[violet0019]

I live in Montreal, Canada, and I am seeking an alternative, more natural product > to replace the T/D Prescription Diet for Cats and also the T/D Prescription Diet for Dogs, which I use - additionally to my pets regular diets - used as a sprinkle on top of their meals, or as a treat, as a prevention program for their teeth. Because of the large, hard, round shaped-type of kibble, and the special formula - it is supposed to keep their teeth in good shape, and so far I am very pleased ....but, I do NOT feel comfortable to support this company. I do not like giving my pets food with :eek: chemicals. I live in Montreal, so if there is anyone who knows of any other products available here, that are very similar to the T/D... I would be VERY appreciative.! Thanks!

[tany072075]

There are other treats you can give them such as Greenies for cats and dogs, milkbones for dogs. Also Iams food I believe has dental care already in the food.

[morgaine300]

Iams is about as bad as Hills, and since they've changed their formula yet again recently, it's worse than it was. Many of the snacks made out there have a lot of garbage in them too.

I'm glad to find someone else who does not support Hills. I hate them. I find the only thing they do well is marketing and talking vets into selling the stuff. It isn't just about the chemicals -- it's about the fact that the food is not good quality, has too much other garbage that isn't a natural part of a cat's diet, and too little meat, and too little muscle meat. The prescription diets are worse, sometimes having no muscle meat in them at all. Most of them are also high carb, a cause of diabetes.

Dry food doesn't have enough moisture so I wouldn't feed that at all. The so-called dental diets are nothing but bigger pieces of kibble, since cats really don't chew their food. (Which is why dry food doesn't work and the spray smelly stuff on it can harm their teeth as well.) Very few companies make dental diets and those that do usually aren't making good quality food. So I wouldn't even try to find something like that.

I would dump the dry. Cats get their moisture from their prey and dry food has very little. Cats don't naturally drink a lot of water and generally don't drink enough to make up for the lack of it in dry food, and most cats are chronically dehydrated. It leads to all sorts of problems with urinary tract, and some of us believe kidney issues later in life.

Don't get me wrong - canned food won't really help their teeth either, so that's not what I'm implying, though it generally isn't going to have as many inappropriate things in it.

Cats in the wild eat by ripping animals apart and chewing on bones. They don't have little kibble and they don't brush their teeth. They do it the natural way. Unless you want to start giving your cat whole animals to rip apart (and some people do), we as humans cannot replace this with some dry food. So we just have to deal with the issue that cats will end up with dental problems.

There are two things you can try. One is actually brushing your cat's teeth. I don't bother with this. You can also give your cat something to chew on. I know people who buy raw turkey necks, break them into manageble sizes with a hammer, and keep it frozen. Cats really need to have something to rip or chew for this to work. I don't think little snacks really do anything. Or... you can just get dentals when they become necessary, which is what I do. (That is basically the price we, and them, pay for having taken them away from a natural diet.)

OK, I haven't mentioned the dog because I don't know a lot about dogs. Perhaps the rawhide things work well for them, I don't know. Their nutritional needs aren't as picky as a cat's, but they too are carnivores and do better on good quality meat food. Dogs do at least chomp on their food, and they drink lots of water, so there's some differences there.

I do know that trying to find some dental diet really isn't the solution. And the concept of having a prescription food that's nothing but bigger kibble just totally knocks my socks off! It's like having to get a prescription from the dentist to buy toothpaste. What a stupid marketing ploy that is!