(I couldn't decide between this forum and nutrition, so I'm sorry if it doesn't belong here!)
Now, my cat is a sample size of one, so other cats may respond differently, but I'm pretty convinced a raw poultry gizzard a day is the key to amazing teeth for her.
Trying to brush her teeth has always been an absolute nightmare (and I really did try!), so I decided to get some chicken gizzards a few years back. She loved them, and the vet said her teeth looked good, but her teeth had been good before that so I wasn't sure how much was genetics. I eventually got lazy and stopped giving them to her.
Well, before the pandemic started this year, she had a checkup and her teeth had plaque and a bit of inflammation, so we talked about doing a dental cleaning soon. I was quoted about $600 on the low end. We never did get around to scheduling it with all the chaos in March, but I started giving her gizzards again. One piece a day.
Fast forward to yesterday, she had her senior checkup (she's 10 years old now) and the same vet said her teeth were BEAUTIFUL, the best cat teeth she'd seen all day!
I thought gizzards might help keep her teeth clean, but I didn't know they could clean off plaque that was already there. I'm definitely going to keep this up! She doesn't eat a raw diet otherwise, just canned. I'm kind of amazed that everyone doesn't do this now, seeing how well they worked. And it's so much easier than teeth brushing! She thinks they're a treat!
I get them from Hare Today because I really trust their quality standards. I've tried chicken, turkey, and duck gizzards and she's been able to work her way through all of them. When I get an order I separate them into a few pieces in a bag, refreeze them, and just put a bag in the fridge when I need them.
Anyway, I was excited and wanted to share in case anyone else has dental struggles. I knew why raw gizzards were good in theory (really tough organ that they really have to sink their teeth into to chew), but it's so nice to see it play out so well in reality. This might not work for all stages of dental disease or all cats, but it's been amazing for us and I recommend giving it a try! Remember, dental health is hugely important, especially as your cat gets older. Inflammation in the mouth affects the whole body and can cause or contribute to other diseases like heart disease, kidney disease, and even diabetes.
Now, my cat is a sample size of one, so other cats may respond differently, but I'm pretty convinced a raw poultry gizzard a day is the key to amazing teeth for her.
Trying to brush her teeth has always been an absolute nightmare (and I really did try!), so I decided to get some chicken gizzards a few years back. She loved them, and the vet said her teeth looked good, but her teeth had been good before that so I wasn't sure how much was genetics. I eventually got lazy and stopped giving them to her.
Well, before the pandemic started this year, she had a checkup and her teeth had plaque and a bit of inflammation, so we talked about doing a dental cleaning soon. I was quoted about $600 on the low end. We never did get around to scheduling it with all the chaos in March, but I started giving her gizzards again. One piece a day.
Fast forward to yesterday, she had her senior checkup (she's 10 years old now) and the same vet said her teeth were BEAUTIFUL, the best cat teeth she'd seen all day!
I thought gizzards might help keep her teeth clean, but I didn't know they could clean off plaque that was already there. I'm definitely going to keep this up! She doesn't eat a raw diet otherwise, just canned. I'm kind of amazed that everyone doesn't do this now, seeing how well they worked. And it's so much easier than teeth brushing! She thinks they're a treat!
I get them from Hare Today because I really trust their quality standards. I've tried chicken, turkey, and duck gizzards and she's been able to work her way through all of them. When I get an order I separate them into a few pieces in a bag, refreeze them, and just put a bag in the fridge when I need them.
Anyway, I was excited and wanted to share in case anyone else has dental struggles. I knew why raw gizzards were good in theory (really tough organ that they really have to sink their teeth into to chew), but it's so nice to see it play out so well in reality. This might not work for all stages of dental disease or all cats, but it's been amazing for us and I recommend giving it a try! Remember, dental health is hugely important, especially as your cat gets older. Inflammation in the mouth affects the whole body and can cause or contribute to other diseases like heart disease, kidney disease, and even diabetes.