Gingivitis

[timber-]

Devon had his last boosters today. The vet said he looks great other than a little bit of gingivitis. He said it could be because of the canned food and said that he feeds his cats only dry and they don't have this problem. I feed dry mixed with canned three times a day. I know many here say it's best to give canned because of water content and the low thirst drive cats have. Both Devon and Cheddar drink a lot of water throughout the day. I honestly think it's because I had Cheddar from so young that he does many things that the dogs do since he was raised by them, which includes drinking lots of water. This in turn has taught Devon to drink plenty of water too as he follows Cheddar's cues often.

How can I fix this problem before it gets worse? What about giving chicken wings or some sort of bone-in meat several times a week? Devon is only 6 months old and already has signs of gingivitis.

[dinky]

I don't know much about chicken wings, Timber, but I give all my cats a raw chicken neck at least every second day.They chomp away on them quite happily, although they are supervised with them. My dog also gets 10 chicken necks for breakfast every morning and has never needed to have her teeth cleaned. As long as the necks are raw, they are perfectly safe.

[timber-]

Perfect, thank you.

Devon is 8.5lbs. How much chicken neck do I give?

[angieh]

You could also look at Plaque Off, a natural product made from seaweed that can be used for dogs and cats. Just a powder sprinkled on the food. I use this for my dog Monty who had problems with tartar on his back teeth.

Ought to add it should not be used for any animal that has a thyroid problem.

[Elaine]

Some cats are more prone to gingivitis than others. I don't buy the dry food = no dental issues, dry food splinters and crumbles, it doesn't clean teeth, it also makes the kidneys work twice as hard as they should.
Chicken wings would be better.

[Velvet]

Not all Of ours will eat raw chicken wings but those that do love to munch & gnaw at them - same as a dog with a bone

[Peanutsfriend]

My cats love it when we have chick chick out of the oven. They get the wings and neck. They seem to be happy with that. They never hurt themselves with them. I give the dog the shucked dry bones andall are happy campers.
jill

[Yulecat]

Dry food is proved that it doesn't get rid of plaque as they say it does. Cats who are fed raw have much better teeth than cats that are fed dry or wet. But there was barely any difference between dry and wet food in their teeth.
In my opinion it's better to get their teeth cleaned once a year or more. Then all the stuff dry food can do.

Their teeth are designed for gnawing, grasping, cutting and killing. Not for chewing on kibble.

I would recommend chicken necks or anything else they can gnaw on really good.

[timber-]

Hey guys. I have a question about giving raw to clean cat's teeth.

I have been giving C&D half a chicken back once a week. Their teeth are clean. Now that they are getting bigger, how much am I supposed to give them keeping in mind that Cheddar is a bit pudgy?

[angieh]

I'm glad to hear that has had such a good result teeth-wise timber-. I wouldn't think that half a chicken back once a week would have many calories, so as it obviously has a good effect on their teeth, I'd keep it up and reduce something else instead.