Boosting immune system of older cat

Binka

My cat, Neil, is approx 15 and has calicivirus which he normally shakes off after a feew weeks when he gets a flare up. This winter he isn't shaking it off. I was at the vet yesterday and he gave me a mucolytic powder, some steroids and checked that he had no fever or secondary bacterial infection.
He seems happy enough, good apetite, drinking well but just very snotty and a runny eye.
But I was just wondering, as he is getting older, if any of you have any suggestions for natural ways to give the old immune system a helping hand.

SillyMangoX

There is stuff called l lysene, I think you can get it in health food shops, its meant to be very good for boosting the immune system of cats prone to the flu.

Themadhouse

+1 for L-lysine. We use it all winter sprinkled on their food. It's great for immune systems. A cat that has herpes or fiv or calci or flu etc will really Benefit from it.
Did your vet give you a little pouch of powder that you put on his tongue to clear the snot? I think it's called bisolven.

Binka

Yes, Bisolven is the mucolytic he gave me. He said not to give it to him dry but to mix it with a bit of food. I doesn't seem to have had much affect yet though as he's still very congested.
I read up on L lysine yesterday and it seems that it helps a lot during an attack, but that it shouldn't be used as a maintenance as it depletes an amino acid called arginine. So i'm thinking that now would be a good time to give him some for a few weeks but I would still like to find something that would be an all year round supplement.
Do you have any experience of herbal boosters? I've seen a bit about dandelion, milk thistle & echinachea but the info is vague and not sure how proven it is.
Btw, where do you buy L lysine from?

Oops, sorry - just saw your comment about health shops.

Themadhouse

If you take a pinch of the bisolvon and just put it on her tongue it will work quicker.

angeline

Three products you can buy online: Moducare or Lactoferrin both promote healthy immune systems and come in capsule form and you just sprinkle the tasteless powder on the food. Also Purina Feline Fortiflora comes in sachets. My cat has FIV and my vet recommends these as they have been scientificially proven to help.

ladyjuicy08

My cat has calicivirus too when he has flare up I give him lysine for couple weeks touch wood he has not had flare up since spring

Binka

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions.
I will try the L lysine straight away and then do my research on the other 3 products that angeline mentioned as a longer term solution. The poor little guy is so snotty right now.