Question:
My vet said that my ca, Jessie,t is now showing signs of slight
gingivitis(she's 13 years) and is now going to have her teeth cleaned
annually.
She has been on a wet diet for all these years, and latterly a senior wet diet
- well mixed senior and adult as she won't eat senior everyday!!! The vet
said she must have dry crunchy food and we should get a mix of dental and
senior. When we went along to the pet shop we were told 'forget the senior
diet it is a waste of time'. The pet shop owner claimed to have been a feline
nutritionist for years and that vets go to him for advice.
Anyone able to give advice, have you used the dental, have you been advised
against? What do you think?
Answer:
A dental diet will do nothing to help your cat's gingivitis, and a wet
diet is much healthier. I have a cat with severe gingivitis and I took
her to a specialist at the University of Minnesota Veterinary hospital.
He never once mentioned using a dental diet. My cat Zuzu had the option
of my cleaning her teeth every day with a special product called
Maxi-Guard OraZN, and if that didn't work she would have to have a full
mouth extraction. I've been applying the solution every day and that has
improved her condition enough that she does not need the full mouth
extraction at this time.
Caring for the teeth with regular brushing, etc., is the right way to
deal with gingivitis. Expecting a food to do the job is ridiculous and
it irks me that companies promote these products and lead consumers to
believe that that is enough and that taking an active role in ensuring
the cat's dental health is unnecessary.
It takes just a minute to brush a cat's teeth once a day and is much
more effective.
Science Diet Oral Care Diet for Cats is not a substitute for professional
care, but can be very helpful in prolonging the time between visits,
especially if you are unable to brush Jessie's teeth daily (and provided she
doesn't swallow the kibble whole). Feel free to contact me at
petdentistyahoo.com should you have any additional questions.
We usually mix in some Friskies Dental Diet food with the normal stuff we feed. It has bigger
pieces so they have to chew it up more and crunch it which causes it to run against their teeth and
give them a pseudu cleaning as they eat.
With all due respect, you don't know what you're talking about. For example,
Hill's t/d is effacious for treating gingivitis and periodonal disease. It's
been clinically proven.
That is actually one of the ways a client can take an active role in their
cat's teeth--feeding a diet like t/d. It's certainly not "ridiculous". I
would call it responsible.
There are *very* few dental diets that may "help," but they are no way
meant to be a sole treatment for dental disease. Unfortunately people
often believe they are and want to take the easy route in dealing with
dental disease, when regular brushing is what they should be doing and
is much more effective. I will also point out that feeding a solely dry
diet is not a preventative measure and is in many ways detrimental to a
cat's health long term. Increased risk of urinary tract problems is one
example.
