Teeth + Dry food verus Wet food

[Velvet]

I thought this might be of interest

Part of Pet Plans insurance with regard to cats teeth is that the cat has to have a yearly check up as to regards their teeth by the vet

I think most of us know that the Vets promote that we feed our cats on dry kibble which is supposed to be better for the cats teeth

When I asked the vet was Tim's teeth ok, he said they were in excellent condition and queried if he was fed on dry food. I truthfully said that until they were 12 months I gave the cats the option of dry or wet and they still got wet food. He didnt comment and I did not add that our cats main diet consists of wet food. Timmy and Amber eat three sachets of wet food a day each - more if they want it and they always have a full bowl of dry kibble left out every day for them. They also get some crunchy cat treats.

So long as ours want and look for wet food, I will supply it

Baby Mindy wont even look at dry food

I have long queried this assumption over the dogs and their teeth - all the time you get the hype about dry food being better for them. Every year I get the same report from the vet - teeth in excellent condition yet our dogs food - although fed dry kibble, it is soaked prior to feeding. Twice Harvey has been fed kibble dry and twice he has had Gastric Torsion [life threatening] - they do get the occasional hard crunchy biscuit and raw meaty marrow bones

Would anyone else like to comment, have any thoughts on the matter?

[Squirrel]

Beyond interest, no... Though when I was asked by the vet what mix I fed Cloud he said that because she was a girl he'd recommend that I stick with that, because of the dried kibble being better for her teeth. Left me wondering if boys were more susceptible to the various nasties caused by dry food...

[Velvet]

Its makes me wonder are some animals mor susceptical towards teeth decay than others, like people & no matter what you feed, they will decay anyway?

[Tink]

I really think this is a myth.
An analogy I read once makes more sense to me--
If you were to eat crackers or beef stew, which would leave you with more stuff in your teeth?
(Crackers!)
I don't think it has anything to do with food at all. You can have some kind of regimen whether it is brushing or a water additive or a powder to put on their food or various dental treats. I think in the wild they probably have to gnaw their food and the bones so it takes off any buildup. As domesticated, we need to do something to prevent tooth decay but IMO food really doesn't do much of anything if it's a matter of wet vs. dry.
(They'd say that dry is bad for males because it brings on UTIs..something they're already very prone to..because kibble is dehydrating as cats have no natural instinct to drink tons of water to make up for moisture content..their water is supposed to come from their food. Prey animals have a great deal of water that's why canned is better for them)

[Nuttygran]

Until about 3 months ago Missy had only dry food & I have had to slowly introduce the fussy madam to wet food. The reason I did this was because my vet said she had a lot of plaque & in fact, almost a moth ago she had to have two molars removed.

I agree with Tink, carbs stick to ones teeth more than protein. Plus cats are mainly carnivore, in the wild they would not eat cereal or grains.

Why then did I feed her kibble? Because one, she'd been weaned onto kibble. Two, Missy was the first cat I'd had since the age of thirteen & I listened to the advice of the "experts"!

Missy now has both wet & dry food but mainly wet with 'Plaque off' added.

[angieh]

This is a very interesting question and I do agree with what's already been said, but having said that, my cats won't eat wet even though I do offer it to them now and then and recently Kizzy has decided she likes tinned tuna, but only in small amounts. I would prefer them to have a mixed diet. They do have lovely clean teeth, but then they are both young cats.

Merlin used to have a mixed diet and had to have one dental operation but as an older boy so good going I think. Although he always did have predominantly wet food with dry left down if he wanted during the day, he still suffered UTIs.

The conclusion I have drawn is that, like people, genetic makeup has a lot to do with their general health and of course age impacts as it does with any animal or human.

I would like to know on what evidence vets base their advice though.

[farthing]

I agree with Tink and question that dry food cleans teeth, why do manufacturer make dental dry food now as well as dry food. I feed only wet, personally I feel wet food is better for cats and would rather run the risk of a dental later in life than cystitis, renal failure, diabetes or bladder problems.
Samson and Smudge were on the same diet- Smudge had 4 dentals in her lifetime, the first before 10, Samson never needed a dental in his life. As said genetics play a part in it too, I'm sure.

[Elaine]

I absolutely agree with Tink and Farthing. Dry food just splinters when bitten into, just as any biscuit does. The reason the dental kibble are bigger is that in theory, the animal really has to bite into them in order for them to break, still doesnt clean their teeth.

[dandysmom]

I'm with Tink and farthing here. After Leia had a bout of cystitis I changed to 95% wet. My previous cats had a mix of wet and dry, no dental problems with any of them, and two were 20 when they went to the Bridge. Genetics does play a large part here, I feel.

[Velvet]

Glad im not the only one to think this way!