Vet told me change to full dry diet

madara

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I'm abit tore, sure it would be cheaper but everything I read online says wet food is better then dry. I have Natural Balance in both versions but the only reason my vet gave yesterday with these instructions was she didnt like my kitten's teeth/ breath odor. I also picked up a cat brush kit. I cant see why if I do that daily my boy couldnt stay on a 6oz can.
 

chris10

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Originally Posted by madara

but everything I read online says wet food is better then dry. .....she didnt like my kitten's teeth/ breath odor.
What are your thoughts on the wet vs dry? Do you believe it yourself?

Not sure if the second quote was meant this way but dry food doesn't clean teeth.
 

optionken

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Dry food is no better for teeth then wet food. Would a hard pretzel clean your teeth?

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...dcleantheteeth
http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4a.php
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/dental2.html

Even if it was, since when are teeth more important then kidneys or other parts of a feline's health
Teeth for cats are important though just like they are for humans. Problems with teeth can lead to other diseases.
You have a kitten. Starting to take care of them now at this age is great
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pe...brushing_teeth
Best of luck
 

althekitty

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If you feed a good wet food I doubt that switching to all dry food would be a good option. I feel that a lot of vets advise this only because they have business dealings with dry food companies and are also only taught about the benefits of dry food. As someone on here in another post rightly pointed out that vets are not cat nutritionists. I use a teeth cleaning gel too and I don't have any issues with my boys teeth. I would try the paste for a while and see how you get on. Had you noticed bad breath on your kitty?
 

stephanietx

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Tell your vet, "I don't think so, but I appreciate your opinion." and continue feeding as you are. You know your kitties better than anyone and if they're thriving on what you're currently feeding them, then don't worry about it. If the vet doesn't like the way their teeth look, then have their teeth cleaned. Having a dental cleaning is actually very good for kitties.

Stephanie
 
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madara

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Thanks for your thoughts, I was looking for other opinions so I appreciate the replies. Perhaps 50/50 mix is best. He was found at 1.5lbs in July and now is 7.2 so weight maybe another factor.
 

fifi1puss

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Wet food is best for a cat. Weight has nothing to do with it. A cat can get fat on all dry.....I learned this the hard way.
They are strictly carnivores and dry food doesn't have enough meat in it. Alot of vets are not up to date on nutrition, so do your own research.

My cats like a mix. If you look on the food containers they tell you how much to feed according to weight.

I don't keep dry food out all day anymore. (they were eating too much and getting tubby)

Just at night so they leave me alone till morning.
Than they get wet, and nothing more till I get home and feed them wet for dinner. They sleep all day anyway!
 

twokatz

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Most vets are not really trained in nutrition and only know what the pet food companies tell them. Dry food is associtaed with too many illnesses in cats, Another member posted some good links on nutrition. Wet is best, I use both because I am gone long hours every day and mine don't eat enough wet to meet thier needs. There is a gel from Oxyfresh that is supposed to really help the teeth, they also have a product you can put in the water that is supposed to help.
 

aswient

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2 of my boys are prone to UTI's and the wet food gives them a good percentage of water because my boys are not big water drinkers. I do give them some dry food but thankfully, they prefer the wet.
 

sharky

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I would suggest taking some of the info you find ( now it is often written by a holistic or a traditional vet) and rediscuss the matter at your next appt .... vets who rely solely on school for their nutrition education are about as informed as your human dr///

my favorite analogy is

which sticks to your teeth an apple or popcorn???
 

sweetkara

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My vet said years ago they thought dry was best because it would scrape dogs and cats teeth clean but over time animals that ate dry had just as much teeth problems and animals that ate wet.

She said wet is better, but if it's a struggle and your cat hates it then don't force the issue. My Kara eats about 95% wet food-- I give her a little sprinkle of dry wellness or greenies in her dish before bed as a snack. I brush her teeth everyday, too.
 

goldenkitty45

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I would stick to the canned food as part of the diet. Canned food does not make the teeth bad and dry doesn't keep them clean either.
 

mrbradstewart

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my kitty did the same thing (jump in weight)... but she isnt fat. i do a 60/40 mix, kind of like the 60/40 split in bench seats available in most cars today!
 
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