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Keeping their teeth clean...

post #1 of 18
8/20/11 at 5:50pm
Thread Starter 
I had my cat's teeth cleaned a while back. Today, the Vet said there is some calculus but it isn't bad. Does anyone have advice on the various products available, to help keep their teeth clean? There are drops to add in their drinking water, as well as teeth wipes and sprays. I tried the drops, but since I give my cat fresh water every day, I know that wastes it. What is the safest method to help keep their teeth clean?

Is there something we can do to help remove buildup on their teeth, safely?

Thanks for any advice.
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post #2 of 18
8/21/11 at 1:09am
You can either A: brush his teeth yourself B: feed him raw meat every once in a while or C: find a toy that's meant to be chewed to clean the teeth

I recently did the third one, buying a toy you place a treat in and when they chew at the toy to get it out, their teeth brush up against the fabric.
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post #3 of 18
8/21/11 at 6:40am
We've been using the liquid that is added to the water for my friend's little Yorkiepoo dog and it is working. I am making up a pitcher of water for them and keeping it in the refrigerator so they can get fresh cold water. The Yorkiepoo is here as much as she is at home so I put it in Bijou's water as well as she drinks that when she's here.
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post #4 of 18
8/21/11 at 11:13am
I use C.E.T. enzymatic toothpaste, there are different flavors but I got poultry and Genever likes it. Dorothy, not so much. It's hard for me to be able to use the little brush thing, so I usually end up rubbing her teeth.gums with paste on my finger, or just letting her lick the paste off my finger. Since it's an enzyme toothpaste, just getting it in her mouth is better than nothing.

You can buy it cheapest online, Amazon.com or I buy it from EntirelyPets.com. I think Petco and other pet stores have it too. Good luck!

Also, if your cat likes crunchy treats, get some Greenies, they're supposed to be good for teeth (if they actually chew them instead of inhaling them whole.. ) My cats love them, so I usually give them a few everyday, and do the brushing when I can remember.
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post #5 of 18
8/21/11 at 12:18pm
Erica, our vet gives away these finger brushes - work great! http://www.amazon.com/Four-Paws-Petd...3954239&sr=1-6
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post #6 of 18
8/21/11 at 12:27pm
Most of the dental additives that are the liquid ones you add to water are basically hydrogen peroxide. We buy 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide, add just 1 teaspoon (of 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide) to a gallon of DISTILLED water, and use that as the drinking water for our cats. This is where we buy the 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide: http://www.dancingalgae.com/hydrogenperoxide.html
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post #7 of 18
8/21/11 at 1:48pm
I feed the raw bone-in meals Minka mentioned. We're coming up on their birthdays next month (interestingly enough, all six were born in September, 'though they are not all siblings) and the oldest three are celebrating their fifth birthday - no dentals needed so far.

AC
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post #8 of 18
8/21/11 at 5:37pm
Ideally, I want to brush my cats teeth, but I enjoy that they are lovebugs towards me because I DON'T do mean things to them everyday like cram my hand in their mouth, lol!

Instead, I'm their biggest fan when I bust out the Greenies, which primarily use mechanical action to scrape teeth clean... and apparently they are super delicious, as they run and jump like their in the Olympics to get em as I toss them high up on shelves and across the room. Oh and btw, these are not in any way related to dog greenies other than that they are made by the same manufacturer. At our last checkup, the vet said their teeth and gums were very healthy, and they don't have stinky breath, but then again they are still very young so that may not be real proof of efficacy. http://www.amazon.com/Feline-Greenie...973134&sr=8-10

Regarding dental drops for their water, to avoid being wasteful I would recommend a nice ceramic fountain, but would check with the manufacturer on whether or not you'd need to remove the carbon filter by the pump if it would filter out the chemical: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3jmlWTm2M

Note that as long as you aren't using a very powerful reverse osmosis filter or distilled water, that the water should already have a bit of fluoride in it as well, which has some dental benefit (although technically I'm against having it in water since humans get plenty of fluoride from their toothpaste alone, but that's another debate, heh).
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post #9 of 18
8/21/11 at 7:59pm
I've tried 3 different fountains and after a few months the pump goes. The cost to replace the pump is equal to or better than the cost of a whole new fountain. I now just keep a nice dish of water out for Bijou (and Savannah the Yorkiepoo). I keep my home at 70 degrees so it doesn't get too hot for them.
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post #10 of 18
8/21/11 at 9:09pm
Hmmm, which fountain? And I assume you didn't ever run the pumps dry right, as that will destroy them in no time. I have two drinkwell platinums and one pioneer fountain, and the drinkwells are both outside of their 1 year warranty and no pump issues to date. *knock on wood* My pioneer is only around 3-4 months old, so we'll have to see how it holds up.

The dish of water is nicer since its always 100% fresh (my fountains I only empty and refill once a week), but the downside is my cats at least were barely interested in stagnant water. Supposedly in nature cats avoid stagnant water in favor of flowing water whenever possible, since flowing water tends to have less parasites/bacteria.
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post #11 of 18
8/22/11 at 8:38am
This thread reminds me.. I need to find the CET Toothpaste (poultry flavor, I think). Monet stole it and hid it somewhere.. he loves that toothpaste so much he chewed through the tube to eat it. He also lets me rub it on his front teeth at least.

Picasso isn't a fan of it.
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post #12 of 18
8/22/11 at 1:23pm
Three of my cats love the C.E.T. toothpaste (to eat), but Sven is the holdout. He likes it, but he refuses to lick it off my finger, and if I try to rub it on his teeth, he fights me on that too. So...now I put a pea sized drop of it on top of his food, and he eats it from there! Silly cat . I just hope it's giving him some benefit.

Oh, and I've had my Drinkwell fountain for a couple of years, and rarely clean out the motor parts because it's so darned hard to open it up, but it's still running like a Timex! I've just order some of the dental additive for water, but think I'll just put it in the other water dishes, since Sven is also my holdout of drinking from the fountain. Hard to teach an old cat new tricks, apparently.
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post #13 of 18
8/22/11 at 1:43pm
I've been using Biotene Veterinarian Drinking Water Additive for a few years and it really works! Rocky loves water and, as such, gets the biggest benefit. His vet is always amazed how good his teeth and gums look for a cat of 13.
Lucy and Moose are not big drinkers so I use the Biotene Veterinarian Maintenance Gel once a week and it keeps their gums nice and pink.
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post #14 of 18
8/24/11 at 8:03pm
My vet recently gave me Maxi Guard Oral Gel for Xander since he is getting some tartar and plaque on his back teeth. You just rub a drop over his top back molars each day. Not sure what its supposed to do exactly, but we'll see if it helps. If not, he may be headed for a cleaning soon.
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post #15 of 18
8/25/11 at 7:07am
We give our cat some Crunch n Clean treats. Our cat is only one and a half years old, and our vet said her teeth look pretty good, but we should start getting her in the habit of having her teeth brushed. She recommended buying a tiny toothbrush (like for babies) and gave us a sample of CET poultry flavour enzymatic toothpaste. I haven't actually tried brushing her teeth yet since I have only had her for two weeks. I'm going to wait until she is more comfortable around me before I start opening her mouth lol.
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post #16 of 18
8/27/11 at 12:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkMavis View Post
I use C.E.T. enzymatic toothpaste, there are different flavors but I got poultry and Genever likes it. Dorothy, not so much. It's hard for me to be able to use the little brush thing, so I usually end up rubbing her teeth.gums with paste on my finger, or just letting her lick the paste off my finger. Since it's an enzyme toothpaste, just getting it in her mouth is better than nothing.

You can buy it cheapest online, Amazon.com or I buy it from EntirelyPets.com. I think Petco and other pet stores have it too. Good luck!

Also, if your cat likes crunchy treats, get some Greenies, they're supposed to be good for teeth (if they actually chew them instead of inhaling them whole.. ) My cats love them, so I usually give them a few everyday, and do the brushing when I can remember.


That's how I clean Ku Ku's teeth, too!
She hated it when I first started "brushing" her teeth but I trained her by giving her greenies if she behaved and let me brushed her teeth.
Now she somehow stays still while getting her teeth brushed, lol.

I've also used poultry flavored one before but seems Ku Ku wasn't too happy or excited about it, I switched it to beef flavored a couple of months ago.

IMO, just like our teeth can not be cleaned by using mouthwash only, cats' teeth should also be brushed & cleaned in a same manner.
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post #17 of 18
8/27/11 at 9:13pm
Can someone recommend a specific brand/type of chew toy that has dental benefits that's more rubber-like than fabric-like? I have the triangle/fish-shaped soft ones with the mesh that's supposed to clean a cat's teeth, but my cats never chew on them, even with catnip added. One of my cats will, however, chew on more resiliant things. So I'm looking for a dog-type dental chew thing, only sized for cats. Can't find any.

Also, can someone name the brand of or where they got the chew toys that you can fill with treats to encourage chewing?
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post #18 of 18
8/27/11 at 9:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hannahgirl View Post
I had my cat's teeth cleaned a while back. Today, the Vet said there is some calculus but it isn't bad. Does anyone have advice on the various products available, to help keep their teeth clean? There are drops to add in their drinking water, as well as teeth wipes and sprays. I tried the drops, but since I give my cat fresh water every day, I know that wastes it. What is the safest method to help keep their teeth clean?

Is there something we can do to help remove buildup on their teeth, safely?

Thanks for any advice.
You can brush if you want. I use Feline Greenies. It is a great dental treat and I have fun with my cats using them to teach them tricks while helping with their overall dental care. More info can be found at http://www.greenies.com
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