Teeth hygiene and wet food

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Laly&Kitiara

Laly&Kitiara

Member Since 2018
Hello everybody, I am sorry that I am so new that I can only ask for advice and not help with any advice myself yet. I hope you are not getting bored with my questions!
Now that we switched to wet food (homemade pate) I am unsure of how to proceed with teeth hygiene. With dry food I was under the impression that it was covered, but now that I know so many bad things about dry food I'm not even sure that that was true!
Any ideas? Does anybody brush kitties teeth?
Cheers from Argentina
 
The dental specialist I take my girls to 'prescribed' a supplement called 1-TDC that is supposed to be great for periodontal health (and other things like joint health); I get it on Amazon. He also suggested the use of Pet Smile brushless paste though I have yet to try that. He said that healthy mouth water additive is good but, if they do not drink much, they will not really get the benefits. Since going on an all wet food diet and with her BG numbers being more under control, Mia really does not drink water anymore.

If they get things to chew on like pieces of chicken, I think that is supposed to help some. That, however, like dry food, does not really fully handle dental care.
 
Laly&Kitiara said:
now that I know so many bad things about dry food I'm not even sure that that was true!
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It's NOT true and it's a shame that vets are still spreading that false information. Dry foods do nothing for dental health....that's like saying if we humans ate nothing but crunchy crackers and potato chips, our teeth would be clean!!

Cats don't actually "chew" kibble anyway...mostly it's eaten whole. Their teeth aren't designed to "chew"....they tear and rip.

One of the best things you can do is to get them interested in gnawing on bones (RAW only)...chicken wings and turkey necks are both great. It's the action of gnawing into fibrous tissue and scraping against bone that keeps wild cat's teeth clean.

You can also offer things like chicken gizzards, livers, hearts....even whole chunks of meat will help! Remember it has to be a big enough chunk that they can't just swallow it whole. Gizzards are very fibrous and act a lot like a tooth brush but any of the above will work.

Most important is to start with a clean mouth....if they already have tarter build-up and/or gingivitis, they need a complete dental first and then you can start working on keeping them clean.

Another option is to just take a small piece of gauze, dip it in water and rub your cat's teeth and gums (especially along the gumline)...there doesn't need to be any special toothpaste or formula...it's the action and the "roughness" of the gauze that does the work.
 
thanks so much both of you for the tips. I will start with a dental at the vet and follow your advice. I will be hard with the bones. We've just transitioned to wet food (homemade as per Dr. Lisa's recipe) but to get her interested in chunks of heart or whole chicken wings might take a while definitely worth trying though. And I will see what product we have here in BA I think it is some sort of paste that you apply with a brush (there might be other products) but great tip abuor the gauze Chris. Much obliged.
Cheers from Argentina :cat:
 
While dry food does not help to keep their teeth from plaque, wet food does stick more to the teeth. They don’t really chew much of the dry so it doesn’t stick as much. I’m trying to get up the nerve to start brushing my two young ones’teeth. One is a biter and the other skittish.
 
Hi Tiff, I completely sympathize. I think I will brush too. Since this whole thing started I feel like I am mothering a baby. Being single and with no kids, I was totally wrong about what courage means!
 
Laly&Kitiara said:
I'm not even sure that that was true!
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I swallowed that hook line and sinker for years. There's no kibble in nature.
I wish I had started brushing when they were young so they were used to it. Now we free feed six cats piles of wet food. Wanna' come clean our sink? ;)
BTW This is exactly the right place to ask for advice.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
I swallowed that hook line and sinker for years. There's no kibble in nature.
I wish I had started brushing when they were young so they were used to it. Now we free feed six cats piles of wet food. Wanna' come clean our sink? ;)
BTW This is exactly the right place to ask for advice.
Click to expand...
Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier I haven't been in the forum for a while. Well it looks like there is a steep learning curve for me in many areas since all this started. And I only have one! I can only imagine how many things you have to deal with with 6! Does your kitchen look like a drugstore too? I have a section of the counter dedicated to Kitty :cat:
 
Six cats is nothing. Wait until you have nine and a Border Collie.
Someone here once had five sugar cats at one time, has done chemo at home and gives rock solid advice all while working from home. Part of a bunch of people here who I think are the real heroes here and go almost unnoticed.
 
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