Dental care.

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Linda and Tasha

Linda and Tasha

Member Since 2010
Cannot believe it has been so long since I have posted here. Tasha has been doing great and off insulin more than a year and a half and is controlled by her diet. However her teeth have gotten very bad and she is in for a cleaning as I write this. I only give her soft canned food that is low in carbs and she hasn't had any of the dry food since being Dx with Diabetes. Are there some dental sticks or treats that will help keep the tarter away that isn't high carb? I heard trying to brush a cat's teeth is a nightmare. Any suggestions would be greatly helpful.
confused_cat
 
Linda and Tasha said:
Are there some dental sticks or treats that will help keep the tarter away that isn't high carb? I heard trying to brush a cat's teeth is a nightmare. Any suggestions would be greatly helpful. confused_cat
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IMO, most dental treats don't do anything to clean the teeth. Like dry food, dental treats are pretty much swallowed whole by many cats. A cat isn't going to chew on a treat for awhile to let the abrasive texture scrape off food particles. YOu could try CET dental chews/ They're larger than most treats so they take a bit of time to chew into smaller easy to eat pieces.

There are dental rinses, some you squirt into the mouth and others you add to the drinking water. It's not a very effective way of removing stuck on food particles from the teeth. A cat on a canned food diet isn't going to be drinking from the water bowl much so it's pointless to add a dental rinse to the water bowl.

Brushing the teeth is best, just like it is for people. Brushing a cat's teeth doesn't have to be a "nightmare". Like with bg testing, it takes a bit of time and patience to get the cat used to it. Give it a try for a week or so. You may be surprised by your cat's reaction. I thought my diabetic would never let me brush his teeth but after his first dental, I poked the poultry toothpaste covered toothbrush into his mouth and he actually enjoyed it :o I think he liked the flavor of the toothpaste more than the actual brushing action. He was soon begging to have his teeth brushed :lol: My rescue cat took a bit of time to get used to teeth brushing. She flat out didn't like the salmon flavored toothpaste so I got the poultry one. Then it was a slow process to get her to accept a toothbrush in her mouth. These days she will only let me brush her teeth every other day but it's better than not brushing at all. My other cat gets his teeth brushed daily because his breed is prone to dental problems.

I use the CET toothpaste. The poultry and salmon flavored one are fine for diabetics The glucose oxidase in the ingredient is an enzyme, not a sugar.

You can use a pet finger brush or a piece of gauze instead of a pet toothbrush.

Video of how to brush a cat's teeth

My two cents :smile:
 
Big cats in the wild keep their pearly whites shining by eating and tearing at raw meat (kind of like eating an apple does for us). Tossing Tasha a chunk of raw stewing beef, or a raw chicken neck (never cooked!) can really help keep them clean ... and it's good for her!
 
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