Is it safe to give L-Lysine to a nursing kitten I bottle feed?

I would recommend checking with his vet for confirmation that he needs the lysine supplement at all. However, I'm not aware of any drug interactions. There are lysine treats that he might like, I'm not sure what the powder tastes like.

I would have to respectfully disagree with that statement. I have used Lysine for years and many cats have improved with it. The limitations are that it probably only works for Herpes infection (not other upper respiratory viruses in cats, and we don't often do testing to know for sure that it is Herpes virus causing the clinical signs), and it only works to slow down the replication of the virus (not eliminate the infection). I have attached 2 handouts below which discuss using Lysine in feline Herpes virus. (The first one discusses how Lysine works.) https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1327 https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=613 I hope that answers your question and was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Historically, Lysine has been encouraged to be used among cats, especially those that tend to have upper respiratory flare ups due to underlying viral disease. Lysine was thought to be an immune-booster and thought to help prevent these flare ups from occurring or reduce the symptoms when they did. Majority of evidence that exists supporting this is anecdotal, with those in the scientific community more on the fence about its effectiveness. We know quite surely it isn’t causing any harm in most product formulations. Bottom line is that the majority of cats function and live long healthy lives with or without Lysine. Proper diet and exercise are all that should be needed to obtain the nutrients necessary to thrive.

Yes you can use human grade lysine for cats, but getting a cat specific one is easier in terms of getting Nabat to take them because they are flavored. If you use a human grade one, you can cut a 500mg pill in half and mix it in with her food twice a day. For the cat ones, Enisyl and Viralys are both good brands, and can be purchased over the counter without a prescription - just follow the dosing instructions on the label based on your cat's weight.

It is if there is a potential for viral involvement! It certainly won’t hurt at least. Most upper respiratory infections may need an oral antibiotics as well. You can try a 1/2 teaspoon of children’s Benadryl as well twice a day which may help. If he isn’t improving, lethargic, or loses his appetite, I would have your vet take a look at him. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If the kittens are 11-12 weeks old, they shouldn't still be nursing. They are old enough to be on solid kitten food now. Either way, amoxicillin is not toxic to young kittens. Kisses to Susan!

It depends if Lilly is still feeding the kittens. When prescribing antibiotics to a pregnant or lactating cat it is very important to be aware of the potential side- effect that the antibiotic may have on the kittens. Metronidazole is transmitted into mum's milk therefore is generally not recommended for lacating cats. However, there are some occasions when the benefit for the mum is higher then the risk for the kittens. Please, get in touch with your vet to discuss why Lilly was prescibed this antibiotic. If Lilly is not feeding the kittens anymore, obviously she will be ok to take a course of metronidazole.