Cat Dental Hygiene

Paris Pluto

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Hi kitty lovers!

How important exactly is the dental care of cats? I have an 18 month old cat and my vet claims that she is already developing gingivitis and to give her some raw kangaroo on top of the Greenies I give her. I got her vaccinated in Feb and they have mailed/emailed/called about bringing her in to get her teeth looked at.

I know not all cats are the same but the culture I was raised in was pretty much that if a cat was eating, sleeping and sh*tting, then everything's all good.

But I'm not like that and want to keep my baby as healthy as possible. I'm happy to bring her in for an $80 consultation but I'm worried about if she needs to get professional teeth cleaning and I don't even know how much that costs in Australia.

Anyone else been through something like this? Or can anyone with knowledge regarding this, I would love to hear from you. Thank you!
 

LTS3

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mani mani might know what dentals generally cost in Australia.

You can brush your cat's teeth to help keep them clean in addition to the raw meat (is it just meat or do you also give small raw bones?). Use only pet toothpaste.
 

mani

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Hi Paris Pluto Paris Pluto ..
It's seriously not cheap, I'm afraid. A good teeth clean involves a general anaesthetic, which is not only expensive, but not great for the cat to have too often.
At 18 months I'd be going with raw bones (chicken necks are great, and cheap and much more effective than Greenies) - and see if you can get her used to some tooth cleaning.
Check her breath, too. Bad breath is a good indicator of tooth issues.

Both of mine have reabsorbtion issues and when I took my girl in to have several teeth removed and work done on another, there was little change from $1000.
Keeping your girl's teeth as clean as possible can help to prevent that kind of expensive dental surgery. It's definitely worth getting them cleaned at some stage, but perhaps try other things first.
 

di and bob

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I have always used oral additives to add to the water to help with oral hygeine. the only time my cats had dental problems was when they broke a tooth somehow. It wouldn't hurt to use it and may help. Right now I am using Oxyfresh 'Fresh Breath' and change it once in a while to Oratene. Just make sure whatever you get is odorless/tasteless. Mint flavors are not liked by cats. I have used Oratene fro years and teh vet always states how clean my cat's teeth are. Be careful, you might want a second opinion too, some vets make a lot of money from unnecessary dental cleanings, 18 months seems awfully young for problems!
 
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Paris Pluto

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Hi Paris Pluto Paris Pluto ..
It's seriously not cheap, I'm afraid. A good teeth clean involves a general anaesthetic, which is not only expensive, but not great for the cat to have too often.
At 18 months I'd be going with raw bones (chicken necks are great, and cheap and much more effective than Greenies) - and see if you can get her used to some tooth cleaning.
Check her breath, too. Bad breath is a good indicator of tooth issues.

Both of mine have reabsorbtion issues and when I took my girl in to have several teeth removed and work done on another, there was little change from $1000.
Keeping your girl's teeth as clean as possible can help to prevent that kind of expensive dental surgery. It's definitely worth getting them cleaned at some stage, but perhaps try other things first.
Thank you so much for your reply! It was so helpful and I will start brushing her teeth.. Hopefully she gets used to it!
 
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Paris Pluto

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I have always used oral additives to add to the water to help with oral hygeine. the only time my cats had dental problems was when they broke a tooth somehow. It wouldn't hurt to use it and may help. Right now I am using Oxyfresh 'Fresh Breath' and change it once in a while to Oratene. Just make sure whatever you get is odorless/tasteless. Mint flavors are not liked by cats. I have used Oratene fro years and teh vet always states how clean my cat's teeth are. Be careful, you might want a second opinion too, some vets make a lot of money from unnecessary dental cleanings, 18 months seems awfully young for problems!
Oh thanks for the tip! I know right? She's so young. I'll try and take a close up of her teeth for more opinions.
 

MissClouseau

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Well my cousin's cat needed a course of antibiotics twice before he was 15 months old over dental infection. Young cats can also get issues unfortunately.

Honestly I found cats' dental health very similar to be humans' with the exception cats don't really show signs a lot other than bad breath. Their issues can get very painful. They need their teeth brushed. If not things only get worse and the treatment that is no longer an option costs more than prevention.

With that said, my own adult cat (older than yours) has dental issues and dental cleaning isn't possible at this time as sedating her is risky over some other health issues. Mine isn't the only one who can't get sedated. So while a dental cleaning is great, usually it's not a life and death or "there is no other thing to try first and take your time" thing.
 

kleigh300

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Hi kitty lovers!

How important exactly is the dental care of cats? I have an 18 month old cat and my vet claims that she is already developing gingivitis and to give her some raw kangaroo on top of the Greenies I give her. I got her vaccinated in Feb and they have mailed/emailed/called about bringing her in to get her teeth looked at.

I know not all cats are the same but the culture I was raised in was pretty much that if a cat was eating, sleeping and sh*tting, then everything's all good.

But I'm not like that and want to keep my baby as healthy as possible. I'm happy to bring her in for an $80 consultation but I'm worried about if she needs to get professional teeth cleaning and I don't even know how much that costs in Australia.

Anyone else been through something like this? Or can anyone with knowledge regarding this, I would love to hear from you. Thank you!
Extra virgin coconut oil (cold pressed & unrefined) has lauric acid, one of the three main fatty acids in coconut oil, & it demonstrates both antimicrobial and anti inflammatory properties. Gingivitis” is a symptom of inflammation. Lauric acid fights inflammation, it might just help nib your cat’s gingivitis in the bud.

WildernessCat.com recommends giving your cat one teaspoon of coconut oil for every 10 pounds it weighs. And it also recommends giving it to your cat every day. Although, other online sources and veterinary experts suggest using it sparingly.

But that’s for all-around purposes. If your cat has terrible gingivitis, a daily dose might have to do. WildernessCat.com recommends applying the oil directly to your cat’s teeth and gums.

Keep in mind there are no studies proving that coconut oil for feline dental care works, let alone what a proper dose for it is but I have used it on my own cats and I have had positive results.

When digested, lauric acid metabolizes into monolaurin. Monolaurin is another type of fatty acid. Studies demonstrate lauric acid kills harmful bacteria and other microscopic nasties.

However, if your cat is obese or has inflammation of the pancreas, avoid feeding it coconut oil.

In addition, make sure if you’re going to feed your cat coconut oil, you buy virgin or extra virgin coconut oil. Do not use a cheap coconut oil that’s been refined. Any oil that has been processed can cause inflammation.
 

MissClouseau

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Extra virgin coconut oil (cold pressed & unrefined) has lauric acid, one of the three main fatty acids in coconut oil, & it demonstrates both antimicrobial and anti inflammatory properties. Gingivitis” is a symptom of inflammation. Lauric acid fights inflammation, it might just help nib your cat’s gingivitis in the bud.

WildernessCat.com recommends giving your cat one teaspoon of coconut oil for every 10 pounds it weighs. And it also recommends giving it to your cat every day. Although, other online sources and veterinary experts suggest using it sparingly.

But that’s for all-around purposes. If your cat has terrible gingivitis, a daily dose might have to do. WildernessCat.com recommends applying the oil directly to your cat’s teeth and gums.

Keep in mind there are no studies proving that coconut oil for feline dental care works, let alone what a proper dose for it is but I have used it on my own cats and I have had positive results.

When digested, lauric acid metabolizes into monolaurin. Monolaurin is another type of fatty acid. Studies demonstrate lauric acid kills harmful bacteria and other microscopic nasties.

However, if your cat is obese or has inflammation of the pancreas, avoid feeding it coconut oil.

In addition, make sure if you’re going to feed your cat coconut oil, you buy virgin or extra virgin coconut oil. Do not use a cheap coconut oil that’s been refined. Any oil that has been processed can cause inflammation.

Check out this article: Coconut Oil for Cats | Can Cats Have Coconut Oil? | petMD Coconot oil has some risks.

There are dental supplements, I think they are safer. I'm skeptical on coconut oil for dental hygiene as the safe amount is too little and diluted, which needs to be done, it might not be antibacterial enough.

The brand BEAPHAR is popular in my country for their dental products too. And has good reviews on Amazon UK. Check them out.
 
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