I didn't want to go back to this, I have successfully weaned my cats off dry food completely and switched them to 100% canned food. But Spotty's teeth are in really bad shape and my vet is strongly reccommending that I supplement his diet with Hill's t/d after getting his teeth cleaned. I know the ingredients are crappy but I also know that unlike any other kibble, the t/d diet works. I've used it in the past and my cats have had perfect teeth. I just think it's not so good for the rest of the cat.
Spotty is so prone to heavy tarter build up and gingivitis that I am forced to make a decision. I can either spend $700.00 to $1,000.00 every year on a dental cleaning for him under anesthesia or I can supplement his canned food diet with t/d.
I've tried to get my vet to understand why the t/d isn't such a great diet. I told her it's full of corn and BHA and BHT. Her response is that it has to be a balanced diet or they couldn't put it on the market and that preservatives are in it but won't hurt the cat and that I get to control how much he eats on a daily basis since I wouldn't be feeding it as the sole diet. I told her my concerns about gastrointestinal upset, back when I fed t/d as a staple Spotty ate his dry food too fast and threw up. The vet said that's caused by a lack of moisture so a mix of wet food and t/d would balance it. However according to my book by Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins, these dry dental diets with their indigestible fibers such as powdered cellulose place an unnatural burden on the cat's gastrointestinal tact.
Brushing Spotty's teeth every day is unrealistic. He fights. What would you do? Would you rather get annual expensive dental cleanings under anesthesia for your cat or supplement with edible toothbrush kibble made with the kind of ingredients you can find in Cat Chow?
Spotty is so prone to heavy tarter build up and gingivitis that I am forced to make a decision. I can either spend $700.00 to $1,000.00 every year on a dental cleaning for him under anesthesia or I can supplement his canned food diet with t/d.
I've tried to get my vet to understand why the t/d isn't such a great diet. I told her it's full of corn and BHA and BHT. Her response is that it has to be a balanced diet or they couldn't put it on the market and that preservatives are in it but won't hurt the cat and that I get to control how much he eats on a daily basis since I wouldn't be feeding it as the sole diet. I told her my concerns about gastrointestinal upset, back when I fed t/d as a staple Spotty ate his dry food too fast and threw up. The vet said that's caused by a lack of moisture so a mix of wet food and t/d would balance it. However according to my book by Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins, these dry dental diets with their indigestible fibers such as powdered cellulose place an unnatural burden on the cat's gastrointestinal tact.
Brushing Spotty's teeth every day is unrealistic. He fights. What would you do? Would you rather get annual expensive dental cleanings under anesthesia for your cat or supplement with edible toothbrush kibble made with the kind of ingredients you can find in Cat Chow?