Hi guys,

My little princess has got gingivitis - I've been told that I need to brush her teeth but I just wanted to check if the stuff they gave/sold me is safe for her.

They gave me Virbac Aquadent to put in her water and a Virbac toothpaste kit, does anyone use it on their cats?

I gave her a little bit of the toothpaste the other night as it tells you to to get her used to it, she loved it, BUT then she was sick the next day and I don't know if this was the reason?

I googled aquadent and it came up with some worrying stuff with people saying that some of the ingredients are toxic and that vets are wrong to be giving it out I just don't know what to think..so I thought I'd see if any of you guys have had any experiences with either product?

The vet also sold me some dry food that they'd just started selling, from..you guessed it - Virbac! They must be offering them good margins!

He told me that this is the best food to give our cats and how it had been created with the cats natural diet in mind - AND it would help my cats teeth. Now I'm really confused as I've read that biscuits are bad for cats AND it's a myth that they help with teeth! What do you guys think?

Our vet suggested we should brush Sam's teeth years ago to help prevent mouth problems (it was at the same time as Milly had all her teeth removed due to severe gingivitis). I don't know what the toothpaste was that he sold us, but we only used it twice, and both times he was violently sick the next day.

I can't give any advice, but that was our experience.

Regarding dry food, I think your own post answers your question there. It sounds like your vet has been brainwashed by a Virbac rep.

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Proud Mummy to:

Sam (born June 1999, found August 1999)
Milly (born May 1999, adopted September 1999)
Eva (born 2010, adopted us August 2011)

Oh dear - that's not good! Thanks for sharing...so what do you do about cleaning your cats teeth now?

Yeah I can just imagine all the money that Virbac spend on "winning over" vets..I think it's so confusing for people though, as you'd think that the vets know best. I just wish that I could spend the time educating myself on these things..I do try but there's just so much info out there, it's a minefield and I never know what to believe!

We don't brush their teeth. Milly had all hers out except for 2 canines, and Sam has neck lesions, so his have gradually all fallen out over the years.

We're considering giving them all occasional raw chicken wings now. Eva still has good teeth, so hopefully the raw food will help to keep them that way, and Sam and Milly will enjoy it even if we have to cut it up for them!

For the best information on what to feed, read hobbs' sticky posts at the top of this forum. There's loads of useful information there, all gathered together in one place.

__________________
Proud Mummy to:

Sam (born June 1999, found August 1999)
Milly (born May 1999, adopted September 1999)
Eva (born 2010, adopted us August 2011)