The Dog Bowl Pet Supply and BARF Raw Food Blog
The Dog Bowl is an online storefront that offers quality pet products including: raw dog food, B.A.R.F., pet beds, dog dental care, pet first aid kits for travel, and every other luxury pet gift imaginable.Wednesday, September 13, 2006
A new way to clean your cat's teeth
Seven years ago, on my kitty’s first visit to the vet, I was handed a little toothbrush and a sample size of kitty toothpaste and told to regularly brush his teeth. “Right", I thought, "I am to brush this animal’s teeth when just brushing his *coat* turns him into the Tazmanian Devil.” Cleverly, I instead put Tux on a "high-quality, pelleted diet", which I was told would help keep his teeth clean, and didn’t think about it again.
But, recently, I read that chronic gingivitis can compromise a person’s immune system, something to do with the steady load of constantly fighting a low grade infection. I take very good care of myself, but what about my cat? Yesterday, while he was sleeping, I snuck up on an unsuspecting Tux, lifted his lip, and took a closer look. Yep, his breath was foul. And, sure enough, his back teeth were caked with a hard, yellow goo. I managed to pry some off before he was fully awake, but the other side hurt him too much. He growled. His gums bled. I felt terrible--what kind of a monster mom have I been??
I called The Dog Bowl. They described this interesting tooth-brushing substitute called Leba III that you spray in your cat or dog’s mouth once a day. Hey, I can manage that. It apparently dramatically reduces plaque over a period of days. So I picked some up, waited until Tux was good and sleeping---you know, where they are hunting in their dreams---and spritzed his chops. He sat up, surprised, licking his lips. I assured him in a high, flowery, kitty voice that he was a very good boy. Assuming he had performed yet another brilliant feat, he purred and resumed his slumberfied position, unaware that, as he slept, his teeth were being restored to the cleanliness of their youth.
I’ll be writing again to let you know how it goes. From what I read, gingivitis in cats and dogs---same as in humans---can be reversed if it has not gone too far. Hopefully, I have caught it in time. But I sure wish I’d started that first day...
But, recently, I read that chronic gingivitis can compromise a person’s immune system, something to do with the steady load of constantly fighting a low grade infection. I take very good care of myself, but what about my cat? Yesterday, while he was sleeping, I snuck up on an unsuspecting Tux, lifted his lip, and took a closer look. Yep, his breath was foul. And, sure enough, his back teeth were caked with a hard, yellow goo. I managed to pry some off before he was fully awake, but the other side hurt him too much. He growled. His gums bled. I felt terrible--what kind of a monster mom have I been??
I called The Dog Bowl. They described this interesting tooth-brushing substitute called Leba III that you spray in your cat or dog’s mouth once a day. Hey, I can manage that. It apparently dramatically reduces plaque over a period of days. So I picked some up, waited until Tux was good and sleeping---you know, where they are hunting in their dreams---and spritzed his chops. He sat up, surprised, licking his lips. I assured him in a high, flowery, kitty voice that he was a very good boy. Assuming he had performed yet another brilliant feat, he purred and resumed his slumberfied position, unaware that, as he slept, his teeth were being restored to the cleanliness of their youth.
I’ll be writing again to let you know how it goes. From what I read, gingivitis in cats and dogs---same as in humans---can be reversed if it has not gone too far. Hopefully, I have caught it in time. But I sure wish I’d started that first day...
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