Can anyone give me contact info for a lab

Hi. Can you help me? I am a lawyer and pet owner (I am on long-term disability right now but still have my practicing certificate). Due to finances and lack of necessity at this point, I do not want a legal report - just the answers to my questions as briefly as possible. I am concerned about 2 nutracutical products. There may be no problems or issues at all but I want more information and I want a laboratory analysis.

My cat was suspected of having herpes in her eye. She was put on a product called Viralys sold to vet clinics by Vet Solutions. Great product (2 days of diarrhea that cleared up). Manufactured for Vet Solutions - marketed by Nor-Vet Supplies, Mississauga, Ontario. There was another similar product called Enisyl-F by Vetoquinol. (in Que.)-made in Canada (then). Worked but not quite as good as gave my cat diarrhea which looked like it might clear up after a couple of weeks or so.

As I understand it, Vetoquinol bought out Vet Solutions. Vetoquinol is a pharmaceutical company. Vet Solutions was not. Their website seems to not be working anymore.

Viralys and Enisyl-F could be called natural foods as they are l-lysine products that claim to control herpes virus in cats' eyes. It is really one of the few treatments available to control the condition. I saw a specialist vet at the West Coast Veterinary Eye Specialists' clinic on East Columbia in New West.

Suddenly everyone was out of both Viralys and Enisyl-F except a powdered version. I needed it and took matters into my own hands and searched the internet. I got both "new" products made for Vetoquinol. It cannot be sold in Canada yet because there are some hoops that Vetoquinol has to jump through to satisfy the Canadian government, although they have been selling Enisyl-F for some time in Canada - old version was in a syringe - new version in a bottle. But they cannot sell it up here. Interesting that they could sell it before. Viralys is still in a tube. I got it from Florida - interestingly the tubes I got from Florida say "distributed in Canada" so I got products Vetoquinol intended to be sold in Canada.

My cat did wonderfully on Vet Solutions' Viralys. Despite my recollection of the local rep for Vetoquinol claiming it will be the same, it isn't - my cat cannot take it - it makes her throw up - every time which could result in loss of weight and other problems.

I have now tried the new Enisyl-F. I suspect it is no longer made in Canada as it does not say where it was made anymore. It is now sold in a bottle rather than a syringe. Doesn't it make you suspicious when the place of manufacture is removed?

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I need a lab, hopefully in Canada and BC would be best - I need them to analyze the old and new Viralys and the old and new Enisyl-F and answer the following questions:

- are the old and new version of each identical - so is Vet Solutions' product identical in every way to Vetoquinol's "new" version of Viralys? Given the apparent effect of my cat, I doubt it.

- what are the ingredients in the old and new versions of each - is it as claimed on the containers? - my cat got diarrhea from the old version of Enisyl-F and she throws up on the new version of Viralys and the new version of Enisyl-F - and that is with cutting the dose in half.

- can the lab obtain information about where these products were and are made, the source of the products before and now (I hope not China), what are these government hoops holding up the distribution of Viralys previously made for Vet Solutions and Enisyl-F when they were already selling Enisyl-F for some time in Canada (although I suspect that it is now made in the U.S. and no longer Canada).

- can the lab make any safety comments on any of the products.

If I had to, I could probably do a Freedom of Information application to the various government agencies involved but I wouldn't know whom to direct my Freedom of Information application to (if anyone knows, please tell me) - if a lab could easily get the info, that would be the best because they could obtain exactly what they wanted. If I did it as an individual, it would probably take forever and it might be faste if a lab did it.

What I have is:

3 whole syringes of the old Enisyl-F unused obtained from an Abbotsford vet clinic - all they had left - they had 4 and I used most of one - but my cat got diarrhea which seemed to be improving.

New Enisyl-F - many bottles unused.

New Viralys from Vetoquinol - about 9 tubes

My last tube of Vet Solutions' Viralys. I don't know how much a lab would need of it to analyze. There is some on top when you take the cap off the tube and I'm sure there is a bit remaining inside.

I tried the new Enisyl-F 1/2 dose and guess what happened? She threw up.

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Can anyone help? One lab responded that they don't do that kind of work - that he could give me some names but expected I would get the same answer. So who is testing the food and supplements we give our pets? Menu Foods? Now that's a scary thought. I've email the University in Guelf and still need to hear from them. I know the going rates for various types of legal reports as I do personal injury work but I don't want anything that detailed - the info about the products and if they differ - also if Viralys and Enisyl-F old and new differ insofar as ingredients - I know the tubes, etc list ingredients - whether accurate, I do not know. Something about them appears to be making my cat ill. Is there anything harmful in them?

I don't want something that looks like a formal legal engineering report - just the facts after and analysis. Obviously, litigation in these situations is always a possibility. I am simply hoping they bring back the old Viralys and Enisyl-F if they are safe.

If anyone can give me the contact info for some labs, even if they are in the U.S., can you provide that info to me.

There may be nothing toxic or dangerous in either old or new product but they just changed something that my cat is sensitive to. But I want to know what that is.

I WANT TO PREVENT ANYTHING SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR WITH THE CONTAMINATED PET FOOD.

Thanks. I am a big animal lover and don't want anything to happen to my cat or anyone else's animals.

It strikes me so odd that Vetoqinal in Quebec sold to vets Enisyl-F in syringes for I believe years and now they are not permitted yet to sell allegedly the same product by the government. Why? Why has the location of production of one of the products been removed from the packaging. Before it said "made in Canada".

I seem to recall the local rep for Vetoquinal saying they new Viralys will be identical to the old. Well, it appears it is not because I have a sick cat every day I use their "new" version.

Maybe I am paranoid but I need this product for my cat and I cannot use it if she keeps throwing up her food after I use it. It may be that Vetoquinal has manufactured wonderful products and it is just coincidence that my cat can't take them. I just want some evidence.

Vetopuinol may be a great company - I just don't have any information except for what I see happening to my cat and what the packaging says.

Here is Vetoquinol's new Quebec website link:

http://www.vetoquinol.ca/en/index.asp?section=31

The local rep for Vetoquinal in the Abbotsford area of BC is Melanie and her telephone no. is 778-231-1263.

Thanks everyone.

Janice

i have no answers for you as to a lab i live in the USA and have no clue

But I give my cats and have done so for years regular lysine at the appropiato dose mixed with some favorite food and that seems to have been very effective in preventing herpes outbreaks

ANy thing you can do to boost the immune sytems trough diet is a gret help too

I don't blame you for being paranoid, if something was making my kitty sick, I would be too. I don't know of any labs, sorry. Isn't there also a vet school in Saskatoon that you can contact if you don't hear from U of Guelph?

Thanks all. I've also called the British Columbia rep. There are just too many strange things about this. Maybe it's all explainable. My vet suggested the Animal Health Lab near me in Abbotsford so I've left a voicemail for them.

To be safe, I've taken my kitty to the vet. She will be x-rayed, have bloodwork and possibly ultrasound (glad I have Pet Plan insurance). She got sick today and the last time I gave her Enysil-F was the morning of May 6 so she was getting sick over 24 hours after getting Enysil-F.

Maybe I am paranoid.

Jim - how did you figure out the dosage of L-lysine? I can buy it at the grocery store for humans in a capsule. How do you get around your cat knowing that there is a foreign substance in the food? They seem awfully smart about that.

Jim - how did you figure out the dosage of L-lysine? I can buy it at the grocery store for humans in a capsule. How do you get around your cat knowing that there is a foreign substance in the food? They seem awfully smart about that.

Not Jim, but the standard feline dosage of Lysine is 250mg twice a day. I don't think most cats can taste (or more importantly, smell) it in their food, but if you're worried about it, start much smaller and work up. You can also mix it in with a super tasty treat like plain chicken baby food (no onions).

Thanks for the dosage, Sugarcatmom.

I seem to have rattled a few chains with my concerns about the Viralys and Enisyl-F - actually both are made in Canada. The day I started giving my cat the ones made in Canada - the "new" versions I call them, my cat started throwing up. So I emailed I think the president of marketing at the Quebec office. I got a call from the British Columbia rep - a voicemail. I left her 3 voicemails and never got a call back. Instead today I got a call from a woman who works for the company I discovered was a doctor. I got the impression she was quite nervous. She wanted me to send her what I fed my cat - so the 2 tube (Viralys) and the bottle (Enisyl-F) - Vet Solutions had made the Viralys before and this company, Vetoquinol, made Enisyl-F but the new version of that one makes my cat sick too. So I packed everything up and did a cover letter with a comment at the end that it sounds like they are testing their own product and not getting an objective opinion - sort of like the police investigating themselves. She wants to talk to my vet.

My cat is home and is fine - she has a finicky stomach but this experience was just too weird.

I said in my letter to the Dr. whom I assume might be the scientist in charge of testing products that they make, that I am providing her with the tube and bottle my cat was given the supplements from on the condition she provide me with all the results of the testing. I am a lawyer on long-term disability but I thought it might have more impact if I put after my name B.A., LL.B (I'm still licensed to practice and insured even though I am not working) and "Without Prejudice" at the top (which means they cannot use it against me if ever there is litigation as a result of this).

Interesting.

Same thing is happening to me. I bought a 3 bottles of Enisyl-F oral paste (100 ml) two weeks ago. I started to give it to her and she started to vomit. I thought it was a new dry food I bought. One day of last week I went to work really early so I forgot to give Enisyl to my cat. She had not vomited during that day, so I was glad. When I got home late that night I gave it to her. She vomited one hour after she took it.

Before using Enysyl-F I was using Duralactin Feline L- Lysine syringes. I live in Spain and here Duralactin costs $26.79 each syringe (one syringes per week!!!). I could not afford it so I went to internet and I bought 3 pack of Enisyl at Amazon.

The three bottles came from a veterinary shop in California. Maybe your bottles have the same Lot number and expiration date than mine. Mine are; Exp. 2009-03 and Lot 472420. You can check if yours have the same Lot number.

I hope my cat is ok. I stopped giving her L-lysine for two days and she did not vomited. Today I read your post so I gave her Duralactin instead. She just vomited. Hope her stomach is ok. What did your vet say? Is your cat accepting L-lysine or she does not accept it anymore?


I am really mad because two weeks ago everything was fine and she was taking L-lysine very well and now I don't know if she is going to accept it anymore. I will take her to the vet tomorrow.


Hope this helps. Check if the lots are the same!!!. Maybe the company had a quality control problem with that lot.


Thanks for your post, it helped me be on alert.

jchadola, thanks for this very interestin and informative post. Good luck and keep us posted. :fingerscr :goodvibes: