T/D by Hill's Prescription Diet...

Hello!

I am wondering if paying extra $$$ for T/D Hill's Prescription Diet is worth it? At least, my 2 year-old female cat likes it, her hair is soft and shiny and she is in good shape. And it helps her with fighting tartar. But do you know of any other cheaper alternative, as good? My first cat lived for 12 years on meat left overs and was doing fine. Wondering also is all that hype behind vet food is not only a marketing success for these companies?

Thx for your reply,

Nath.

T/D is good for the teeth but I wouldnt pay extra for dental care since at a pt you have have the vet clean them....

Many OTC foods have some ingrediant s to help with "dental care".. if they work or not depends on many variable s...

two examples
Gigi my 8.5 yr old yorkie has the teeth of a dog half her age ... I give her raw now but she has had dry and canned plus bones for the 5 yrs I have had her ... I will give her a dental soon( as in when I have the $$) cause I think it is time and she wont allow for a teeth brushing ...

Kandie will be 18 in june* GOD willing* and will have her first tooth removed this dental within the next few weeks .. she had wet and dry for the first 16 yrs ... she now gets wet and raw

Zoey is only 2 and has no tarter ... she eats dry and whatever raw and canned I can get her to eat ...

The whole point behind T/D is that it IS more effective than regular food. There are many dogs and cats that do not chew their food, the t/d is large enough they usually have to chew it, and it doesn't break up as easily as normal food.

It honestly depends on the vet. You don't HAVE to feed t/d to keep your cats teeth cleaned. They make some enzymatic chews for cats that help keep their teeth clean, you can also brush their teeth, or just take them in for routine cleanings.

Prescription Diets have been tested and proven to work. The ingredients aren't beautiful, but they do work. t/d for example is going to clean your cat's teeth better than feeding your cat a whole can of the anti-tartar cat treats. The weight diets although proven to work in my oppinion were invented for lazy owners. If you cut back on your pets food intake, and up the exercise your pet can lose weight without having to go on a special food.

Anyway back to the point.

I've been feeding one of my dogs t/d because it slows her down [she has to chew her food rather than inhale it] and it's really been keeping her teeth clean.

You just have to decide, you can invest the money in the food, or in getting routine teeth cleanings.

I was given a sample of t/d by my vet recently and I found that there was little (if any) difference to Hills Science Plan Oral Care (which is cheaper) I'm also not incredibly taken by the ingredients!

I like the idea of the dental treats and food, but have seen little difference in Tibby's gums and teeth - one main reason being that he swallows even the Hills Oral and t/d!

I prefer to clean their teeth with an enzymatic toothpaste and brush as it it a whole lot more effective and I can see the difference!

Sar - is the kibble size bigger with the hills t/d than normal dry foods? I was thinking of getting some to feed Jaffa as a treat (not as his main food - not too keen on the ingredients for it to be his main food). He's another one who swallows most things whole and has recently had to have a dental and 2 teeth out so I was wondering whether a little bit of the hills t/d might help. Also, can you only get this from vets? Does it have to be prescribed or can they just give it out?

Does anyone know of any good dental treats for cats that they are forced to chew/crunch? I've tried whiskas dentabits but he just tries to swallow that whole, gags on it, has another go and gets it down second time! There seem to be lots of things for dogs to chew but nothing like that for cats.

Originally Posted by urbantigers

Sar - is the kibble size bigger with the hills t/d than normal dry foods? I was thinking of getting some to feed Jaffa as a treat (not as his main food - not too keen on the ingredients for it to be his main food). He's another one who swallows most things whole and has recently had to have a dental and 2 teeth out so I was wondering whether a little bit of the hills t/d might help. Also, can you only get this from vets? Does it have to be prescribed or can they just give it out?

Does anyone know of any good dental treats for cats that they are forced to chew/crunch? I've tried whiskas dentabits but he just tries to swallow that whole, gags on it, has another go and gets it down second time! There seem to be lots of things for dogs to chew but nothing like that for cats.

Click to expand...

You know, Jaffa and Tibby sound the same! Tibby recently had a dental and two extractions too! He'd had dentabits for the majority of his life, with no difference being made!

The Hills t/d and Oral are about a cm diameter - they are bigger than the normal cat biscuits, but Tibby still swallows them! Occasionally he will bite it, but it is very occasionally!

t/d is available from you vets and here

You don't need a prescription for it!

I have been hunting for a very long time for a treat that requires them to chew it, but I have yet to discover anything! They do have a bit of a chew on a hide stick, but they get bored of it very quickly!

Are you able to brush Jaffa's teeth? Do you use Logic? I have found that brushing with Logic has made a considerable differenct to all my cats' teeth (especially Tibby)! Plus, if you are unable to brush Jaffa's teeth, you can apply the past to a paw and it can be licked off - sticking to the teeth and the enzymes getting to work!

Originally Posted by Sar

You know, Jaffa and Tibby sound the same!

Click to expand...

A pair of greedy guts'! Bless em. I once bought some of that Logic toothpaste but never got around to using it. I think I will try with it again. The difficulty with brushing Jaffa's teeth is catching him to do it - I feel like I'm forever chasing him to do something nasty (clip claws, put on flea drops etc) and hate doing it - he just disappears under the bed if he suspects anything like that is going to happen. I can't face doing that several times a week but I am going to try and brush his teeth once a week. Do you know if chews designed for dogs harmful to cats?

Aww, bless him!

Even once a week would be a good start with the brushing and then maybe on the paw for the rest of the time? I always provide a spattering of delicious treats after each 'nasty' thing I do, for appeasement!

I have heard pros and cons regarding rawhide! I provide a rawhide stick for my three that they get to play with and chew under supervision! If it becomes split or splintered, I'll give them a new one! Usually, though, it just ends up as a soggy sloppy thing!

I'm not sure about other dog treats, but have often thought about this myself! I would expect that they may not be as appealing as cat treats, but the size and shape would force chewing!

I'll have a look into it and speak with my vet and see what they say!

Sophie went for her yearly checkup on saturday and she has a mild form of tartar forming. They've advised me to give her the Hills t/d which i am and thankfully both her and Rosie like it.

Unlike Rosie, Sophie doesn't entertain dental treats of any kind so wether this has something to do with it i don't know?!.

Benji got a T/D sample in novemeber...so as we were waiting for the bill i gave him a piece-vet was there he inhaled it...we were laughing cause he was swalloing the piece whole im like great he's going to choke-don't print bill yet...so i ended up with c/d and t/d. due to his "crazy run" he chiipped a tooth(very slight) so i pulled him off for a while(just in case...) but hes so happy to have -HIS- foods back. RJ