Lysine for cats? Cosequin for cats?

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Kathryn & Nugget

Kathryn & Nugget

Member Since 2018
Today my vet recommended I try cosequin for Nugget, as she is having some slight tremors in her front legs when she stands for long periods of time. He said it could be joint/arthritis related, and suggested going on Amazon and ordering the "sprinkle" kind to add to her wet food. Anyone have a recommendation of a brand, how often to give, etc.?

A friend of mine also recommended I try lysine- her cat (not diabetic) gets a lot of respiratory infections (feline herpes) and she says giving the powdered form of lysine seems to have made a difference in her kitty. Does anyone do this for their diabetic cats?

I have to order more AT test strips (I should probably start buying stock in their company), so I figured if anyone else could vouch for cosequin and lysine I would add that to my order.

Hope everyone's week went well, and that your weekend ahead is relaxing!

Thanks,
Kathryn & Nugget
 
never used it with my diabetic cat yet but, do use the l-lysine (pump paste version) for my old man (our oldest cat) who started getting regular URI's last year and i didn't want to keep giving him antibiotcs every other month so i tried the l-lysine, he has not gotten an URI or any running eyes/sneezing episodes since but, if i slack at remembering to give it to him for too many days in a row, i get a great big sneeze in my face to remind me thats for sure. the stuff works great!

i do recall the powder form is best for diabetics but, you have to use the 'pure' powder one, all the pet l-lysine powder versions i saw contain added things like yeast and whey, etc.. Check her BG more often (if you don't already) after you start using it because i read some say it drop their cat's BG.
 
Kathryn & Nugget said:
Today my vet recommended I try cosequin for Nugget, as she is having some slight tremors in her front legs when she stands for long periods of time. He said it could be joint/arthritis related, and suggested going on Amazon and ordering the "sprinkle" kind to add to her wet food. Anyone have a recommendation of a brand, how often to give, etc.?

A friend of mine also recommended I try lysine- her cat (not diabetic) gets a lot of respiratory infections (feline herpes) and she says giving the powdered form of lysine seems to have made a difference in her kitty. Does anyone do this for their diabetic cats?

I have to order more AT test strips (I should probably start buying stock in their company), so I figured if anyone else could vouch for cosequin and lysine I would add that to my order.

Hope everyone's week went well, and that your weekend ahead is relaxing!

Thanks,
Kathryn & Nugget
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Kathryn & Nugget said:
Today my vet recommended I try cosequin for Nugget, as she is having some slight tremors in her front legs when she stands for long periods of time. He said it could be joint/arthritis related, and suggested going on Amazon and ordering the "sprinkle" kind to add to her wet food. Anyone have a recommendation of a brand, how often to give, etc.?

A friend of mine also recommended I try lysine- her cat (not diabetic) gets a lot of respiratory infections (feline herpes) and she says giving the powdered form of lysine seems to have made a difference in her kitty. Does anyone do this for their diabetic cats?

I have to order more AT test strips (I should probably start buying stock in their company), so I figured if anyone else could vouch for cosequin and lysine I would add that to my order.

Hope everyone's week went well, and that your weekend ahead is relaxing!

Thanks,
Kathryn & Nugget
Click to expand...

Yes, my vet recommended Lysine for my diabetic cat. I ordered from amazon the NOW brand of 500 mg of lysine in capsule form. I separate & mix in with his
wet food. I also give it to his brother, who is not diabetic.

Good Luck!
 
Sylvie said:
never used it with my diabetic cat yet but, do use the l-lysine (pump paste version) for my old man (our oldest cat) who started getting regular URI's last year and i didn't want to keep giving him antibiotcs every other month so i tried the l-lysine, he has not gotten an URI or any running eyes/sneezing episodes since but, if i slack at remembering to give it to him for too many days in a row, i get a great big sneeze in my face to remind me thats for sure. the stuff works great!

i do recall the powder form is best for diabetics but, you have to use the 'pure' powder one, all the pet l-lysine powder versions i saw contain added things like yeast and whey, etc.. Check her BG more often (if you don't already) after you start using it because i read some say it drop their cat's BG.
Click to expand...
Good to know- I ordered 100% pure lysine powder. I typically check her BG every 12 hours, and some random spot checks in between. I'll be sure to keep an extra close eye.
 
minxkohl&mush said:
Yes, my vet recommended Lysine for my diabetic cat. I ordered from amazon the NOW brand of 500 mg of lysine in capsule form. I separate & mix in with his
wet food. I also give it to his brother, who is not diabetic.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...
I will have to check how much a dose is on the lysine I ordered- it is a big tub of powdered lysine. The description on Amazon said it comes with a measured scooper, but who knows how much that actually is!
 
A vet told me to use Viralys (lysine) for Willow (also a calico), my non-diabetic, but it had no impact at all on her. From what I understand, it will only help if the source of the issues is herpes. It is apparently fairly common for cats to have that, so it helps with a lot of them, but if herpes is not the source of the issues, it will not help. Willow has allergies that cause her symptoms; I have had many of the sneezes in the face. :eek: I have found that giving her 1/2 a 10mg Zyrtec tablet each day helps.. and gives her more of an appetite, which is great. So, if the lysine does not work for you, maybe try that.
 
Kathryn & Nugget said:
I will have to check how much a dose is on the lysine I ordered- it is a big tub of powdered lysine. The description on Amazon said it comes with a measured scooper, but who knows how much that actually is!
Click to expand...
When I ordered from amazon, i ordered the 500mg capsules, 250 capsules in each bottle. Just twist & mix!. Was told to give 250 mg. (1/2 capsule) for maintenance & to give
500 mg. if there was a flare up of his herpes. I give to both my diabetic & civie! I split the capsule between each cat! Hope this helps
 
FurBabiesMama said:
A vet told me to use Viralys (lysine) for Willow (also a calico), my non-diabetic, but it had no impact at all on her. From what I understand, it will only help if the source of the issues is herpes. It is apparently fairly common for cats to have that, so it helps with a lot of them, but if herpes is not the source of the issues, it will not help. Willow has allergies that cause her symptoms; I have had many of the sneezes in the face. :eek: I have found that giving her 1/2 a 10mg Zyrtec tablet each day helps.. and gives her more of an appetite, which is great. So, if the lysine does not work for you, maybe try that.
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The vet seemed to think this was the herpes virus, so I really, really hope this helps. It is so hard to see her not regular furry self. If it doesn't I will try the Zyrtec. I take that myself so I already have it in the house.... and if it improves her appetite, even better! Thanks for the suggestion.
 
I would be sure to keep a very close eye on Nugget with Lysine. We tried it with Candi when she had a mouth ulcer and drinked a bowl of water everytime we turned around. I was so glad to see the water flush it out of her body. I liked the Epic Health Line. We got the Epic Health Repair and that made a difference. She still had to get an antibiotic shot to help finish getting her over it but since then we have been ulcer free but also no more plastic containers either for her food. Never could figure that one out.
 
I mixed the lysine and the cosequin into her wet food today, and gave her the appetite stimulant to make sure she eats... she's not actively avoiding the food, so she must not taste the lysine or cosequin, but the appetite stimulant is not working so well. I wish I could get more food into her, she is just losing so much weight!
 
The newest research says lysine doesn’t work. I did try it for Max though as I figured it couldn’t hurt. Not sure it did anything.
 
Kathryn & Nugget said:
why on earth would my vet recommend it???
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I really think that a lot them automatically recommend it for every cat that has sniffles. I did try it when a vet (not our current vet) recommended it, and I just did not see any results. I had read/heard that it did help if the source was herpes, but according to these articles, maybe not!
 
Kathryn & Nugget said:
YIKES! That study is frightening in what lysine can do to a cat... why on earth would my vet recommend it??? Scary!!!
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i question studies that one, have no links to the original studies/etc so you can see it for yourself and see who funded those studies, and two, that tells you a 'non-prescription' product that doesn't require vet visits or paying an arm and a leg for doesn't work. why do you have all of them commenters who are using it saying otherwise, i have seen no ill effects of using it (blood work was normal in all areas last vet visit) and have seen for myself that it does work for our old cat, even works for our teary eye girl quickly when i give it to her on occasion.. do i believe it stops an active full blown infection itself, no but, it does help greatly at preventing them from becoming one in the first place and just like with humans meds or supplements, it may not work for all cats.
 
We use Cosequin for arthritis flares... in addition to kitty massage and therapeautic heat. I sprinkle a capsule in first breakfast. As it is a supplement, can take 4-6 weeks before seeing marked improvement. Got it from the local Pet Store, no prescription needed.
 
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