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Cat has gingivitis, he is 8 months old and is eating raw.?

My 8 month old cat has gingivitis the vet said. We are doing a feline luk/aids test to rule that out ( neither of his littermates are positive for it) My friend said it is because I feed raw and not dry kibble. Several articles I read say that there is no benefit to eating dry kibble to prevent gingivitis. One vet article compared it to humans eating pretzels to keep their teeth clean! Also my raw food has bone in it, so he does get crunchy stuff. Today I bought some Feline Greenies to help with his teeth and gums. My dogs get raw marrow bones but i am not sure the cat would appreciate them:) What do others do for gingivitis management, especially interested to hear from those who feed raw? I firmly believe raw to be a safe and healthy diet. The bone he consumes is ground up rather finely. Cats don't eat dry kibble in the wild. It's not their natural diet, so I truly don't think man has improved on nature with the concoction of dry kibble.

Public Comments

1. Here's an article on Cat Gingivitis. :]
2. Take this from a Tech: Do NOT feed your animal raw food, especially things with bones. Bones can cause obscructions in internal organs which can lead to a painful death and it has been found that raw meat can cause some forms of cancer in animals. Most veterinarians can perform dental cleanings, which can help. My previous veterinary clinic actually offered a dental vaccine to help prevent dental disease (I believe it was made by Phizer or Merial). Moist foods also stick to teeth....dry food it likes a toothbrush for animals, which is why it's more reccommended than moist cat food.
3. My cats eat a diet of raw and canned food. Unfortunately unless the cat is stripping meat from bone and chewing bone they don't get the benefit for their teeth. My cats simply won't eat chunks and I am happy with their diet so I have to "bite the bullet" on teeth cleanings.
4. I breed cats and they have always had a variety of raw meat fed in chunks and thrive on it. About three times per week they also get raw chicken necks. These exercise the gums and clean teeth as well. They love them and I have never had any problems with raw uncooked bones. Sore gums can often be due to some other source of health problems and you vet was right to check for FeLV and FIV first. Sore gums can often lead to Kidney problems later (or kidneys can even be the source of them) so I would try to get to the bottom of the problem.
5. Some cats are prone to gingivitis and it has nothing to do with what they eat, esp at 8 months. The important thing is to identify what is causing the gingivitis. He may have stomatitis which is, essentially, an allergic reaction to plaque. If he does have stomatitis, it can be managed if it's not too bad, but often removal of all or most of the teeth is the only long term solution. But I wouldn't worry too much just yet. Depending on what is causing the gingivitis, you may not need to do anything just now except keep an eye on it to see if it gets any worse. You're right that there is no dental benefit to feeding dry food. Raw bones are much better for their teeth. I give my cats raw chicken wings a couple of times a week to help with their teeth. You can also get toothpaste for cats that doesn't require brushing (I use logic gel but I dont' thin that's available outside the UK) so you can just let them lick it from the tube, add to food or smear it on a paw for them to lick off. I also use plaque off which is a supplement you sprinkle on top of food. These links might help http://www.dr-addie.com/stomatitis.html http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=368
6. Good for you for feeding raw! You have made the best possible choice here, and don't let anyone - including your vet - tell you otherwise. There's no way that the raw food is responsible for his gingivitis - if that's indeed his problem. Seems odd to me that it would happen in one so young, but what do I know. And you're quite correct that dry food provides no dental benefits. Personally, I don't think the so-called dental treats do either. I feed some raw and some canned. For dental health I offer raw chicken necks. These - or some use chicken wings - are highly recommended. If you've got a kitten more prone to dental issues, you could do that but you might need to do more, like brushing. But there are other things you can do - supplements like Wysong's DentaTreat or PlaqueOff, C.E.T. Dental's various supplements, one of which can be added to the water, or there's some other product out there that you apply once per week. Your vet may know of it. So keep up the good work, and I hope your kitty is fine!