Gizzards are a dental health miracle

molly92

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(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.
 

Silver Crazy

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I wouldn't say so much its the gizzards but the fact the cats is chewing on something. Canned food they slurp up and swallow..kibble they crack into bits and swallow.
I give my cat strips of toughest old steak I can find if he is showing any tartar on his teeth and make him chew hard.
But he lives on chunky raw so that doesnt happen very often.
 

white shadow

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Marvellous post, molly92 molly92 , and perfect placement for it IMO !

And..........one of our favourite Vets has your back, too:
"Another good dietary option to promote dental health for your cat is to feed them gizzards. Gizzards are very fibrous and tough to chew and If your cat will eat them alone, they can be used as a great dental snack...."​
.
 

lalagimp

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Our boys are dumb. They tried to swallow these types of things whole. I gave them necks before and instead of chewing them down, they'd chew it into slightly less large pieces, swallow those, and then yuck them back up. Hwaaaah.
I use dried chews. Honestly Stewart doesn't mind his teeth brushing, but I work in pet supply now, so I see dogs needing bully sticks and things to work their teeth and keep them occupied. My boys use beef tendon straps and when the supply doesn't look great or is OOS I'll buy them our lamb ears. They can chew the ducks feet too, but Tom has kidney disease now so they don't do bones outside of what's processed in their raw diets.
 
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molly92

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Our boys are dumb. They tried to swallow these types of things whole. I gave them necks before and instead of chewing them down, they'd chew it into slightly less large pieces, swallow those, and then yuck them back up. Hwaaaah.
I use dried chews. Honestly Stewart doesn't mind his teeth brushing, but I work in pet supply now, so I see dogs needing bully sticks and things to work their teeth and keep them occupied. My boys use beef tendon straps and when the supply doesn't look great or is OOS I'll buy them our lamb ears. They can chew the ducks feet too, but Tom has kidney disease now so they don't do bones outside of what's processed in their raw diets.
Delilah...is not the brightest bulb either. She could never make the connection that necks or anything dried and large was food. But the gizzards she's willing to work for, apparently. I do watch her though, just in case!
 

mama africa

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Missy is 5 years and a picky eater, but I decided to give it a try, to prevent dental problems.
I offered her 1 raw chicken gizzard (cut it into 10 pieces) today. She showed much interest when I was cutting it and immediately removed one of the pieces from the plate to eat it off the floor. It was a delight to see her chewing. She really seems to like it.

Thank you all for the hint !
 

Juniper_Junebug

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(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.
In terms of trusting the source, is there something that Hare Today does to make the giblets more safe to be eaten raw than other butchers? I picked up a pack of turkey giblets at my local farmers market today (sourced from a family farm that looks to use sustainable practices). I'd like to give the gizzards a go, because I haven't gotten my kitty to accept tooth brushing. They came frozen and vacuum packed and some are now thawing in the fridge. This would be my kitty's first taste of raw.
 
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molly92

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In terms of trusting the source, is there something that Hare Today does to make the giblets more safe to be eaten raw than other butchers? I picked up a pack of turkey giblets at my local farmers market today (sourced from a family farm that looks to use sustainable practices). I'd like to give the gizzards a go, because I haven't gotten my kitty to accept tooth brushing. They came frozen and vacuum packed and some are now thawing in the fridge. This would be my kitty's first taste of raw.
I trust Hare Today more than grocery stores because their meat is prepared and butchered knowing that it's going to be fed raw, not cooked. So I think there is more care in making sure their equipment and preparation process is very clean and sanitized. The stuff that happens to factory farmed and processed meat can be a bit...questionable.

Obviously we can't know for sure that the meat was butchered carefully unless we watch it every step of the way, but I think a local, ethical farm is probably a much better source than a grocery store. It is important to keep it frozen for as long as possible to keep bacteria growth at bay, so after your pack thaws I recommend portioning it out into very small portions and then refreezing them, so you can grab a couple to thaw as needed. Hope your kitty likes them! Delilah was confused what to do at first, but once she got the idea, she really liked it.
 

Juniper_Junebug

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So my Juno seems to like the turkey gizzard (cut into small pieces, at least until she gets used to it). I wanted to have her try raw while still young and not too set in her ways. Thanks for the recommendation!
 

dreamingofdeltas

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Hi all - I was creeping on some threads for some dental health advice as my one boy, Bentley, has needed some cleanings throughout his life and I'm sure he will be due soon. I recently incorporated Oxyfresh into their water - and am trying to slowly get him used to teeth brushing (I found a video on here that I'll be watching - as so far, it has not been fun!)

I came across this thread on gizzards and have a rather silly question. I googled what a chicken gizzard looks like (attached a photo I found JUST to make sure I'm looking at the right thing) and am curious - do you just cut it up and see if kitty eats it raw? I have never fed raw food before so just am curious how that works. I presume they don't get sick from it even if they have never had raw food before?

Thanks so much!!!
 

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Maurey

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Gizzards are chicken stomachs, yes. You need to source from a good place — supermarket is to be avoided, imo. You wanna buy either form a place that sells meat specifically for raw consumption for animals, or from a reputable butcher. Freezing for a week before feeding is also a good idea, so you just defrost as needed.

If your cat isn’t used to raw, start with small amounts. Some cats, especially those who’ve eaten mostly kibble, may not even recognise raw meat as food.
 

dreamingofdeltas

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Thank you so much for the info - I will go hunting at my local butchers if I cannot find a place that sells raw food for pets!

Really appreciate all of your help!!
 

Juniper_Junebug

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Gizzards were my kitty's first taste of raw. I cut them into bite sized pieces so she would better recognize them as food. I only give her a silver dollar's worth (which is only a portion of one turkey gizzard). The farmers market I buy them from sells them frozen. I bring them home, portion them out into baggies, toss in the freezer and defrost one at a time.
 

Maurey

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so its good practice to freeze market bought gizzards a week or so before using?
Anything from the supermarket is best to freeze for a week prior to feeding, though I do the same with farmer bought produce, unless I’m 100% sure of quality.


Gizzards were my kitty's first taste of raw. I cut them into bite sized pieces so she would better recognize them as food. I only give her a silver dollar's worth (which is only a portion of one turkey gizzard). The farmers market I buy them from sells them frozen. I bring them home, portion them out into baggies, toss in the freezer and defrost one at a time.
I feed about half a turkey gizzard, depending on size, per cat as a snack while I’m having lunch on days I’m home, though I alternate with chicken neck, depending on what’s available. That said, they’re large cats, and on raw with smaller bits of chicken gizzard in their mix as part of their muscle meat.
 
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