Tooth health

newmomtomisty

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Long story short, I've got a stray and her teeth and gums are in bad shape at 4-5 months old. She's going to be spayed in one week, when is a good time afterwards to send her for a teeth cleaning.

I have her on kibble and wet food, she won't let me brush her teeth, is there anything else i can do for her?
 

LTS3

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If the vet can, the dental can be done at the same time as the spay. Otherwise, I'd wait for the cat to heal from the surgery before having a dental done. You may want to look for a veterinary dental specialist. "Regular" vets often don't have the advanced training to do a dental correctly and can miss dental issues.

If you're in the US, February is usually Pet Dental Health Month and some vets offer discounts on dental procedures then.

Brushing teeth takes a lot of time and patience so don't rule it out completely
Start by getting your cat used t have her lips pulled back, then work your way to touching her teeth with a finger or small pet toothbrush, then onto a lick or wo of pet toothpaste (CET is a popular brand), then gradually work your way to to a gentle swap of the teeth with a tootpaste covered toothrbush.

Dry food doesn't help with dental health in any way so don't rely on that. You can offer large dental chew treats. The only ones I recommend are the CET dental chews. Pet stores don't sell it so buy them online. Some people like to give their cats raw poultry gizzards and raw bones to gnaw on. Dental rinses are an option if your cat will let you squirt liquid into her mouth. Water additivies are a waste of money, IMO. A cat isn't going to drink enough water from a bowl for the additive to have any effect. Plus, the water must be dumped every day and more additive added to the fresh water. Kind of a waste of money for a bottle that just gets dumped down the drain.
 
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newmomtomisty

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Luckily I've been with my vet with the dogs for 10 years and he's always given me a 10% discount on teeth, dental month or not! I think it's loyalty and the amount I've spent on the dogs over the years. I also have pet insurance insurance so cost isn't the issue

I'm just trying to make sure it's the easiest on Misty. The vet said for a kitten her teeth are terrible and if feline leukaemia had not been ruled out, he would have tested for it. He showed me and her gums are very inflamed and full of tartar.

I'm going to look at the treats. Can they be bought on amazon?
 

LTS3

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Amazon and many other online web sites sell CET products


Kittens generally have bad breath and inflammed gums since they're teething. Once the adult teeth are in, the dental health is better but it's a good idea to start some kind of home dental cleaning routine to keep the teeth healthy. Some cats are genetically prone to poor dental health and may need cleanings somewhat regulrarily.
 

kaylee892015

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I highly reccomend a raw diet that involves chunks of meat and bones. I do grind some of the bones and meat on the bones, but also have smaller bones and chunks of meat in the mix. Everytime I make a new batch I increase the size of bones and chunks of meat. I'm also trying teeth brushing but it's a slow introduction process so I'm not planning on relying on that alone.
 

kaylee892015

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Also I forgot to mention, be careful when buying stuff off Amazon. Some items are grossly overpriced. For example, there were toothbrushes that were $57.91 on Amazon (which I was defenitly not going to buy) but coincidently my mom picked me up a couple from her local vet since mine didn't have any, and they were the exact same ones that were on Amazon for $57.91. My mom payed less then $2 for each of them.
 
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