Dental Treats for Diabetic cat..is there any

[skippy and birten]

Hi~
Skippy is a 10 year old that was diagnosed almost 2 years ago with diabetes. Recently at his first dental exam 7 of his teeth was extracted. I went to his 3 week follow up and the vet told me he was doing great and has recovered awesome. She had 3 solutions for him which I need advise with so we do not have to have anymore extractions:

1) Cat treats she suggested "Tartar Shield" which look like kibble and not sure what the ingredients are. I will be calling the manufacturer but does anyone know of a hard consistancy treat that is not loaded in sugar and is good for their teeth>
2) Some solutions that is added to water- I declined since he is on canned and does not drink water anymore. You can not add this to food.
3) Cleaning his teeth regularly which will be a challenge but I will try.

She told me that he needs harder crunchy foods in order to clean his teeth and she realizes that I am caught between a rock and a hard place with canned food. She said that cats in the wild eat muscle meat and also have the ability to clean their teeth by nawing on bones which our domesticated cats are unfortunate to do unless they eat kibble and that is something difficult to do with a diabetic. Any suggestions.....

Thanks

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

the cat treats are not diabetic friendly - she's thinking of pounce or temptations and whether it's a treat or dry food - this vet is wrong about this stuff being good for cats teeth. Cats will crunch it and it will smash to pieces or they will swallow it whole.

The best option is to brush the teeth if you can, and if not, use your finger and put the toothpaste between gum and teeth.

How did it go with that vet? Love to hear your thoughts on that.

 

[squeem3]

A possible fourth solution is to let your cat gnaw on a raw poultry neck bone. The gnawing action will help remove plaque from the teeth.

You may be surprised at how easy teeth brushing can be. I thought my cat would never let me brush his teeth but I was wrong. He just popped open his mouth and let me rub the yummy toothpaste over what few teeth he had left. I used CET poultry flavored toothpaste. It's diabetic-friendly. There's also a salmon flavor if your cat prefers that over poultry.

Here's a video of how to brush your cat's teeth: http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet/f ... hing_teeth

 

[Cynthia and Sara]

Brushing teeth:
I've had a hard time with this, so in the end I just squeeze the enzymatic toothpaste on the gums...

When I've given her a few pieces of cooked chicken breast to chew on, her breath is better and her teeth seem to be as well. have no idea about the science of this.

our vet gave us some kind of enzyme power made from algae to sprinkle on her food: didnt work at all, was very expensive, and I think gave her consitpation!

if anyone finds other solutions, I'd love to hear them!