Wet Food-only Tartar Help

[punkrockkitty]

Hi all. Just went to the vet for an episode related to hyperesthesia and pain (wrote another thread about this) and the vet I consulted noticed during the routine check-up that my 8 month-old already had tartar buildup and even a small gingivitis that was starting.

She was really shocked to see this in such a young cat’s mouth, so of course she asked me what I was feeding him. I told her I only feed him canned food and although she agreed that wet was better than dry food (especially for males), she said I absolutely needed to feed him some form of “dental” kibble and then also gave me some speech about food that’s not vet-approved (basically, anything that’s not Hill’s, Royal Canin or Purina). I told her I give him Merrick’s LID canned food and even though she said she never heard of it, she said that it was clearly terrible for his teeth (and also mentioned something about too much minerals?).

I’ve read tons of articles, even some written by vets themselves, that debunk the theory of “dental” kibble saying that cats don’t really even chew the kibbles, but I’m not 100% against giving him a 1/4 cup of dry food IF it will really help with his tartar.

For now, I bought an oral cleansing gel and am considering brushing his teeth, but Hill’s/Royal Canin/Purine is out of the question. Their ingredients are filled with starch and I can’t imagine them being any better than what I’m currently feeding. She recommended Hill’s C/D formula.

Question is, can Merrick be that bad for teeth or is she just trying the old vet trick of getting me to buy their food? I’m willing to change brands if another brand is supposedly better for teeth, but what I’m mostly trying to steer clear of is A) any type of fish or fish oil, B) grains and C) fruit and unnecessary veggies.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[EmersonandEvie]

Disclaimer: I am not a vet.

The reason why pets get tartar buildup on their teeth is because they don't have to chew. Canned food is just mush that they can slurp up. That being said, kibble as a teeth cleaner has been debunked, like you mentioned.

One thing you can do is manually brush their teeth (my vet recommended I do this a few times a week) or give them something to chew. Friends over in the raw forum swear by soft, malleable bones (think chicken necks) and/or chunks of meat (properly supplemented). I, personally, order freeze dried chicken necks online from Amazon and give them to the cats once a week. I watch them while they eat them to make sure they don't get overzealous. I have noticed a decrease in the tartar on thir teeth. It also helps with their mental health by having to work for their food. Just my two cents...it may be worth a try with your cat!

If you're curious, I feed my cats half raw/half canned (Merrick rabbit and Redbarn lamb).

 

[Azazel]

I wouldn't bother wasting money on the dental kibble.

Daily brushing and feeding chunks of raw meat (gizzards are especially tough and good) or raw bones (chicken necks or wing tips) are effective ways of keeping teeth clean.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Ask the vet to explain the "science" behind this "dental kibble" and how it cleans teeth and don't expect a good answer, IMO.
I fed this stuff to a cat of mine when I was barely an adult and it did nothing for his dental health, in fact, it got worse.
Kibble is kibble. It does not clean teeth, unfortunately, and if it did, vets wouldn't be doing dental cleanings under anesthesia on kibble fed pets every day of their lives.
I wouldn't bite on this dental kibble (no pun intended, lol)!
If dental care is an issue, consider offering certain types of raw foods and doing a dental cleaning if necessary to "start from scratch" if his teeth are showing problems. Some cats with bad teeth/poor gums will be hesitant to chew through bones.

 

[Gizmobius]

All good advice already mentioned in this thread, but I just wanted to add on that I don't believe the age of a cat necessarily matters when it comes to dental health. Yes, your cat is still quite young but I believe that dental health is also genetic. Some cats are more lucky than others. Absolutely try to begin brushing your kitty's teeth! I try to do so with at least one of my cats because, while he hates it, he's more open to the idea than my girl. Good luck!

 

[1 bruce 1]

All good advice already mentioned in this thread, but I just wanted to add on that I don't believe the age of a cat necessarily matters when it comes to dental health. Yes, your cat is still quite young but I believe that dental health is also genetic. Some cats are more lucky than others. Absolutely try to begin brushing your kitty's teeth! I try to do so with at least one of my cats because, while he hates it, he's more open to the idea than my girl. Good luck!

Is there an over or undershot jaw? Sometimes this IME makes all the difference and genetics certainly plays a role!!!

 

[6catsmom]

Merrick was bought by Purina in 2015

 

[Vega's Dad]

Vega gets a chunk of meat ( beef, lamb etc) daily. She also gets 1/4 quail every 1-2 weeks. If it's upper body, she leaves wing tips untouched; thigh bone if lower. She gets her annual checkup on May 7th. Will see what her vet's gonna say.

 

[sophie1]

Charlie (gold/brown in the avatar) developed gingivitis by 1 year of age. I was already feeding raw food, so I started tooth brushing both cats and switched to a homemade recipe that includes chunks of meat, cut up with scissors. It took quite a while to get my cats used to eating chunks without regurgitating (several months), but they handle it perfectly now. The chunks should be large enough that they have to scissor off pieces with their side teeth. Cats don't "chew" the same way we do.

Ironically, the cat with the healthy teeth (Chai) loves getting his teeth brushed and it's now a nightly ritual that he won't let me forget. Charlie on the other hand runs away whenever he sees the toothbrush. So I got Petzlife gel (salmon flavor) and give him a dab weekly, rubbed on his teeth with my finger. Fortunately he tolerates this well, and even seems to like the gel.

He's now 5 years old and his teeth are healthy. Knock wood they stay that way! And, no kibble needed. Charlie won't touch any kibble for reasons I've never figured out, so I've never been able to test that theory on him. However, there are many reasons to be skeptical - if it were the case, dentists would be recommending crispy cookies and pretzels for oral health. Pretty sure that's not happening.

 

[lisahe]

All good advice already mentioned in this thread, but I just wanted to add on that I don't believe the age of a cat necessarily matters when it comes to dental health. Yes, your cat is still quite young but I believe that dental health is also genetic. Some cats are more lucky than others. Absolutely try to begin brushing your kitty's teeth! I try to do so with at least one of my cats because, while he hates it, he's more open to the idea than my girl. Good luck!

Yes, our vet said genetics has something to do with it -- we have Siamese mixes and they are prone to dental issues. We brush our cats' teeth every day. That and treating them with antibiotics for the bartonella bacterium, which some vets (including our cat specialist) say contributes to mouth problems, has improved their tartar and gingivitis very markedly. They, too, had built a fair bit of tartar and gingivitis early on and needed cleanings at about the age of two.

 

[punkrockkitty]

Thanks for all the input, it’s much appreciated! I guess we all feel sort of the same about kibbles and dental “treats”.

I will definitely try to brush his teeth a few times per week, although I’m very skeptical about it. He is SUCH a drama queen when we try to trim his nails or give him his meds - it’s the end of the world I tell you
I’ll start off by the oral gel cleanser once a day, seems easier and quicker, but yeah, ultimately I should get him used to brushing soon. Fingers crossed!

I’ll also look into some sort of raw snack, very interested in the freeze dried option, because being a vegetarian for the last 25 years means I have no inkling what to do or where to even buy meat, ha. I’ll read up on it in the raw forum and see if I can find something that doesn’t make me cringe too much when handling the meat and more importantly, find out how to handle the meat to kill bacteria since I’m not used to this sort of thing.

My previous cat (RIP!) was mostly eating canned food with a tiny bit of dry food and had to have her teeth cleaned (and some teeth pulled out) at the age of 10, which is pretty awesome. Maybe my new boy is genetically less fortunate. We’re pretty sure he’s a mixed Oriental cat, so maybe he’s more prone to dental issues? Regardless, if I were to do a dental cleaning, say in a year or so, does that affect his overall health, with the anaesthesia and all so early on in life?

 

[lisahe]

The key to brushing is to find a toothpaste your cat likes. If you can do that, he might even think of brushing as a treat. Ours do! Well, these days just sort of for some reason but they really don't fight it. They like CET's seafood flavor, though one likes their poultry flavor even more.

Can you post a photo of your cat, P punkrockkitty ? (The two in my avatar photo are a lynx mix and a snowshoe but there are lots of variations on the Siamese mix theme.) And no, if you have to do a dental cleaning in a year or so, it shouldn't affect your cat's health.

 

[Gauntylgrym]

Great conversation here!

I have a 9 month-old siberian named Shiva. I transitioned her pretty early to all wet, and just yesterday made my first batch of homemade raw food for her (using the recipe on catinfo.org). I've given her some chunked chicken thigh meat that she took to pretty well, but I've been a bit concerned about how long to leave it out in her bowl at room temps.

I started brushing her teeth every night (ish) about a month ago. She doesn't love it and does complain, but she keeps the claws sheathed, so I'll take it. I'm taking her in for her 1 year checkup in September, so I'll see how her teeth are doing on this regimen.

It's great to find a group that is knowledgeable about this topic of dental health and feeding, as most vets seem to be clueless, evidenced by the trash food they promote and sell in their offices.

 

[Pucks104]

I have been using chunks of stew beef, Heathy Mouths for cats, Plaque Off for cats and Virbac poultry flavored C.E.T. Toothpaste applied with a Q-tip. The boys both developed gingivitis at 5-6 months of age. My holistic vet treated them with Mercurius Vivus for vaccinosis. All of this has improved Louie’s gingivitis which was the milder of the two kittens. George’s may be some better. Definitely hasn’t gotten worse. I still have a lot of concern about this being early onset stomatitis which is an autoimmune condition. I have recently added in an immune balance formulas and raw goats milk. I am trying to keep this in check as all I have read seems to say that early aggressive management can sometimes result in preventing worsening of the condition once a kitten is a couple of years old. If it is stomatitis and really gets bad then whole mouth tooth extraction seems to be the go to treatment. That works in many but not all cases. I also raw feed the boys trying to give them the best possible nutrition in hopes that their bodies can find their way to full health.

 

[1 bruce 1]

A training buddy used Mercurius Vivus, and something else (I think it started with a T?) for this vaccinosis. I was very skeptical at first. But the change was amazing in this dog who went from bug eyed fearful to much more relaxed.
They told me to not knock it til I tried it. Lesson learned!

 

[Pucks104]

I have turned to homeopathy a few times over a lifetime of caring for animals with wonderful results most of the time.