Dental health?

phantomcallie37

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I don't know if this belongs in this forum or the grooming one. I would think this one. But anyway, on to the question...

Aside from fighting my cat to get his teeth cleaned, what is a good way to get and keep his teeth clean? He won't eat treats (especially tartar control), and I don't know if I trust that stuff you put in the water, but the vet says his gums look irritated and he's got tartar... So if anyone has any suggestions, they would be much appreciated! Thank you!

~Dust!~
 
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phantomcallie37

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Really? The thing is, I'm not sure he'd eat them... He's adamant on only eating his food, which is good....
 

clpeters23

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I've used Oxyfresh pet gel and their oral hygiene water additive for years. It's kept the inflammation down and their breath fresh, but cannot remove tartar once its there.
 

pami

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Originally Posted by phantomcallie37

Really? The thing is, I'm not sure he'd eat them... He's adamant on only eating his food, which is good....
It needs to be said that if you feed any meat with the bone in, it must be raw. Once it is cooked, the bones will split and have/and will cause health issues with bones lodging in different areas of the digestive tract.
 
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phantomcallie37

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Originally Posted by clpeters23

I've used Oxyfresh pet gel and their oral hygiene water additive for years. It's kept the inflammation down and their breath fresh, but cannot remove tartar once its there.
But brushing their teeth will help with the tartar and stuff, right? And the other stuff will help prevent it?
 
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phantomcallie37

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Originally Posted by Pami

It needs to be said that if you feed any meat with the bone in, it must be raw. Once it is cooked, the bones will split and have/and will cause health issues with bones lodging in different areas of the digestive tract.
Aye, that's good to know, too. Excellent.
 

clpeters23

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Originally Posted by phantomcallie37

But brushing their teeth will help with the tartar and stuff, right? And the other stuff will help prevent it?
After Rocky had three extractions 8 years ago, I started him and Moose on a every other day brushing regimen with CET tartar control pet toothpaste. About two years ago, I switched all three cats to the Oxyfresh gel (every other day) and water additive. Just a month or so ago I bought "Maxi/Guard OraZn" and that's reduced the gum inflammation quite a bit. They all have fresh breath for cats.

Despite the brushing Moose lost two teeth five years ago and the vet said he was probably predisposed to dental problems.

I guess the answer is to try what's out there and see what works best. Regular care may not mean you'll never need to have your cat's teeth professionally cleaned, but it certainly cannot hurt and it's good to take a look at their mouths/gums/teeth and monitor what's going on.

Good luck!
 

white cat lover

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I've been told simply getting them to lick the pet toothpaste will be about as effective as brushing their teeth - due to the way pet toothpaste is made.
 

chowchow

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Our cat, Sultan, has chronic gingivitis, so we take him to the vet every 6 weeks to have his teeth scraped. We're fortunate that because he's so scared of the vet he kinda freezes and let's the vet scrape his teeth without any struggling. So the whole thing is over with in about 10 minutes, no anesthesia involved, and the bill is only $40 each time.

We'd like to brush his teeth but he's not scared of us so he won't let us do such a thing to him.
 

monaxlisa

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Originally Posted by Pami

It needs to be said that if you feed any meat with the bone in, it must be raw. Once it is cooked, the bones will split and have/and will cause health issues with bones lodging in different areas of the digestive tract.
You can actually boil chicken necks. The bone becomes very crumbly (kinda gross) and doesnt get brittle at all like regular bones.
 
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phantomcallie37

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Awesome. I'll try brushing his teeth and stuff. There's a groomer in town that does teeth cleaning, they're attached to my vet's office, so that might help too. Thanks for all of the advice!
 

althekitty

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My cat has never had problems with his teeth but I was keen to avoid any problems in the future so i use Logic Gel which I get from the vet. For most cats they suggest putting a bit on there paw and they will naturally want to clean it off and will lick it. With cats having such rought tongues they clean there teeth themselves when they lick it into there mouths. I put the gel directly onto his front teeth all over and then he does the licking!!! He seems to quite like it too, I think it tastes nice for him. He never has nasty breath and no build up.
 
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