal (for cats and dogs) and PlaqueOff Cat (specifically for cats). The ONLY difference is that the cat version has Brewer’s yeast added to it to make it a bit more tasty for cats. Cats are notoriously finicky but they love Brewer’s yeast, which is why it is added to the cat version.

Again, there is no difference at all other than the Brewer’s yeast. I am stressing this because you might want to start with the Animal version, which is much less expensive to buy on Amazon than the Cat version. If you cat turns up her nose at the Cat version then you can add a bit of Brewer’s yeast to flavor it. Or, you can give it to your cat the way I do by mixing it with a bit of water and wet food. A little further down this page you will find a video showing you exactly how I give PlaqueOff to Lily.

Where Can You Buy PlaqueOff?

PlaqueOff is made by a company in the United Kingdom. I live in the United States and my vet had never heard of PlaqueOff prior to when I showed it to her (she looked at the ingredients and verified that there is nothing harmful in it), which tells me that it is not a well-known product here in the US. This is not a product that you can find locally here in the states, so if you also are a resident of the US I recommend that you buy from Amazon.com

 which is where I buy it from.

It comes in three sizes: 60gm, 180gm, and 420gm. I have both the 180gm and 420gm containers. I originally bought the smaller 180gm container but then I discovered that there is a larger container and that is what I buy now. The larger container is much more cost effective, especially since I now give PlaqueOff to all five of my cats. I kept the smaller container and I fill it from the larger one. I’ve never tried the 60gm size but the medium and large sizes both include dosage spoons so you don’t have to wonder how much to give your cat.

PlaqueOff
 

As of this writing there is only one seller of this product on Amazon, and the seller is located in the United Kingdom. Do not let this scare you because the cost of shipping is incredibly reasonable. However, this means it may take a few weeks for your order to get to you. [See my 12/19/2013 edit near the top of this page about PlaqueOff sellers on Amazon.]

If you purchase PlaqueOff and it helps your cat as much as it does mine, be sure to order a new bottle about a month before you think you will run out so that your cat does not have to go without while you wait for the new batch to arrive.

If you are a resident of the United Kingdom then the easiest way to place an order is directly through the manufacturer ProDen. You can either call them at 0800 032 9099 or visit their website at http://www.informpet.co.uk/.

Pictures Of Lily’s Improvement After Taking PlaqueOff

As I stated above, I saw improvement in Lily’s symptoms of stomatitis after four weeks, and there was additional improvement after eight weeks. You can see for yourself how much better her stomatitis looks because of the PlaqueOff.

Before Starting PlaqueOff

Unfortunately I do not have a “Before” photo to show what her mouth looked like before I started treating her with PlaqueOff. My vet and I tried to get a photo but it hurt Lily too much to have her mouth held open so we couldn’t get a photo. I remember it well, though. The back of her throat was fire-engine red, and it looked meaty, like raw hamburger.

Four and Eight Weeks After Starting PlaqueOff:

The first photo below looks painful, but it looks much better than how her mouth looked before she started PlaqueOff (I deeply regret not taking a “before” picture). Lily’s stomatitis in the “After Four Weeks” picture is bright red, the back of her throat is very inflamed, and her gums where her teeth used to be is also bright red.

In the “After Eight Weeks” picture the color is a lighter shade of red than four weeks earlier and the inflammation in the back of her throat started to calm down. The difference is striking!

Side-By-Side Comparison

Two Years After Starting PlaqueOff:

04/28/2015 Update: I just realized that I did not take another picture of Lily’s mouth and it is time for me to correct that. Here is how Lily’s mouth looks today, about two years after she started taking PlaqueOff. As you can see, it looks even better than the “eight week” picture above.

Lily’s throat still has some pinkness, but it is no longer red or inflamed, and the redness on her gums where her teeth used to be is completely gone. Her mouth can now be touched and she doesn’t show signs of any pain at all.

Lily's mouth two years after starting PlaqueOff

How I Give PlaqueOff to Lily

Here is a video I made that shows how I give both PlaqueOff and Lysine to Lily.

My Conclusion About PlaqueOff

It should come as no surprise for you to learn that I wholeheartedly recommend PlaqueOff Cat. This product has made a life-changing difference for my cat Lily. I can see that she feels better because she is playful again, and she almost never drools now that she is taking this supplement.

Regarding Lily’s drooling, I didn’t keep track of how often she drooled before she started this, but I have an idea because I give her a pain medicine called Buprenex when she drools. Before starting Plaque Off I was giving her a dose of Buprenex about once a week. Now, I give it to her maybe once a month, possibly even less often than that. That’s huge.

10/07/2013 Update: It has now been five months since I wrote this review. Lily has not needed the pain medicine Buprenex in at least six months. I credit PlaqueOff for her incredible improvement!

The bottom line for me is that PlaqueOff truly is a must-have supplement that has improved Lily’s quality of life!

Comments

Review Of PlaqueOff For Cats — 86 Comments

  1. Thank you for taking the time to share all you have learned. I am so sorry about Lily, it’s obvious you gave her the best home any kitty could want. I just wanted to share what I learned about cat food. I did extensive research on what’s the best food to feed, raw, canned or dry? O believe raw is possibly the best. However raw may not be the best option for all households. I recommend reading up on it, very interesting. That said, between dry and wet food. Wet food hands down. Dry food is very dehydrating and dehydration can cause a whole host of problems. The food cats would’ve hunted for is 78% water. Unfortunately they don’t make up for the lack of hydration by drinking more water. Drinking doesn’t come naturally to them.
    Dry food also has a lot of fillers and is extremely fattening. A lot of cats are addicted to it. Switching to an all wet food diet can be difficult. My favorite myth is that it’s good for their teeth. In fact it’s horrible for their teeth. It would be as if we ate candy all day and never bothered to brush.
    In a nut shell, the worst canned food is better than the best dry food.

  2. Hi Rochelle, thank you for your review. I haven’t read all the comments so someone may have sugggested this already: are you aware of ZooPlus? They started selling the Plaque Off powder which may be cheaper there in terms of shipping than on Amazon. Sorry about Lily’s passing. Melanie

  3. My cat was at the vet 7/1/2019 with no ulcer, no diagnosis. Then I took her to another vet 7/26/19 and learned she had an ulcer in her mouth. Does this mean she just contracted Stomatitis very recently?
    At any rate, she still has a healthy appetite, and shows no signs of any pain. My vet says she won’t treat her since she has no symptoms, and to bring her back when she does.

    I’m asking you whether I should have her teeth cleaned, and start giving her PlaqueOff & Lysine to prevent her from getting worse?

    Thank you.

  4. Thank you for your video and pictures Rochelle. My cat has stomatitis and they want to remove all her teeth. She’s had some out already and now they want to take the rest at a great cost! So before I go that route I am going to try what you did with Lily and hopefully it will work. Thank you!

  5. Thank you so much for all your hard work and efforts to help us all…after discovering your comments on Amazon, I found your site here. I’ll be purchasing the product and will let you know my results.
    How is Lily doing these days?

    • Terrie,

      Thank you for your kind words. I’m sorry to say that Lily passed away last year. Her death was sudden and unexpected, and had nothing to do with stomatitis. She was doing very well until a few days before she died, a happy, playful girl.

      Rochelle

  6. Hello, I just purchased PlaqueOff yesterday. However, after reading some of the comments, I am really worried about giving it to my cat. Maybe I should return this unopened bottle back to the store? My concerns are these: Since it has a high dosage of Iodine, how do I know whether at, some point, my cat will not develop a Thyroid problem? He also had an urinary blockage about 2 years ago, and he is on a special C/D prescription Urinary diet. Could this product also have some side effect on kidneys? Talking to my veterinary is useless, and I talked to the other Vets. They say , they don’t know the product and they recommend , of course, a dental cleaning that might go up o $800+ Yes, my cat’s teeth is sort of yellowish . Please advise me what to do.

    • Curious,

      I am so sorry for not seeing this sooner and realize that you might have already made a decision regarding the PlaqueOff. You asked if this can affect your cat’s kidneys and I do not know since I have no experience with kidney diseases with my cats. What I do have experience with is hyperthyroidism. Initially I gave PlaqueOff to all of my cats but stopped giving it to my elderly girl because she developed hyperthyroidism. Neither I nor my vet think that the PlaqueOff caused it. Sasha’s most obvious symptom of hyperthyroidism was extreme weight loss. Although it wasn’t really, it seemed like she became skin and bones almost overnight. She now gets medicine for her condition and I no longer give the PlaqueOff to her. Her weight is back up and it her kidneys seem fine. I hope this helps at least with what to look for regarding hyperthyroidism.

      Rochelle

  7. Unfortunately, my female cat, Buttons, was diagnosed 2 years ago with Stomatitis. I was heartbroken! Now I found Chewy.com carries Plaqueoff. I began putting it on her food and I noticed symptoms were reduced quite fast. Their service is great and cost me about $35.00 for 2 containers. I would love to see a cure for this very painful ailment in cats, but since it is an autoimmune disease, that is doubtful.

  8. I love your article about Lilly and plaque off. My dog has much plaque on her teeth and no amount of brushing seems to help, so I found your article really helpful. I shall buy plaque off for Kim my Beagle and see how we go. I will also tell my sister who has a cat too. I hope this is safe for my sister’s cat as she has low kidney function and was due to have her teeth cleaned the coming week. Your cats are beautiful

    • Christina,

      Given that PlaqueOff is meant for plaque on teeth I’m sure it will be helpful to your beagle. As for your sister’s cat, it should be okay, but you might recommend that she check with her vet before starting it, just to be sure. The only potential problem that I know of has to do with the thyroid, not the kidney. It shouldn’t be given to a cat with hyperthyroidism because it will make the condition worse.

      Rochelle

  9. I have had success stabilizing my cat suffering from stomatitis without having to give him steroids or extracting his teeth. In addition to giving him PlaqueOff for Cats, I am giving him:

    1-TDC capsules:
    http://elitescience.net/products/animal/cat/periodontal-cat-solution-1-tdc/

    Colostrum from Sovereign Laboraties:
    http://www.sovereignlaboratories.com/info_COLOSTRUMANIMALS.html

    My cat also had a dental a few weeks ago, which was about a year after the diagnosis. I believe the dental has helped him benefit from the supplements.

    • Anna,

      Thank you for sharing what worked for your cat!

      “Stabilizing” is a good word. We got Lily stabilized. In Lily’s case, her stomatitis wasn’t completely gone, but we got it under control to the point that the pain seemed to be gone. I’m very happy to hear that you were able to stabilize your cat and, hopefully, the stomatitis stays at bay for the rest of his life.

      Rochelle

  10. I also have a cat Lilly who has stomotitis. One thing our vet told us is to be sure to wear a plastic glove when putting the prednizone on or it can obsorb into your skin. I am just starting her on lysine and her brother too. I will get PlaqueOff as well. Thanks

    • Susan,

      Yes, your vet is right. I was given tiny little fingertip gloves to use when I gave this to Lily. You can reuse them, since you probably won’t have enough for every day. Or, you can buy gloves in bulk, such as at Sam’s Club.

      Rochelle

  11. Hello Rochelle: I have been rescuing stray cats for a decade. I currently have nine felines, one a 5yr male, born here, w stomatitis & drooling. My cats enjoy my pet door (exit…stage left) in nice weather. Pickles got antibiotic & cortisone shots, temporary boost only. I need to learn how to brush my cats’ teeth, is that possible? Sounds like w prevalence of stomatitis, oral hygiene’s important. Brewer’s Yeast has sulphur & tastes bitter. Tastier nutritional yeasts exist, I’ve tried them myself.
    Regarding Iodine toxicity. Food-forms & AA chelates would just get excreted in excess. Lugol’s solution, saturated potassium iodide 10%, while fine externally could bio-accumulate.
    I love Sea Vegetables. I used to purchase kelp, alaria, dulse, Irish moss & Laver (Nori 30% protein) cheap by the box from Maine Seaweed Company, POBox 57, Steuben, Maine 04680. Google Larch Hansen. They collect seaweed spring & fall, sun-drying the harvest on the beach. They harvest responsibly in unpolluted waters w oiled(not painted) wooden boats. Seaweed’s loaded w minerals, b/c they grow on rocks- the only source of minerals…only way to alkalinize body or mouth tissues.
    I bought Ascophyllum Nodosum (rock grains) in $3 cannisters & kelp $7lb back then, but I’m sure price has gone up. Loved cooking w seaweed & the Ascophyllum tasted like fresh clam chowder. I could smell the sea upon raising the lid. I cooked w beans, purple thai rice & lotsa garlic, cooling it w half-doz eggs & butter. I gotta start eating that way again, makes me feel like Rin Tin Tin. Seaweed may be great feline food supplement. Infections need alkalinizing. Les

    • Les,

      Yes, it is possible to brush a cat’s teeth, though I’ve never done it myself. Many people say that it does a great job of preventing mouth problems. I’m sure there are videos on YouTube that can help show you how. Good luck!

      Rochelle

  12. Dear Rochelle,
    I rescued a feral kitty who happened to have stomatitis. I read your wonderful site, which I know save so many kitty lives. Milky Mustashee, had a cleaning and eight teeth removed. When the vet gives him an antibiotic shot and an anti inflamitory shot it could last him for weeks before he shows signs of eating discomfort again. I rather recently put him on Proden PlaquOff for cats and dogs, L-Lysine, Coenzyme Q10, and Dr. jones Ultimate Feline Formula. The L-lysine is a gel that I can mix other supplements in and put on his paws to lick off so that I do not have to alter the taste of his food, which he sometimes does not like. He also gets grain free kibble and moist cat food, the turkey food you give Lilly. I have also started him on a raw food diet of turkey.
    Are you still giving Lilly a Prednisone cream. Is that rubbed on her ear? I saw by one of your updates a few years back that she was able to go without it by the time of the update, for six months. I see that you also give Lilly L-Lysine 2x daily and Proden PlaqOff 1x daily so I am following that. Dos Lilly take any antibiotics and is she still off Bupronex?

    Thank you for all you do!!!!
    Hugs, Lehua & Milky Mustashee

  13. Bless you and Lilly for all you have done!!! Your efforts have saved Lilly and so many other kitties and their human companions!!! God, bless you and Lilly!!!!

  14. 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

  15. I have a 10 month old kitten, Greta, with severe stomatitis. I started noticing she was having issues after what I thought was a bad bought of teething and very bad breath. After antibiotic treatment and a change in vets I was told something else may need to be done for her. She was spay a few months back and the surgeon cringed when he looked in her mouth (and actually called in others to look at them as a learning experience). Besides the teething Greta seemed to be doing fine and I decided to wait a while to do anything drastic. Also the vet said there was still a change she could have juvenile stomatitis and would outgrow it. The past few weeks I have noticed Greta cutting back on how fast she eats (she is usually a chow hound) and being more vocal than usual. She has also been very ginger when playing with her toys (she stopped carrying them around) and will sometimes rub her face of things as to massage her poor gums. I stumbled across this blog and ordered PlaqueOff as a last resort. She has been on it for about a week and a half when I started noticing lumps forming around her nipples. I brought her to the vet and they said it was mammary tissue development (mammary hyperplasia) and since she was spayed a few months back they suspected it was from excess hormones she may be consuming. Note: She did have some mammary hyperplasia before her spay that went away after the procedure. My cat has been on Vetriscience Vetri-DMG and more recently PlaqueOff for Cats. (Also L-Lysine and probiotics which the vet said should not be the issue) The vet also suggested it could be a thyroid problem (although her blood work shows no issues) and could be caused by plant based or other supplements. I am aware that iodine is an ingredient in PlaqueOff and this could be the problem if the lumps were triggered by her thyroid, but we are still unsure. As of now my cat has stopped all supplements to see if there is any improvement. Greta is schedules for a gum tissue biopsy along with x-rays and removing her top and bottom incisors (they are loose and already coming out) next week. The vet said they will decide how to proceed after the biopsy results whether it be steroids, antibiotics or extractions (he told me he was leaning toward the extractions with the severity of her case.) I am wondering if anyone else has had mammary hyperplasia occur in their spayed cat and what else could be causing it. Also has anyone else had to have extractions in their cat at such a young age? I just feel awful doing such a drastic procedure so young but feel it may be best for her. Not sure I would want her to be on steroids for a long period of time due to the long term side effects.

    Sincerely a worried cat mom.

    Other info on Greta:
    -Eats Purevita chicken and peas
    -Lately eating Blue Buffalo Wilderness Tasty Toppers Wild Cuts chicken for treat and when teeth seem to be hurting her
    -Possible Feline Infectious Peritonitis in her litter (have had to euthanize 2 of the 4 kittens with what vets suspected to be FIP) but Greta and her surviving sister have been otherwise healthy
    -Went through her spay and anesthesia very well (was worried because one of her litter mates became ill after anesthesia procedure and had to be euthanized)
    -Greta’s mom (farm cat) has lived to a ripe old age (at least 10yrs) I recently looked in her moms mouth and saw that her teeth have rotted out and there are few left, guessing it is hereditary.
    -Greta is on L-Lysine to prevent eye irritation and goop (had a severe eye infection as a kitten) and has been on probiotics since her fight with giardia (lasted about 6 months) She was on forti-flora from the vet and is now on Gentle Digest

    • RaeNelle,

      Poor Greta has had a lot to overcome for such a young age!

      Mammary hyperplasia is something I’ve never heard of but hopefully someone else can comment on it.

      Lily was very young (about 1 1/2 years old) when she had her teeth pulled. I can say with total honesty that if I had to do it all over again I would have pulled her teeth sooner. It has been over two years since her teeth were removed. She’s still on Lysine and PlaqueOff, which I will keep her on for life (unless I have to stop the PlaqueOff if she develops a thyroid problem), and you’d never know to look at her today what she went through with stomatitis.

      She still has a small amount of inflammation in the back of her throat, but it doesn’t seem to bother her at all. She has a very healthy appetite and has no problems eating dry food (Iams, which is a very small kibble). She runs, plays, and is very loving. Unlike when the stomatitis was full blown, she now uses her mouth to play with her toys and loves it when I rub on her face, chin, and mouth.

      Please keep us posted on Greta’s progress.

      Rochelle

  16. Our vet thought that our 3 yr old rescue cat had stomatitis. She has had two treatments of antibiotics and it helped. She has lost some teeth and the vet suggested having her teeth cleaned. Since this treatment is expensive, I was wondering if it was worth it or whether I should just start her on the Plaque Off and L-Lysline. She drools but does not appear to have blood in her drool and does not appear to be in pain.

    • Kathi,

      I apologize for not seeing this sooner.

      If your cat’s teeth are already bad then I don’t think the Lysine and PlaqueOff will help. The PlaqueOff is meant to keep clean teeth from getting bad plaque on them and I wouldn’t trust that it would work on teeth that are already covered in plaque.

      Rochelle

  17. Hi! I did a search for the ingredient of PlaqueOff (ascophyllum nodosum) and found I could simply purchase the powdered seaweed from an online vitamin and health food store. It is MUCH cheaper that way. The only thing I don’t know is how large the measuring scoop is. Can you compare it to a standard measuring spoon and tell me what it is?

    • Elizabeth,

      I’m fairly certain that the spoon is about 1/8 tsp. I hope that helps.

      Rochelle

  18. Thanks Rochelle,

    It’s great that Lily is off the steroid cream. As it turned out our cat doesn’t have stomatitis, but has feline tooth resorption. He had four canines removed and the plaqueoff might have not caused a side effect. We had no idea since he didn’t show any signs until one day a canine was gone. I hope all stays well with Lily and she won’t have any flare ups. Thanks for replying and all the best.

    • Mona,

      One of our cats is currently dealing with tooth resorption so we know first hand how difficult that can be for a cat. But perhaps the good news is that your cat doesn’t have stomatitis. Hopefully your kitty will be okay now that his teeth have been removed.

      Rochelle

  19. We gave our cat the plaqueoff for several week, just around nine or so. He started drooling excessively and he has never done this before, no stomatitis either, just bad breath. I found your side and was first confident that it would work, but since reading more I am not so sure about it anymore. I watched the video of giving your cat the supplements, but how can you be sure that the plaqueoff is helping since you are also treating her with prednisone? I tried to find any reviews about side effects but it seems that they have either not been out there or not enough people treat their cats with it. Also I found out that the plaqueoff works systemic, from the inside out and that there can be plateauing as well. I just want to share the experience our cat had and it is not a good one.

    • Mona,

      I’m sorry to hear that your cat seems to be experiencing side effects from the PlaqueOff.

      You asked a good question regarding how I know that the PlaqueOff is helping Lily if she is also getting Prednisolone. Before Lily started taking PlaqueOff we gave her Lysine and Prednisolone, along with a pain medicine as needed. Then I started her on PlaqueOff, and about a year after she started it I was able to wean her off the Prednisolone. Lily hasn’t had the steroid cream in over a year and she continues to do great. She currently takes just the Lysine and PlaqueOff. It is possible that she no longer needs either of these items but I won’t stop giving them to her because I don’t want to risk a flare-up of the stomatitis.

      Have you talked to your vet about the drooling or bad breath? It might not be the PlaqueOff causing it. I hope you are able to find relief for your cat.

      Rochelle

  20. I live in the Middle East and rescue a lot of cats. Many have dental issues and I’m very interested in PlaqueOff. I’ve seen lots of reviews and they are mostly good, but I’ve seen a few comments that people’s pets have developed thyroid problems because of the high iodine content. I know it’s a fact that too much iodine affects thyroids–even in people–so I’m wondering if this is something to be worried about. Maybe these people were also feeding their pets food with too much iodine? Or they had an underlying thyroid problem that was unknown before taking PlaqueOff?

    Thanks for this website btw. I am anticipating coming across street cats with stomatisis and now I know how to treat it 🙂

    • Caitlin,

      There is a warning on the label for PlaqueOff that says it should not be given to cats that have hyperthyroidism because of its iodine content. I don’t know if giving too much PlaqueOff would cause a thyroid problem, but that could be possible. I hope this helps.

      Rochelle

  21. Thank you for all the info on plaqueoff, I will be buying it today! I do feel compelled to tell you what I have done extensive reading on it diets. Dry food is the worst thing you could feed a cat. Dry food will literally dehydrate a cat. Raw food it the best because it contains the the moisture your cat needs. Their natural diet is something like 80%water. If raw is something that you dont want to feed dehydrated raw is another option. If raw not raw than strictly canned is ok. You can actually add alittle water to canned to make it more hydrating. I read that the worst canned food is better than the best dry food. I have spent hours and hours reading about this and I am really pleased with the change it has made it my cat as well as my moms. My cat had very bad gas and also when he would defecate the smell was horrific. Since the diet change gas is gone and his stool had no smell at all! My mother has a very overweight cat and since the raw diet she has lost weight but more importantly she is so much more active. She used to sleep constantly and now she and her sister explore and play, the change in behavior is amazing! Just wanted to share and thanks again for all the info on Plaqueoff!

    • First off, thank you for having this site available for people to discuss this disease and share information.

      I agree about raw food being the best option for all cats but especially those with stomatitis and food sensitivities. I have been working with a cat that was diagnosed with stomatitis this past July 2019. Right away, His guardian started him on a raw food diet with some herbs and he has not had any flare ups since.

  22. My Angelina won’t eat her food with Plaque Off in it. Is it okay to just open her mouth and just give her the small amount directly in her mouth ? I did it once and it was no problem. If Plaque Off goes directly into the blood stream what does it matter how it gets there? I can’t find anywhere where this is the way to go. Is it okay to do this?

  23. I have added a forum to this site in an effort to make it easier for people to find and/or share information. I would like to invite you to take a look around and share what has worked for you (or what hasn’t), even if you’ve already shared it here. The forum will be a place where it is much easier to search for and find helpful information.

    You can visit the forum here.

    I will be posting this comment on all the pages of my site to make sure everyone who is subscribed to comments sees this, so I apologize if you get multiple copies of this message.

  24. Loved your video and information you provided. Recently had one of our cats diagnosed with stomatitis. I noticed in the pics of your kitty’s mouth that I could not see any teeth. Have you had them removed or can I just not see them from the pic? Since we are in the early stages of treating this he has received steroid shots and lysine mixed in his food. We are doing what we can to save his teeth as he is an outdoor kitty that was previously feral, but now lives on our porch. We have three indoor cats already and it is not possible to bring him inside at this time. Since he never leaves our porch it’s not a problem to give him his meds. We are now going to add the plaqueoff to his diet thanks to your info.

    • Crystal,

      What good eyes you have! Yes, we had Lily’s teeth removed. It is a last resort treatment option for cats with stomatitis and it isn’t guaranteed to help. Approximately 20% of cats continue to suffer from stomatitis after having their teeth removed, and Lily fell into this 20%. The inflammation was improved after the surgery but she still had drooling, which meant she was in too much pain to swallow her saliva.

      I started giving her Lysine and PlaqueOff after her teeth were removed and that made all the difference for her. Today she is thriving! I truly hope that the PlaqueOff works as well for your kitty as it did for Lily. If you don’t already know, it takes up to eight weeks before the PlaqueOff starts to help the stomatitis, so don’t worry if you don’t notice any improvement right away.

      Rochelle

  25. for those with finicky cats who wont take sprinkle of lysine. mix the lysine with the juice from canned tuna. not many cats can resist the smell of tuna. good luck.

  26. I read one article about a study using lactoferrin 40mg/kg (from Colostrum) having a beneficial effect in this disease. I’m doing more research on this. My cat is super finicky and would not eat the canned food when sprinkled with Plaque off. She is now diabetic and the vet won’t give her the steroid shot anymore. We are trying Atopica oral solution now(cyclosporine), but don’t know if it will do the job when the steroid wears off. She is eating lysine treats the vet gave me as samples. I will buy that as I’m afraid she won’t eat food sprinkled with lysine powder. I may bite the bullet and buy the Plaque off for cats to see if she would eat that. Thanks for the website and information.
    Fran

    • Fran,

      Please let us know what you find regarding lactoferrin and stomatitis kitties.

      As for the PlaqueOff and Lysine, have you seen the video I made about how I give these to Lily? Actually, I now give them to all five of my cats using the method I share in the video. You can see it at . That might help your cat.

      The only difference between the regular PlaqueOff and PlaqueOff for Cats is that the feline version has brewer’s yeast added to it, which cats like. If I were you I would invest in a bit of brewer’s yeast and add it to the PlaqueOff instead of paying the exorbitant cost being asked for the cat version of PlaqueOff.

      Rochelle

  27. Thank you so much for your wonderful website and sharing your trials with your dear Lily. I have a spayed female named “Batty” who has been struggling with stomatitis for about 3 years now. The vet pulled several teeth in the back of her mouth about a year ago, and after she got over the surgery she did great for almost a year, with no antibiotics or steroids. However, she all of a sudden got inflamed and starting showing her old symptoms recently, so now I am searching the web for some help once again. The vet gave me a refill on the Clindamycin antibiotic, so I will try that and then go from there. I will maybe give the Lysine and PlaqueOff a try as well. Thanks for the advice and if you can give me any other tips I would greatly appreciate!

    • Shiloh,

      The only additional advice I can think to offer is this: If you are considering starting PlaqueOff then I would do it now instead of later. It takes up to eight weeks before there is improvement so the sooner you start it the better off your cat will be if she responds positively to it.

      Please let us know what you do and how Batty does (I love that name!).

      Rochelle

  28. So far, my cat hasnt had any bleeding or drooling and my vet thinks we can get this under control. He said it is just a matter of finding what works for him and he said each patient is different. I keep my FIV cat from sharing bowls just due to the FIV but I wanted to know if I needed to be concerned about the Stomatitis too. My vet does say that the FIV is contagious, which I think those of us with an FIV cat know this much but I have read so many places that the possibility of it spreading to other household cats is very low. I am glad to see Jane’s response on that. That does help ease my mind. Thank you all so much for your quick replies!! I cant express how much it is helping me to better understand what is going on with my kitty.

  29. Hi, Cherryl.

    I have a cat who is FIV positive. He has lived with two of my cats for 10 years, sharing water and food. Neither of those two cats has contracted FIV, and my FIV cat is living a healthy life. My mother also had an FIV positive cat for many years and none of her other cats contracted it.

    My two cats with stomatitis are not FIV positive, nor have my two other cats contracted stomatitis.

    Jane

  30. I appreciate all of the information on this but I have a question about your allowing your other cats to lick the bowl after Lily. Are you sure that Lily does not have FIV? My veterinarian told me that this disease is usually found in cats with FIV and my cat was tested and has FIV. The vet said his FIV is not in deep progression, as of yet, but he does have it. I am very particular about feeding him alone and not allowing my other cats to lick his dish. And do you know if Stomatitis is contagious? I havent asked my vet because with the FIV being present, I just automatically take care not to let my other cats eat after my kitty with this issue.

    • Cherryl,

      To the best of my knowledge, Lily does not have FIV. She was tested for it and the test came back negative. I’ve never had a cat with FIV so I don’t know what precautions need to be taken with such cats. If FIV can be passed to another cat by saliva then it sounds like you are doing the right thing by preventing your other cats from licking the bowl of your FIV cat.

      As for your question about whether or not stomatitis is contagious, I’m afraid I can’t give you a definitive answer. It really depends on who you talk to. The woman who I adopted Lily from (she is a foster mom who has cared for hundreds of cats, some of which had stomatitis) is convinced that it is. If I remember correctly, she thinks that it is contagious when the stomatitis is active, meaning that a cat is drooling and/or bleeding from the disease. Lily’s stomatitis is controlled, and she hasn’t drooled or bled since early 2013.

      This is something I’ve talked to my vet about and she said, to her knowledge, it isn’t contagious. I recommend that people decide for themselves if they are willing to let healthy cats lick the bowls after stomatitis cats have eaten from them.

      Rochelle

  31. Hi Rochelle,
    PlaqueOff is wildly overpriced in any form. I just bought one pound of NaturVet Kelp Help, which is the same thing (without brewer’s yeast), for less than $10 on Amazon, including shipping. That’s more than seven times the amount of PlaqueOff’s 60-gram size at less than half the price — and the PO price doesn’t even include shipping. (My cats are fine with it, even without brewer’s yeast, which you could easily add yourself.)
    Hope that helps.
    Ilsa

    • Ilsa,

      I checked the NaturVet Kelp Help that you mentioned and see that it is not the same thing as PlaqueOff. Plaqueoff is 100% kelp in the Cat/Dog form, or mostly kelp with a bit of brewer’s yeast added in the Cat form. NaturVet Kelp Help, on the other hand, contains kelp along with a long list of other ingredients.

      It is entirely possible that it might be as helpful as PlaqueOff for treating stomatitis, but I’m not going to switch. PlaqueOff is a proven product for my cat, and I do not want to risk a return of inflammation and pain by stopping PlaqueOff and trying this one. That being said, I welcome any feedback from you or anyone else who uses NaturVet Kelp Help as to how well it works.

      Rochelle

  32. Thanks for this wonderful, insightful resource. I’ve had several cats with stomatitis. One was feral, I treated her as long as she would allow and eventually had to pts. Another was old, I tried steroids but developed diabetes, moved to cyclosporin, then finally full mouth extraction which was very successful. He passed away of old age with never another moments problem. Currently have a kitty really suffering. Started with l-lysine, depomedrol & antibiotics but they no longer work for more than 2 weeks and cause diarrhea. Have moved to l-lysine and cyclosporin but am not getting results. Just ordered the Plaque Off and am really hoping that the addition will make a difference. Otherwise will have to move to full mouth extraction 🙁 Fortunately she is only 6 years old. This is a terrible disease. Thanks for sharing your page. Very helpful!

    • Denise,

      I’m glad this site has been helpful to you. Please let us know how your cat does with the PlaqueOff. It can take up to eight weeks before the PlaqueOff shows visible improvement, so don’t worry if at first it seems like nothing is happening.

      Rochelle

  33. Hi, Rochelle,

    If you could do it all over again, would you recommend we try this before we pull our poor Oliver’s teeth out? We brought him to local shelter, and to a licensed vet dentist and both said to pull out all his teeth, the longer we wait the less chance of it working. They both said 60/40 chance. He is only 14 months old and has red gums, but does not seem to be suffering. Also the shelter, north shore animal league has no dental x-rays, and they claim to have experience with this disease and will get all teeth out…should we save over $3.000.00 dollars and trust them? (Yes the vet dentist wants just under 4000!) Any advice you could give us would be appreciated.

    Jeff and Shelley from New York

    • Hi Jeff and Shelley,

      You’ve asked if I had to do things over if I would give PlaqueOff first before resorting to having Lily’s teeth pulled. That is something I’ve wondered myself, but the honest answer is that I didn’t know about PlaqueOff until after Lily’s teeth were pulled, so I don’t know. But, I very much wonder if the PlaqueOff, as well as the Lysine, would have been enough for Lily to keep her teeth.

      My advice to you is to go with your gut. I don’t know how bad Oliver’s redness, swelling, and/or bleeding is, but you do. Be aware that it really does take up to eight weeks before you will know if the PlaqueOff works or not. Do you think your cat can tolerate two months of at the current level of stomatitis? Based on what you wrote it sounds as if the stomatitis isn’t too bad, which means it might be worth trying. I would suggest using Lysine as well, because it will help boost Oliver’s immune system.

      As for the dental x-rays, I wouldn’t trust having cat teeth pulled without them. I didn’t know how important that was until two years ago. Our cat Sasha had one tooth pulled by our previous vet, and I later found out that he doesn’t use an x-ray to make sure there are no tooth fragments left in the gums. The way I found out was because she was having health problems and our current vet did an x-ray and found several tooth fragments had been left. I saw what this did to her. Never again will I have any of our cats get tooth extractions without the after surgery x-rays.

      Are there any other dental vets you could go to, even if they are 30-60 minutes away, who do x-rays?

      On a side note, the cost sounds horrendous! Just reading it makes my stomach twist up in knots of anxiety.

      Please keep us updated on Oliver’s progress with this disease.

      Rochelle

  34. I am adding an update on my Tuxedo boy, Oreo. He is still battling the stomatitis, but thankfully my vet has done some research on it and she recommended giving him steroid injections. He had his first one the first part of May and miraculously it helped immediately. It lasted 6 weeks the first time and we just recently gave him a second shot a bit stronger this time and he is doing wonderfully! He has bright pink gums and has gained a bunch of weight and he is eating normally again! It is such a relief to see him being so happy and healthy again. Not sure how long it will last, but hopefully longer this time. I am still giving him the plaque off and lysine as an extra precaution. At least now he doesn’t have to take antibiotics any more.
    Naomi

    • Naomi,

      This is wonderful to hear!!! I’m so glad you updated us on Tuxedo. Please update us in the future, too, about how he does on the steroid injections.

      Rochelle

  35. Hi Rochelle,I have a cat named Rex that has the issue similar to what you have with Lily. He had the drooling and pain and reluctance to eat despite really wanting to eat. He had a full mouth extraction that helped somewhat but needs to have Depo-Medrol injection along with Covenia about once a month to keep the pain at bay. He is very hard to medicate and doesn’t like the vet. I have a friend help me catch him to give the injections. My vet has never mentioned the steroid cream but I plan to ask her about it as maybe it would be a lower total dose than the Depo-Medrol and perhaps decrease possible long-term side effects like Diabetes. I use Lysine for my other male cat Harry for his herpes virus infection, but it does just go down to the bottom of the bowl. I plan to give your idea of putting it in wet food a try and also plan to order the Plaque off. Will let you know if 1), I can get it into him and 2) if it helps. Really enjoyed the video and I thought your daughter did a pretty good job filming it! Thanks, Sharon

    • Sharon,

      I’ve heard that Lysine is very helpful to cats with herpes, so hopefully it will benefit Harry once you find a way to consistently get it in him. I look forward to hearing about the progress for Harry and Rex.

      Rochelle

      P.S. I will be sure to tell my daughter that you complimented her on her video filming!

  36. My all white domestic shorthair Sweetie was diagnosed with stomatitis in April 2014. 4/24 the vet gave him Cernia injection, and Depomedrol, Amoxicillin Suspension.
    April 26 we were back in the vet’s office. He lost over a pound, and was so dehydrated and in pain-he was hospitalized level 2. getting Buprenex,when he was to return home he would be administered Buprenex at home.AND Ampicillin, Famotidine. The vet thought he would have to be hospitalized for 3 days but was markedly improved in 24 hrs.. Sweetie and I went home. He was eating like a champ 24 hrs. later! His energy level is thru the roof. And for the first time ever he is playing with the cat toys I bought him a year ago. He is doing so well, and I wish to keep up his care. He does get some canned 100% pumpkin for fiber and guard against hairballs per Dayna his vet/girlfriend…He hasn’t been drooling but his breath does get rather stinky. Which is why I read reviews on the PlaqueOff link and then followed your review to your web site. I purchased the PlaqueOff for dogs and cats, and just got it yesterday [6/28/14]. I was a bit miffed as no spoon was included in the order. So watching your video answered my question of about how much to feed him. The instructions say once a day, so I am starting off with that. And I mix it with his wet food no watering it down along with half a tsp of mashed pumpkin at morning feeding. I was also feeding Sweetie Friskies as you are: he likes the pate’ and was not so crazy about the other. And he started upchucking a few times a week in the last 2 wks and I thought maybe it was a stomatitis flareup -I took off work and took him back to the vet’s. No flareup of the big S! Yay! I received some anti nausea tabs for his stomach whew!
    So I have changed his diet as of last week. Fussy Cat aspic: tuna and small anchovies? He attacked it like crazy. Tuna and mussels? heck ya! So I am keeping with the Fussy Cat. The other product I am trying is Dave’s 95%. It is 95% meat and natural flavor. No more puking. Not saying anything against Friskies but I see it does have rice in it, maybe his stomach is too sensitive. I got both Fussy Cat & Dave’s at TailSpin. He likes Dave’s 95%, but reeeally likes Fussy Cat. And he does get Orijen Regional Red dry cat food. He likes Orijen Six Fish better and will be getting that one again once I finish this bag. He gets an eighth of a cup to browse on while I’m at work. All his food is holistic having no corn, wheat, soy or potatoes. And I’m naming them so anyone may go online and look them up to see if it may be beneficial to your fur babies. I know this is long, but thank you for your site,Rochelle, you help a lot of people and give us a forum to share information. P.S. Sweetie has his teeth.
    And Tailspin’s owners went into business because his dogs have alergies and it was hard getting products for them. So even though Petsmart is across the street from Tailspin, I choose Tailspin because they get it~~ and use holistic products and such geared to pets with issues.

    • Elinor,

      Thank you for your very detailed post! This is sure to help people who have finicky cats. I’m blessed that Lily so far eats whatever I give her. Heaven help me if she ever decides to turn up her nose at the Friskies since I’m now giving this combination to all my cats.

      It sounds like Sweetie found the perfect mom 🙂

      Rochelle

  37. Hi, Karla.

    If he is an indoor only cat, don’t be afraid to have Aquiles’ teeth removed. I now have two cats without their teeth and they do not know they are missing them. They still eat grass, eat dry food and bite at me and each other while playing. Ting Tu purrs a lot more since having his teeth removed. I was reluctant at first, too, but the difference in Ting Tu’s joy of life was incredible. I had no idea he had been in so much pain.

  38. Rochelle,
    I’m so happy for finding your website. I have 2 cats, Aquiles and Rubi. I’m from Mexico, my cats were living there until last year when I brought them to the US on September 2013.
    I realized that my Aquiles had very bad breath and took him to the vet. The vet told me he had gingivitis. He had dental cleaning on October but by January the stinky breath came back with some yellowish drooling. I took him to another animal clinic and the vet there told me he had stomatitis. She did another dental cleaning on February and gave him shots of steroids and antibiotics. He was fine for 2 months until I realized he was swallowing too much and eating less than normal, but still eating with no significant weight loss. The vet explained me that stomatitis is a for life disease and told me about the option of teeth removal. Another option is trying to put stomatitis in remission under steroids treatment. She gave him another shot a week ago.
    I don’t love the idea of removing his teeth, it freaks me out!. Reading all the cases in your website I think Aquiles is not doing as bad as other poor kitties so now I’m hopeful that a good treatment will give him a happy and pain free life.
    I’ll discuss with the vet about the side effects of steroids (related to diabetes) and see if we can go with the lowest dosage possible.
    I really appreciate your recommendations about Plaque Off and Lysine. I already ordered both at Amazon. I will try Plaque Off for cats and dogs (due to cost restrictions). I enjoyed your video showing how you use both supplements in Lily’s food, by the way, my cats eat Friskies as well but they love the shreds =)
    Thanks you very much for sharing your experience with us!!

    • Karla,

      You are very welcome! I’m glad the information and video were helpful to you.

      Please come back and let us know how your cats respond to the Lysine and PlaqueOff. Hopefully your cats will do as well as Lily.

      Rochelle

  39. My tuxedo cat, Oreo has been dealing with this problem for a couple years now. I had all his teeth removed and at first that seemed to take care of the problem. Then it came back, we have been using antibiotics to keep him going, but it only lasts for a few days and it comes back again. I am going to ask my vet about these products and will give them a try. He eats, but only when he feels better and its hard for him so he has lost weight and his coat is rough looking. He is about 12 years old, so I don’t expect he has too many years left, he didn’t have this problem till he was about 9. I am glad I found your site as I didn’t even know what to call his problem and he fits it to a tee. I will keep track of your site and hope these things can help him. He is so sweet I hate to see him in pain.
    Naomi

    • Naomi,

      What you described with Oreo sounds like classic behavior for a cat with stomatitis. Please come back and let us know how Oreo is doing, and what treatments you did for her.

      Much luck to you and Oreo.

      Rochelle

  40. Thank you so much for this wonderful website. I too have just found out my sweet calico has stomatitis. And just as we all do, I searched the internet to see what in the world the vet was talking about. I have had cats my whole life and I’ve never heard of this before. I am so thankful for finding your website. It has helped me feel more in control of her treatment than the vets recommendation of simply removing all her teeth. I am glad to hear there are other options that I can try first.
    Thanks again for the good work and God bless you.

    • Terressa,

      I’m so glad this has been helpful to you.

      I don’t know if this is what happened, but if your vet’s first reaction is to pull all the teeth then you might want to get a second opinion from another vet. There are several treatment options that can be tried before going to the extreme of pulling the teeth.

      Much luck to you and your calico in dealing with this horrid disease.

      Rochelle

  41. I’m not sure where you buy your L-Lysine; I buy 1# tubs through Nutrobio.com for $12.95 (I buy ten at a time for my rescue.) It’s human grade so even we can take it.

  42. Try the amazon uk 60g plaque off for cats £3.40 not sure what it is in dollars. But it’s the cheapest I have found today

  43. I have a question about the use of Plaque off. Those of you using it have your cats already had their teeth pulled. My cat has had all but three off his Canines pulled. Is is worth using it along side the Lysine if that is the case? We are living on antibiotics, prednisolone, and Buprenex. We have finished two rounds of the above, now trying the L-Lysine. Was just wondering since its for plaque and he barely has teeth will it help with the inflammation to the gums and potentially avoid plaque issues on the few remaining teeth.

    • Joe,

      Yes, you absolutely can use PlaqueOff on cats without teeth. My cat Lily had all her teeth removed, including the canines, and that wasn’t enough. Her stomatitis improved slightly, but she was still in pain, drooling blood, and was on Buprenex.

      Lily had her teeth removed in May of 2012, and I started giving her PlaqueOff in February of 2013. I had bought a new batch of Buprenex right before starting the PlaqueOff, and I still have it in my cupboard. The last time I gave her Buprenex was right at the beginning of giving her PlaqueOff, before the PlaqueOff had worked its magic (it takes up to 8 weeks for PlaqueOff to make a difference).

      I honestly believe that PlaqueOff saved Lily’s life, or, at the very least, gave her back a life without pain.

      I hope this helps.

      Rochelle

  44. I checked the bottle of PlaqueOff that I got from my vet. It is PlaqueOff Animal, for dogs and cats. Just has the seaweed, no brewer’s yeast. ProDen precedes PlaqueOff on the label, but elsewhere it says it is manufactured in Sweden. It is distributed by a company in California http://www.International-Dental.com. The cost is a little less than what I pay my vet, even with shipping.

    • Jane,

      Yes, ProDen is the maker of PlaqueOff, and they are located in Sweden. You are also correct that there is a distributor in California. One person wrote me and said that she is buying it directly from the California distributor. Typically, vets charge a bit more for things like this, so some are willing to offer them at cost in special circumstances.

      Rochelle

  45. I buy PlaqueOff from my vet in Scottsdale Arizona. I will check the bottle and return with more information about it. It has worked well on one cat, but not another (although neither has been diagnosed with stomatitis).

    Ting Tu, an oriental shorthair was always needing his teeth cleaned, but always seemed to feel worse after it was done. I found a new vet through a petsitting client of mine who correctly diagnosed stomatitis. He recommended all the teeth taken out by a specialist. It was costly, but Ting Tu became a new cat. He doesn’t know he doesn’t have teeth (he still chews on grass and eats dry food, along with his wet food). He purrs more now than ever and is much more playful. I didn’t realize how much pain he must have been in all his life until the correct diagnosis and then removal of his teeth.

    If PlaqueOff and Lysine don’t work, please don’t hesitate to have the cat’s teeth removed. I waited much too long.

  46. Thank you so much for your compassionate and helpful website, Rochelle. You’re a kitty angel. In October 2013, I adopted Ansal, a 6-month old neutered tabby manx rescue kitty. I took him to the vet right away for a checkup as recommended by the rescue. Vet noticed Ansal’s red gums, said the most likely cause was food allergy or leukemia. He gave Ansal a leukemia vaccination and I switched to Blue Buffalo Kitten dry food. At the followup appointment, vet gave him another leukemia booster and brought up possibility of stomatitis. He gave Ansal a Depomedrol shot to help diagnose, said to call in a week to report improvement or not. I jumped on Google, found your site, ordered lysine and Plaque Off (the dogs and cats variety) from Amazon. Per other comments, examining a cat’s mouth is difficult, but suspected some improvement. Fortunately, Ansal’s symptoms aren’t as severe as shown in some photos. He likes his lysine on a small amount of dry food with very little warm water added. I have been sprinkling Plaque Off on his dry food, but it does sift down to the bottom of the dish. After watching your video today, I will use the warm water method for both supplements. As Ansal grows, I’m gradually transitioning to dry grain free Simply Nourish Source Adult. Any improvement due to food change will take more time. I’m still hoping that food allergy rather than stomatitis is the culprit, but will assume the worst and continue using lysine and Plaque Off. Thank you for your wonderful help!

    • Jan,

      I am keeping my fingers crossed that Ansal is dealing with food allergies and not stomatitis.

      My vet discussed the possibility of Lily having food allergies, but feeding her special food was not something I was willing to take on. We have four other cats and I had tried individual feedings once before but it proved much too difficult to continue, so I’ll never know if that was part of the problem with Lily.

      Blue Buffalo has an excellent reputation. I’ve used one of their litters (a walnut shell litter than is amazing!) but not their food. Simply Nourish is new to me, so I have no knowledge at all about that brand/company.

      Please keep us posted in the coming months as to how Ansal does with the new food, PlaqueOff, and Lysine.

      Rochelle

  47. Thank you Rochelle for the video. Your Lily is a dilute torti just like my Molly who has the stomatitis. We have had to give her pain meds as she had another flare up and is back again on steroids, antibiotics as well. It is so hurtful for her to eat, but the pain meds are starting to take effect and she’s starting to eat better. Tried the canned food tonight – she took a couple of bites then walked away so right now I can’t rely on sprinkling the PlaqueOff and Lysine on her food but will as soon as she’s eating better, but my problem still is she is not a big canned food eater – this makes it soooo difficult for powdered supplements,etc.

  48. Thank you for the information about Lysine and PlaqueOff for stomatitis in cats. I have this problem and have been giving my cat antibiotics and steroids. She seemed well but it came back a couple of weeks later. My problem is she is afraid to eat because it hurts! I have to coax her to eat anything, therefore, cannot put these products in her food. I am going to inquire about the pain med you mentioned. Also, I had never heard about a steroid cream rubbed in the ear. I am going to mention these two items to my vet. But still, the powdered products are no help if she won’t eat all the food. My vet is also wants to avoid pulling teeth. I’d appreciate any help you can give.

    • I totally understand your situation. Lily went through this, too, where it hurt to eat.

      The steroid cream is called Prednisolone. It is something that we have been giving to Lily for well over a year. It helps with the inflammation, and the combination of the Prednisolone, Lysine, and PlaqueOff has been life changing for Lily. It took a while for our vet to get the right dosage of the Prednisolone, so if your vet decides to use it, know that you may need to make adjustments to the dose before you find the right balance for your cat.

      If you try the Lysine and PlaqueOff, be aware that they will not provide immediate results, especially if your cat is badly affected by stomatitis. It took a good month before Lily showed any signs of improvement with the PlaqueOff, and another month before she really improved.

      Last night I made a video of how I give the Lysine and PlaqueOff to Lily, and I will add it to the site some time today. That might help you in giving these two items (or any other powdered supplements) to your cat.

      Rochelle

  49. Thank you! My poor Sam has been diagnosed with stomatitis and the vet recommended pulling his teeth. I am willing to try this first. He will not tolerate brushing or putting anything on his teeth and he upends the water bowl with the additive in it! Not terribly compliant, my furry friend. I will place my orders today and keep you posted! Thank you for sharing

  50. Hi Jody,

    I am SO sorry for the delay in approving your comments and responding to them. School got out just before you wrote and I have been busy with my children since then for the summer, which is the reason for my delay.

    I completely understand your comment about sobbing when you were told that Ruby’s teeth should be pulled. I cried quite a bit, too, when Lily was given that prognosis.

    You have done quite a few more things for Ruby than I did for Lily. I hope that you are able to share here how Ruby has done with them. These are not options for me, but they may be for people who visit this site.

    How is Ruby doing now that she has been on PlaqueOff for a few months? It was miraculous for Lily. A few weeks ago she actually started giving us kisses, something she never did before because using her tongue in any way was painful to her.

    You asked about the proper dosage for Lysine. The Lysine that I buy (which is the one that I link to in this site and will soon write a review of) include a spoon in the container. I don’t honestly know how much it is, but I give Lily a spoonful in the morning and at night.

    I know for a fact that Lysine makes a difference for Lily because a few months ago I ordered more and the company sent me the wrong product. It took about two weeks for me to get the Lysine, and we ran out during that time. Lily backslid and her stomatitis got worse during that time. It is not something I would have done intentionally, but it is how I know now that Lysine is important to keeping Lily healthy.

    I am also happy to report that Lily is as healthy as she has probably ever been because of the PlaqueOff. As of this writing Lily has been on PlaqueOff for six months. The swelling and redness is almost completely gone. She is now playing with toys by catching them in her mouth, and has caught three lizards this past week alone, which tells me that her mouth feels much better.

  51. I too stumbled across your blog at a perfect time. About 2 1/2 years ago we adopted the love of my life, our tabby cat Ruby. N one at the rescue was quite sure about her rough start to life, but we adopted her because she was the sweetest little thing. Her story is a long one as far as her diagnosis, the first vet we went to, I thought for her first shots, opened her mouth, said “she has a disease there is no cure for and will have to haver her teeth removed”. I sobbed on the drive home and continued to cry for 3 days as I was lying under the bed with her and apologizing to her for her suffering. It was AWFUL. He also at that appointment, vaccinated her, gave her a painkiller and put her on steroids, all before I knew what was happening.
    Immediately I knew I would not be returning to that vet. The second vet we went to was fine, although had no understanding of what to do, she basically said, try some lyseine. That was it. Soon after we went to that vet, Ruby developed a condition on her ears, and I was begging for a culture of it. That vet insisted it was allergies- so she kept her on the steroid. This went on for 4 months every time we tried to wean her off the steroid the ears flared up. Finally she said “I’m not sure what to do, you can take her to the dermatology vet or the holistic vet”.
    Kind of a no brainer. Since I knew this was tied to a systemic issue we went to the holistic vet.
    We bagan seeing him in August of 2012, the first thing he did was culture the ear- yes, it came back as ringworm, but the problem was now since her immune system was already compromised, she had a hard time weaning off the pred.
    her body did not know how to produce the proper corticosteroids without flaring up. Finally as of Feb 2013, she is off.
    About the stomatitits, Ruby never displays any signs outwardly- she eats- she s on a raw diet only. She grooms constantly and plays.
    She take, probiotics, omega 3 oil, and 2 supplements for Standard Process- Feline Immune and Feline Enteric.
    We tried to brush her teeth- not so easy, I think it irritated her gums even more, so we have stopped that.
    She gets acupuncture and chiropractic.
    Tomorrow we go to have cold laser therapy for her gums and she is getting some chinese herbs to calm the inflammation.
    After reading your blog, I ordered some Plaque Off and hoping that will help too.

    It has been such a hard, scary, sad thing to have a little one with this condition. Your blog is the first one I have come across since this whole journey started that was not doom and gloom. I have been on anti anxiety medication sine she was diagnosed. I pray every day that we get this right, and luckily I have a vet who is also determined.

    I would love to talk with you, just some support would be appreciated. I try to stay calm around her- because as you well know, cats are very intuitive.

    So, thank you, thank you for sharing your story, it gives hope.
    Also, what is the dosage you give for lysine?

    Thank you,
    Jodie

  52. You are definitely my kitty Flame’s Guardian Angel. Thank you so much for all the information you have on your site Our kitty was just diagnosed with Stomatitis this afternoon. When my husband told me, I immediately looked it up on Google. I was in tears when I read how terrible the pain is. We have 2 cats. Flame and Monet. Monet is a sweet little girl Calico. She is playful, friendly, oh so pretty and loves to give love and be loved.
    Flame has never been very playful, but he’s got a sweet nature and loves to lay on his dad’s lap.

    You are a great inspiration to me and I’m so pleased I stumbled on your site. I love the way you are so detailed in your telling of Lily’s story. I will go Online tonight and buy both products you mentioned. Do the supplements tell you how much to give the cat? It takes my husband about 20 minutes to chase Flame down to give him the antibiotics. He also gave him the pain med tonight hoping he will get a good night’s sleep. This has been a nightmare and I feel so guilty because I can’t help. I’m in a wheelchair and if I stood up to help Bill, I’d fall. Then we double our problem because I have arthritis in my knees and I can’t get myself up. My husband has back problems and can’t lift me. This requires a call to the Fire Fighters to get me up. I have lost 31 pounds since 9/01/13. Tonight I committed a major sin when a neighbor came over with a chocolate and a caramel sundae. I told myself I deserved it since I’d been through a lot of stress today. Agree?

    Once again I love you for turning up in my life when I needed you the most.

    Thank you again. needed nnnn

    • Marilyn,

      Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂

      Re: Dosage for supplements. If you buy the brands that I have listed here on the site for both Lysine and PlaqueOff (there is only one PlaqueOff, but there are several brands of Lysine), then you do not need to worry. Both of these come with dosage spoons so you know exactly how much to give Flame.

      What format are Flame’s antibiotics, and how does your husband have to administer them? If they are liquid, I would try mixing it with wet food. That can be dicey, though, if your cat doesn’t eat it and then the dose is wasted. Or, suggest to your husband that you give it orally (squirt it in the mouth), then reward Flame with a kitty treat of some type. Do this consistently so he learns that he will be rewarded for taking his medicine. This is what I do with Lily. Each morning and night I have to rub steroid cream in her ear, then I reward her with a small amount of watered-down wet food that also has the Lysine and PlaqueOff in it.

      You certainly would not want to injure yourself in the process. And, yes, I agree that you earned the chocolate and caramel sundae 😉

      Rochelle