Chook Me!

Besides chicken necks, what else is good for cats to help prevent plaque build up?

My butcher doesn't have chicken necks (recommended by the vet). He does have chicken wings, etc. Are they just as effective? Will the bones get stuck in his throat? Thanks for the advice re chicken necks guys Update - thanks to everyone - I didn't think that my Vet of 20 years would give me bad advice...relieved that some of you were able to allay my concerns. I'll keep searching out chicken necks with confidence!

Public Comments

1. any type of bone is good for cats as long as its fresh not cooked! but it would probly be easier for them to chew if it is small
2. WTF???? You need to find a new vet.. that is VERY bad advice.... You should brush her teeth and NEVER give ANY animal poultry bones.
3. Your local pet store should actually have a tooth brush like item for this purpose. It may be a tiney brush, or a cloth that fits over your finger, all you do is swab around inside kitties mouth. He may find this odd at first, but he will get used to it.
4. Whiskas brand Temptations and Purina Friskies both make small cat treats that are meant for cleaning their teeth. Sold in grocery stores and Walmart.
5. Chicken necks are full of small bones that might lodge in their throat and choke them... NEVER give a cat or a dog..chicken bones.. I don't know why a qualified vet would tell you such a thing... You need to brush a cats teeth as they do not chew the way we do.. they can only go up and down.. and this action does not get rid of plaque,,,
6. My cat also has plaque build up on his teeth. My vet also told me about the chicken necks, and they have always worked well, and there is no risk of the bones getting stuck in his neck. Check out Coles/IGA or Woolies - they usually stock chicken necks. I have also taken my cat to the vet and got the plaque chipped off his teeth. He was quite happy to sit and let the vet do this. Good luck with your cat.
7. I don't know what kind of vet you have, but I'd surely find another one--fast! In the meantime, what do you think they make things like Friskie's Dental Diet and/or ANY or the harder foods for? To keep the cats teeth clean and free of plaque! When I first adopted my big boy (Pure white Turkish Angora) his teeth were totally yellow. I began feeding him Friskie's Dental Diet, and in less than 6 months, his teeth were as pure white as his coat. The stuff really works. Never give your cat raw chicken bones--this is a real good way to choke your cat to death if they get a piece of bone stuck. This is not to mention E.coli or Salmonella bacteria poisoning. BAD advice from this vet!
8. PLEASE don't change your mind about the chicken necks based on the BAD advice some people have given here! They don't know what they're talking about. And stick with your vet - it sounds like he or she may actually have a clue, which can be rare. Yes, it's true that brushing may be the best thing to do, but chicken necks are a VALID means of promoting dental health. For one thing, so long as you're sure of the source of the meat, raw meat is QUITE SAFE for cats. For another, chicken necks contain vertabrae, which is NOT the same thing as regular bones. Cooked bones will splinter and should never be given to cats. Raw bones are fine, and even vertabrae can be lightly cooked - instead of splintering they will crumble. So please, don't let these uninformed people sway you. They've obviously done no research whatsoever. *********** Check pet stores for chicken necks. I don't know if the chain stores would carry them, but there's sure to be an independently owned one that will. There are other products out there which may help. Brushing is of course the best thing to do. There are treats that may assist with dental health, but the only one I've seen mentioned that may actually work is by C.E.T. Dental. The crunchy ones will NOT work any more than dry food would so don't bother with those. There are products you can add to the water, but if your cats don't drink much it will be of limited use. I've been using the one by C.E.T. Dental but because they eat canned, neither of my girls drinks much. There are powdered products you can add to the food. Wysong makes Dentatreat, and there's another I've seen called Plaque Off. Fragaria is a homeopathic remedy (I think...) that claims to soften tartar so that it can more easily be brushed off. I'm currently testing this on myself....if it appears to do any good I may try it on the girls. And since it appears that the myth will never die: The myth that dry food cleans teeth debunked: http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?
9. SOme people are not aware that raw chicken necks can be given to cats and are good for their teeth. Some people find this an odd idea because we are so often told never to let a cat eat chicken bones, but this only applies to cooked ones. You can give raw chicken wings instead. Of course, when feeding raw chicken it has to be very fresh. You can also buy dental chews and treats and a special dental health diet which has larger, crunchier kibble. There is also an algae that can be added to the food that repels plaque which you can buy in pet shops.