Author Topic: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)  (Read 5026 times)

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Offline Lola

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Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« on: September 02, 2011, 09:37:41 PM »
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Actually, there’s very little evidence that dry food benefits dental health. If dry food cleaned teeth, why do over 2/3 of cats have dental disease by age two, despite the prevalent feeding of kibble? Does eating pretzels clean your teeth? In fact, the carbohydrates in dry food, which turn into sugars, may HARM their teeth, not help them.
My cats get whole hearts with their ground raw diet, so they have something to truly bite into – and dental cleanings as needed (generally once a year). Most dry foods are either too small to actually be bitten into – or shatter once bitten, they do not clean teeth.

Lynette Ackman

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Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2011, 11:36:05 PM »
If they could speak, these would wholeheartedly agree!


Offline Auntie Crazy

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2011, 03:46:45 PM »
Yep, kibble doesn't do a thing for dental health. Neither does canned. The only diet that truly supports a healthy carnivorous mouth is one that includes ripping, tearing and scissoring through meat, skin, tendons and bones... in other words, a non-ground raw diet: Colyer Institute, "Influence of diet consistency on periodontal disease in captive carnivores".

Highlights from the study:

Wet foods: "Soft diets tend to produce more bacterial plaque than do firm diets."

Kibble: "Excessively course, granular diets can produce periodontal disease through the action of abrasive overuse of, and by direct traumatic injury to the supporting tissues of the oral cavity."

"Foods of firm consistency will increase the number, distribution, and tone of the capillaries in the gingival tissue; which improves the metabolism and vitality of all of the supporting and surrounding structures of the oral cavity."

"The degree of keratinization of the stratified squamous epithelium in the mouth, which affords protection against trauma and other injurious agents, is affected by the frictional qualities of the diet."

"Chewing, by its mechanical action produces a compression and expansion of the periodontal ligament space around the teeth which, in turn, promotes formation of a dense fibrous suspensory structure by increasing both circulation and fibroblastic activity."

"The width of the periodontal ligament, a measure of its health, is directly related to the intensity of the mastication function."

AC
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Offline Shadow

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2011, 04:59:24 PM »
The other day I was in a pet store and overheard the pet store employee telling a customer that it is the enzymes in the dry cat food, or Greenies that clean the cats teeth!! bangshead
"Education is the key" to make informed decisions about the health of our pets

Offline Auntie Crazy

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2011, 05:28:00 PM »
The other day I was in a pet store and overheard the pet store employee telling a customer that it is the enzymes in the dry cat food, or Greenies that clean the cats teeth!! bangshead
For real? That's both cringe-inducing and totally laugh out loud funny.

People who don't have an answer should just be honest and say they don't know, NOT go 'round making up their own explanations! *facepalm*

AC
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Offline Shadow

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2011, 07:09:24 PM »
For real? That's both cringe-inducing and totally laugh out loud funny.

People who don't have an answer should just be honest and say they don't know, NOT go 'round making up their own explanations! *facepalm*

AC
For real!! but I guess it makes some sort of sense to a person that is not educated.  I also heard a vet talking on the radio saying "You should see the teeth of wolves they are terrible. So cats and dogs need to have their teeth cleaned on a regular basis."     Has anyone else here seen the teeth of a wolf, or a tiger for that matter, and what do you think? maybe they do have bad teeth??but maybe because they do not get enough food to clean them in the wild?
"Education is the key" to make informed decisions about the health of our pets

Offline Mo

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2011, 07:34:45 PM »
For real!! but I guess it makes some sort of sense to a person that is not educated.  I also heard a vet talking on the radio saying "You should see the teeth of wolves they are terrible. So cats and dogs need to have their teeth cleaned on a regular basis."     Has anyone else here seen the teeth of a wolf, or a tiger for that matter, and what do you think? maybe they do have bad teeth??but maybe because they do not get enough food to clean them in the wild?

The teeth of a wolf are not full of plaque, but they do have bad teeth in another sense.  Since wolves each such large prey, the bone's of the prey are very dense, and are known to raw feeders as wreck bones.  They are very tough/big bones, and can break a wolves teeth.

http://www.thewolfmountainnaturecenter.org/mama-wolf.jpg
A picture of a wolves teeth.

« Last Edit: September 05, 2011, 10:18:06 AM by Lola, Reason: Sorrrrry. Picture was hot-linked. »

Offline FurMonster Mom

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2011, 11:47:14 PM »
A picture of a wolves teeth.

OMG!!!!111!!1!!!!11

Those teeth look terrible!

Someone should tranq that wolf and drag it in to a vet for a good dental cleaning!

And then it should be fed some proper dental kibble.

 sarcasmalert
meow meow meow meow meow meow? -woof!
Translation: "I can has my raw food? -please!"

Offline Lola

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2011, 10:20:26 AM »
The two things I hear the most:
1. My cat is doing fine on dry food.
2. Kibble cleans their teeth.

I'll just say it...
I thought the same thing for a very long time.  EVERYTHING out there "tells" us just that.  Pet food labels, commercials, many vets, etc. 
« Last Edit: September 05, 2011, 10:23:23 AM by Lola »
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Offline FurMonster Mom

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #9 on: September 06, 2011, 03:00:43 PM »
The two things I hear the most:
1. My cat is doing fine on dry food.
2. Kibble cleans their teeth.

I'll just say it...
I thought the same thing for a very long time.  EVERYTHING out there "tells" us just that.  Pet food labels, commercials, many vets, etc. 

yup
guilty as charged

meow meow meow meow meow meow? -woof!
Translation: "I can has my raw food? -please!"

Offline Auntie Crazy

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Re: Dry Kibble Is Good For Their Teeth (Not)
« Reply #10 on: September 06, 2011, 04:32:56 PM »
We only know what we know until we know something different; no shame in that (and this is precisely why education is so important!).  :-} 

AC
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