Raw wings for dental health?

[otto]

I keep seeing vague references to giving cats a raw chicken wing now and then to help keep their teeth clean.

My questions:

How often would a cat have to have one, for this to be beneficial?

Do you use the whole wing? The pointy part and the meaty part?

Will a cat actually eat that much in one sitting?

Can they be given frozen, or have to be thawed first?

Do you remove the skin?

Are the bones really soft enough not to choke or cut, when raw?

Thanks for any input. I brush nightly with c.e.t. but if this would help too, I might be willing to try it.

 

[auntie crazy]

As part of a completely raw diet, my cats eat three bone-in meals a week; usually, two of those meals consist of chicken wings and one of chicken ribs, though occasionally, I'll serve a meal of rabbit bones and ribs.

I don't believe bone-in meals could be incorporated into a wholly-commercial diet, because that food already has a bone substitute and adding to it could cause constipation.

But if you transitioned your cat to a half-raw / half-canned diet, then you could probably feed two smallish bone-in meals a week. And it isn't just the bones that promote dental health, it's also the scissoring through thick chunks of meat, sinew and tendon.

Some cats can eat all three parts of the chicken wing - the tip, the middle, and the meaty end piece - some can't quite manage the meaty end. Out of my six, I have two that can't/won't, so I usually feed only the tip and middle pieces (and strip off the meat from the meaty end to serve for another meal). Each cat gets one wing tip and one middle piece - and I cut that middle piece lengthwise between the bones for them - as a whole meal.

I do NOT skin chicken wings - way too much effort and some skin is good for them anyway (cats require more fat in their diet than we do).

Cats usually don't like or tolerate cold foods (they'll either throw it back up or refuse to eat it), so, yes, completely defrost the wings before you feed them.

And yes, truly, absolutely, 100%, the bones are soft enough for the kitties to eat. Try bending the raw bones next chance you get, see how flexible they are and, when they finally break, see how soft and blunted the end pieces are.

Best regards.

AC

P.S. I'm sure you know this, but I'll add it for those who don't - NEVER EVER feed cooked bone. Those bones have no nutritional value and the cooking process turns them brittle so they break into hard, sharp splinters that can do some horrible damage to your cat's intestines.

 

[otto]

Thanks AC.

No I won't ever be going with raw feeding. I wasn't thinking of using the wings as a daily meal serving, I was thinking more along the lines of once a week, for the teeth cleaning benefits.

So you don't think that would be a good idea, then?

Would once a week not be often enough to make a difference in their dental health (along with the daily c.e.t. I already do)?

And more often than once a week could cause.....constipation you said? Possibly too much calcium and phosphorous in the diet also? Or even just one wing a week could cause those problems.

Hmm...well that is why I came here before even discussing it with my vet. I wanted to see what the experts say. But I want to clarify that I am not now, nor most likely ever, going to consider raw or home made diets.

So if you who know the ropes say it's a bad idea to add a raw wing once a week, I won't do it.

And..especially for my FLUTD kitty, I guess.

 

[auntie crazy]

If you two don't mind, could you continue discussing this here? This is a topic that has been coming up more frequently, and if you have information that others can learn from, well, why not share it?

I am strictly 100% raw; mixing raw bone-in meals with a commercial non-raw diet (without balancing the bone-in meals with meat-meals) is not something I would expect to see work - if it can, I'd love to know how. Truly.

I do know that chicken necks contain too low a Ca ratio to balance out meals of meat only (the primary reason they're not part of my cats' diet), but many cats - like both mine and yours, Sharky - don't like them and won't eat them, which is why I didn't suggest it to Otto. In fact, it's why I never suggest chicken necks to cats who are new to having to actively chew/scissor/masticate their food.

Won't you share your solution, Sharky?

Thanks!

AC

 

[otto]

Thanks Sharky, necks eh? Once or twice a week you said? One neck per cat? I've never even looked for necks in the meat department of a store, would I have to ask for them special?

Of course I'm not even sure they would eat a raw wing let alone a neck, but if using a neck would eliminate the problem of too much bone that would be something less to worry about, anyway.

AC, remember I am not intending this to be a meal, part of their sustenance diet, at all. Some people feed commercial treats. I do not. Couldn't a wing or neck once or twice a week for dental health be considered a treat, not something meant to add to their nutritional needs?

Would that really be too much bone, in addition to their canned diet?

I'm not arguing, I'm asking!

Mazy doesn't seem to ever build up much tartar but Tolly has a real problem with it, and Jennie is not far behind, in spite of my efforts with the c.e.t.

 

[auntie crazy]

Originally Posted by otto

...Of course I'm not even sure they would eat a raw wing let alone a neck, but if using a neck would eliminate the problem of too much bone that would be something less to worry about, anyway.

...Would that really be too much bone, in addition to their canned diet?

I'm not arguing, I'm asking!

...

How much is too much is a bit dependent on the cat, Otto, however, I believe there is indeed less chance for too much calcium when you're feeding chicken necks, since their Ca ratio is so low.

I'm not advising against giving this a try, not at all! I'm just not able to give it a total thumbs up, since it's not something I've personally encountered or researched. As much as I support and encourage anything to do with raw feeding, I won't state as fact something I haven't the knowledge or experience to back up.

Which is why I'm interested in Sharky's viewpoint, as well the thoughts of anyone else out there who has done this.

Make sense?

AC

 

[turks rule!]

I am coming to the end of the first week of transitioning my ten month old onto a raw diet. The kibble has gone forever

!!! I am doing it slowly and hope to be 100% raw in a couple of months.
I am very lucky here in Paris to have a top quality poultry shop ( it also sells fresh rabbit) across the street where i live. I just wanted to add to the chicken wing debate a little. Gilbert tried his first one today -with mixed results. So far he has been eating very small chunks of chicken for one meal a day. He was super hungry after an energetic walk so i thought it might be time to give the wing a go.
I put it in a plastic bag and ran it under the tap for a couple of mins - i now know that i need to warm it for longer! Poor Gilbert had no idea what it was at first. He then started to play with it (like a mouse) and after a short time he began to gnaw at it.
After about ten mins it became clear that his jaws are not yet strong enough to rip the meat and crunch the bones. He had a good try though

I then cut the meat off for him on the floor so he could see what i was doing , and hand fed him the chunks. I was rewarded with deep purrs

Yeah it was messy - i spent the next 15 mins mopping the floor (after scrubbing my hands of course) however, it was worth it.
Next week i will warm it properly and cut it down more until he gets a stronger mouth. I too thought that i could feed a half raw and half commercial diet but i have quickly come around to the idea that 100% raw is best. I am a little nervous but it MUST be better than the wetfood gloop he is eating at the moment. The next stop? A meat grinder