Baked Gizzards Still Good For Dental Health?

A

Azazel

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
2,844
Purraise
3,465
I usually give my cats raw gizzards for dental health but I have some gizzards at home that have also been baked in the oven. I’m wondering if they would still be beneficial for dental health if I fed them to my cats or is there no more benefit since they have been cooked?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2
A

Azazel

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
2,844
Purraise
3,465
Don’t know if it makes a difference but they are only lightly baked (still pink in the center).
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3
A

Azazel

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
2,844
Purraise
3,465
Nobody knows? :frown:
 
abby2932

abby2932

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 26, 2014
Messages
590
Purraise
321
Location
New Orleans, LA
If they are still "chewy" then they should still be good for dental health! I see no reason not to cook gizzards, if that's what you prefer =)
 
pushylady

pushylady

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 26, 2005
Messages
16,398
Purraise
451
Location
Canada
As there are no bones in gizzards it would be fine to cook them for your cats. Given how tough and chewy they are, I would imagine they'd still be beneficial for your cat's teeth.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6
A

Azazel

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
2,844
Purraise
3,465
Thanks for the responses! It was really a weird accident on how they ended up in the oven (long story), but the cats ended up loving them either way and I'm glad they still had dental benefits.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7
A

Azazel

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
2,844
Purraise
3,465
I'm wondering if I can ask another related question. I'm not sure if I should start a new thread for it or not.

I have one cat that is in the early stages of CKD. We have her mostly on Rad Cat instead of my home-made raw because it is low in phosphorus. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for low phosphorus treats that will be good for her dental health? I'm worried about using gizzards or anything with bone because they may be too high in phosphorus.
 
1 bruce 1

1 bruce 1

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
5,948
Purraise
14,439
Azazel said:
I'm wondering if I can ask another related question. I'm not sure if I should start a new thread for it or not.

I have one cat that is in the early stages of CKD. We have her mostly on Rad Cat instead of my home-made raw because it is low in phosphorus. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for low phosphorus treats that will be good for her dental health? I'm worried about using gizzards or anything with bone because they may be too high in phosphorus.
Click to expand...
Gizzards are boneless, so you should be fine.
What about chicken hearts, or duck hearts? Boneless, lots of nutrition.
These can be slow-baked or freeze dried for storage reasons =)
Did the vet talk numbers (lab numbers) with you? Do you know how early stage CKD she's in? Sometimes knowing numbers helps. Raw fed pets generally show different numbers than those who aren't, and all is well, so make sure your vet knows what you feed.
Aside from that, our CKD guys always liked boneless meats, baked (or raw), or boiled. =)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9
A

Azazel

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
2,844
Purraise
3,465
1 bruce 1 said:
Gizzards are boneless, so you should be fine.
What about chicken hearts, or duck hearts? Boneless, lots of nutrition.
These can be slow-baked or freeze dried for storage reasons =)
Did the vet talk numbers (lab numbers) with you? Do you know how early stage CKD she's in? Sometimes knowing numbers helps. Raw fed pets generally show different numbers than those who aren't, and all is well, so make sure your vet knows what you feed.
Aside from that, our CKD guys always liked boneless meats, baked (or raw), or boiled. =)
Click to expand...
Well we aren’t sure that she has kidney issues but she seems to be having trouble concentrating urine and has high phosphorus levels. We also found a small amount of protein in her urine. Her BUN and creatine levels are very normal though. We are monitoring her and conducting further tests. My vet does know that she is raw fed and is actually pretty knowledgeable about raw food. She is supportive of her diet. I guess I am just worried about feeding her gizzards because they are very high in phosphorus (also high in protein). What part of a chicken has the least amount of protein would you say? That part would probably be lower in phosphorus too. (I’m not restricting her protein in her diet, just want a low phosphorus raw meaty treat to help clean her teeth).
 
1 bruce 1

1 bruce 1

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
5,948
Purraise
14,439
Azazel said:
Well we aren’t sure that she has kidney issues but she seems to be having trouble concentrating urine and has high phosphorus levels. We also found a small amount of protein in her urine. Her BUN and creatine levels are very normal though. We are monitoring her and conducting further tests. My vet does know that she is raw fed and is actually pretty knowledgeable about raw food. She is supportive of her diet. I guess I am just worried about feeding her gizzards because they are very high in phosphorus (also high in protein). What part of a chicken has the least amount of protein would you say? That part would probably be lower in phosphorus too. (I’m not restricting her protein in her diet, just want a low phosphorus raw meaty treat to help clean her teeth).
Click to expand...
I've heard good things about raw tripe for kidney problems, but not so much with cats but it might be worth researching...especially if you're not sure your cat will eat it!
If nothing else, ask your vet about this if she's knowledgeable and supportive, she might know some foods that would be best!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
A

Azazel

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
2,844
Purraise
3,465
1 bruce 1 said:
I've heard good things about raw tripe for kidney problems, but not so much with cats but it might be worth researching...especially if you're not sure your cat will eat it!
If nothing else, ask your vet about this if she's knowledgeable and supportive, she might know some foods that would be best!
Click to expand...
Ok thanks for the idea!
I will definitely ask her next time we talk.
 
ritz

ritz

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Messages
4,656
Purraise
282
Location
Annapolis, MD
PS: make sure the tripe is the real deal, not the white, bleached kind for sale in some stores. I believe you can buy it dehydrated. May have to look in the dog section(s).
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13
A

Azazel

Time spent with cats is never wasted.
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 14, 2018
Messages
2,844
Purraise
3,465
As an update: I talked to my vet and she said that chicken gizzards are actually not too high in phosphorus so she was okay with me feeding them for my cat. Turkey gizzards are much higher in phosphorus though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top