Question about feeding wet food only...

I am definitely not starting a debate...I really only want anwers from those who feed wet food ONLY.

When Blue and my bridge girl Sissy were younger, we fed only wet food. They never had any dry...ever. By the time they were about 7 or 8, they had HORRIBLE teeth. I took them to the vet and he chastized me for feeding only wet and told me that the reason their teeth were bad was because I never fed dry food to aid in plaque removal.

After that, I stopped all wet and fed only dry. They weren't happy, but they ate it and stayed healthy. BUT...they still had horrible teeth. Blue's had to be pulled a few weeks ago - all but his big long teeth in the front because of how bad his mouth was. Cleanings from the vet didn't ever help.

So, please...can someone tell me whether this is true or not. Did I ruin my cat's teeth forever by feeding only wet? Did the vet lie to me? Should I have been doing something else for their teeth if I was going to feed wet only? Or was it all just a fluke?

I don't know. . .I wonder if some cats are just predisposed to having dental problems. One of my mom's cats is now toothless (she's probably 14-16 years old now), so of course she's on canned-only now. But when she was younger she ate mostly dry food. And before we took her in, she was a trailer park stray, and I'm sure not many people feed the strays canned food. Lots of people put kibble out, though. And she hunted, too, so she had a lot of bone-in raw food. Even now, if a bird flies into a window or is hit by a car she'll eat it (not sure how!) but she doesn't hunt anymore. Anyway, my point is that even cats getting kibble and raw food can have bad teeth, so I don't know if a canned-only diet can be blamed at all.

is an idiot and needs to retire and go back to vet school.

Feline gingivitis affects all spectrum of the feline species, however in domestics, it is more common with "asian" cats then others.

What happened to your cats is they get gingivitis, the body of the cat doesn't know anybetter and fights this inflamation and in the process hollows and kills their teeth.

You didnt mention anything about toot loss.

Have the vet (assuming they are this equippem) for a dental xray and cleaning.

All you said is the vet said they had horrible teeth, what does that mean, do they have gingivits, or just plaque.

If your vet does not offer any dental services, find a new vet.

What a joke.

What did he go to Purina University?

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

I am definitely not starting a debate...I really only want anwers from those who feed wet food ONLY.

When Blue and my bridge girl Sissy were younger, we fed only wet food. They never had any dry...ever. By the time they were about 7 or 8, they had HORRIBLE teeth. I took them to the vet and he chastized me for feeding only wet and told me that the reason their teeth were bad was because I never fed dry food to aid in plaque removal.

After that, I stopped all wet and fed only dry. They weren't happy, but they ate it and stayed healthy. BUT...they still had horrible teeth. Blue's had to be pulled a few weeks ago - all but his big long teeth in the front because of how bad his mouth was. Cleanings from the vet didn't ever help.

So, please...can someone tell me whether this is true or not. Did I ruin my cat's teeth forever by feeding only wet? Did the vet lie to me? Should I have been doing something else for their teeth if I was going to feed wet only? Or was it all just a fluke?

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Some cats are prone to have issues with there teeth. It is most likely due to genetics and that is NOT diet related! You did NOT RUNE your cats teeth !

Originally Posted by Willowy

I don't know. . .I wonder if some cats are just predisposed to having dental problems. One of my mom's cats is now toothless (she's probably 14-16 years old now), so of course she's on canned-only now. But when she was younger she ate mostly dry food. And before we took her in, she was a trailer park stray, and I'm sure not many people feed the strays canned food. Lots of people put kibble out, though. And she hunted, too, so she had a lot of bone-in raw food. Even now, if a bird flies into a window or is hit by a car she'll eat it (not sure how!) but she doesn't hunt anymore. Anyway, my point is that even cats getting kibble and raw food can have bad teeth, so I don't know if a canned-only diet can be blamed at all.

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My DSH Shadow is six years old and still eats a bird, mouse, or rat a day (I know this cause I see it) and gets a mix of wet food and dry food twice a day. Plus unlimited dry food. So I would agree canned food has nothing to do with "bad" teeth . I suspect "bad" teeth has a large genetic component.

Originally Posted by Korina

is an idiot and needs to retire and go back to vet school.

Feline gingivitis affects all spectrum of the feline species, however in domestics, it is more common with "asian" cats then others.

What happened to your cats is they get gingivitis, the body of the cat doesn't know anybetter and fights this inflamation and in the process hollows and kills their teeth.

You didnt mention anything about toot loss.

Have the vet (assuming they are this equippem) for a dental xray and cleaning.

All you said is the vet said they had horrible teeth, what does that mean, do they have gingivits, or just plaque.

If your vet does not offer any dental services, find a new vet.

What a joke.

What did he go to Purina University?

Click to expand...

Your my new hero. So maybe post more ? But in all seriousness I would agree with you. Your very wise IMHO !!

Originally Posted by Korina

is an idiot and needs to retire and go back to vet school.

Feline gingivitis affects all spectrum of the feline species, however in domestics, it is more common with "asian" cats then others.

What happened to your cats is they get gingivitis, the body of the cat doesn't know anybetter and fights this inflamation and in the process hollows and kills their teeth.

You didnt mention anything about toot loss.

Have the vet (assuming they are this equippem) for a dental xray and cleaning.

All you said is the vet said they had horrible teeth, what does that mean, do they have gingivits, or just plaque.

If your vet does not offer any dental services, find a new vet.

What a joke.

What did he go to Purina University?

Click to expand...

Actually, I do not use this vet anymore. It was the one we used in another state where we used to live. I will just never forget his words because I felt so guilty!

Sissy and Blue both had gingivitis. Blue got constant infections in his teeth and had a very painful mouth. Both cats had horrific breath that smelled like rotting flesh. The vets would always want to clean their teeth and put them on antibiotics, but as soon as the antibiotics were done, the symptoms came back and we were back to square one.

Sissy was a DLH tabby and Blue is a blue point siamese (so "asian") - and Blue's teeth have, by far, always been the worst. He just had them all removed because our current vet said that his issues were very obviously advanced and untreatable. She scoffed at the other vets for not noticing this sooner and she did mention heredity.

Hi, BlueRexBear!

Neither kibble nor wet food does anything to promote dental health. As has been stated, your vet was misinformed - but he may have believed this info himself and probably shouldn't be vilified. Most vets mean well, they just don't have any nutritional learning beyond what the pet food representatives give them.

And try not to feel bad yourself, ok? We only know what we know until we know something more.

The best run-down of feline dental needs and how to care for them that I've found so far is on CatInfo.org/Dental Disease. For those who can't or don't feed raw bone-in meals - which is the vast majority - she strongly recommends brushing your cats' teeth and even has a video to illustrate the method.

Best regards!

AC

Our Spooky ate only dry food (they hated wet, but I tried to feed one meal a day. They'd lick at it) for the first couple of years of her life. She needed a dental at age one, and her first tooth pulled at two.

It is only special dental food and dental treats that can help promote oral hygiene. And this only by helping remove some tartar. Tartar itself does not cause gingivitis or infections, it just provides a surface to which things that do can better adhere.

The best defense is annual dental cleanings, whether or wet or dry. Additives to water, dental treats, and brushing teeth can mildly help improve their chances for not having problems.

Some cats are genetically predisposed to plaque build-up and gum disease. Besides yearly or even bi-yearly cleanings and teeth brushing every week, there is no way to prevent it in those such cats.

Wet food does not Cause teeth problems, no, but wet food also doesn't do anything for their teeth unless your cat is one of the few that will bite chunks out of the food like my cat does.
The only type of dry that does any good are the kinds that are large pieces that they Have to bite into in order to be able to swallow them.

Your best bet is to A: start brushing their teeth B: get them toys that clean their teeth C: get them treats that clean their teeth D: feed them raw chicken necks or other types of chewy raw meat

The vet didn't lie to you, the vet is just misinformed.

Raw chicken necks? Eew! LOL

However, we do raise and process our own chicken twice a year, so this is something we could actually do pretty easily. Of course, the kitties will have to munch on those in some kind of OUTSIDE enclosure! ROFL! I will not be bringing raw chicken necks in the house.

Thank you all for this wealth of information. We still do feed some dry food but I have, because of this site and what I have learned here, started to give my kitties lots more wet food over the last year. They thank you from the bottom of their kitty hearts too!

BbleFunny how you ask this question, I was just reading a threading a forum composed of vets and they were discussing the same thing basically. The only foods that may have some benefit, according to the vets on the thread and the research they cited are the dental diets like hills t/d. This benefit is due to the composition of the food not the action. Since the kibble is large, it may have some scraping benefit on the tips of the teeth but due to the design of a cat's teeth, much of the crumbs gets pushed in between the teeth and into the gumline. One of the studies showed no difference between regular kibble and wet food in terms of dental health. Reason is that cats don't chew but swallow their kibble. Not one of the vets said dry or wet food helped or worsened dental problems.

Note that hills t/d and the other dental diets require that it is the sole diet; there should be no other food fed with it. Which doesn't't make sense to me as I am assuming that with all the research hills does they should know that wet food is better for cats. However, not to start anything. I would not say that you ruined your cat's teeth. Like humans, some cats are prone to dental problems. Did your vet discuss brushing your cats' teeth at all? Also, there are additives that you can add to their drinking water, or sprays but brushing is the best method to combat plaque and gingivitis.

I love it when vets make you feel guilty. sigh