Kibble Does Not Clean Teeth

Roger Biduk “Like children, our pets rely on us as their guardians, to make safe and healthy choices for them. If your pet is currently eating unhealthy treats and living on a “junk food” and potentially dangerous grocery store or veterinarian brand diet containing little or no meat, grains, corn, soy, wheat, chicken/meat by-products, meat/beef and bone meal, animal fat or animal digest just to name a few, let BCDN help you find a much more safe, healthy and natural choice!”

Click here to see a video on how cats brush their teeth in nature.

I was told by the same vet that recommended the food my pets died from that dry food was the best for their teeth and health in general… this vet couldn’t be more wrong!

Hill’s website says “At Hill’s, nutritionists and veterinarians have developed clinical nutrition especially formulated to keep your dog’s teeth clean and help control the oral bacteria found in plaque”.

What a bunch of crap…!

While I was talking on the phone with a client about the ingredients of the Hill’s Prescription T/D Canine Dental Health (pictured) that she just purchased, she threw the bag in the garbage as we were talking, realizing what those ingredients really were. And yes, it was recommended to her by her vet who made a tidy profit selling this stuff! She demanded, and got her money back.

All of Hill’s foods [Science Diet and Prescription Diets] are among the absolute worst you can buy (and they’re recommended and sold by veterinarians!)

Where do I start on how bad this crap is? Your dog is a carnivore and must be on a balanced meat diet to stay healthy and thrive. There is very little or NO MEAT in Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet formulas but no shortage of cheap by-products, starches and fillers!

It’s hard to believe but the main ingredients in Hill’s Prescription T/D Canine Dental Health is Brewers Rice, Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Powdered Cellulose and Soybean Mill Run… all ingredients that must be avoided in pet foods. Even worst (actually, it can’t get much worst but it does!) this “food” contains absolutely NO MEAT whatsoever and is a pitiful 16.5% protein and a whopping 53% carbohydrates [a dog’s ancestral diet, which is true to this very day is 49%-55% protein and only 4%-6% carbohydrate, NONE being from corn or grains… my Siberian’s diet is around 4% carbohydrates)…!

No wonder vets sell this junk… they make big money selling it and then even bigger money when you have to bring your dog in because of illness and disease caused from the “inappropriate” ingredients in the food! Welcome to the veterinarian profession and the pet food industry!

The grains and corn in this stuff (carbohydrates) metabolize into glucose (sugar) and convert into fat, resulting in health problems such as periodontal disease, hypoglycemia, hyperactivity, diabetes, obesity, and many other serious illnesses. So this stuff is actually one of the causes of dental disease but they promote this “food” as a cure… isn’t it wonderful?

Dry food does not clean the teeth. If it did, you and I could floss with toast, crackers and granola! Only a diet of raw meats cleans teeth. My Siberian Husky is on a 100% balanced raw meat diet and his teeth are as white as can be with the healthiest gums!

“Never feed your cat kibble. In the wild, felines drink very little water and get around 80% of their water needs from the kill. Cats are chronically dehydrated when on a kibble diet and the odds of them dying prematurely from CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) or Feline Diabetes are huge.

Always feed cats / dogs a balanced, species appropriate, enzyme-rich raw meat diet (no fruits, vegetables and especially no grains) or a commercial diet that resembles one.” Roger Biduk

The solution has been known and written about in human dentistry journals as far back as 1947, when Sir Frank Colyer commented about periodontal disease. “Cats and dogs which lead a freer life and obtain a diet more nearly approaching their natural food, are practically free from the disease. It is criminal that the veterinary profession has largely ignored the evidence in favour of commercialism, instead preferring to shoot down subsequent messengers for daring to suggest there is a problem.”

These early observations were reinforced by Dr. Colin Harvey, BVSc, Professor Emeritus, Dental & Oral Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1993, when he stated: “In a healthy dog or cat, fed a `natural‘ diet that requires tearing and separation of swallowable pieces, the teeth and gingival tissues are largely self-cleaning; that is, plaque is wiped off before it has time to mature to a pathogenic thickness and bacterial mix. When the proper diet is capable of doing the job, there is no justification for recommending sub-optimal practices, especially when they become a source of revenue when inadequately cleaned teeth lead to subsequent diseases.”

Click here to see some of the comments on raw food diet vs kibble from some of the best vets in the world.

Michelle Bernard, an expert in pet nutrition and is a freelance author says, “While there is no documented proof that a natural diet contributes to dental health, periodontal disease is the most common disease of adult dogs and cats [because pet parents are feeding low-quality kibble loaded with carbohydrates (starches & sugars) such Purina, Pedigree, Ol’ Roy, Iams, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Hill’s Science Diet, Hill’s Prescription Diet and other”prescription diets”, etc.]. Except for Wiley, now deceased, none of the cats in my care have had to have dental work done.

“Contrary to what most people have been told by their veterinarian, dry food does not clean teeth! When a cat or dog chews dry food, it shatters into small pieces. In order to promote effective cleansing of tooth and gums, the food must remain in contact with the teeth and gums for a period of time. Nothing is going to provide effective abrasive cleansing than chunks of raw meat. Unless you are prepared to brush your cat or dog’s teeth or pay hundreds of dollars for dental work, I suggest you start feeding chunks of meat.

“As I write this, I’m making a note to myself that Ms. Bella, the resident lazy chunky-monkey, chowhound is going to go on an all-chunks diet regimen for a few weeks.” Click here to see Michelle Bernard’s comments and more info on pet nutrition.

“Why would anyone use spot-on chemical flea and tick preventatives on their cats or dogs? The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has jurisdiction over these because they’re pesticides!  Even the EPA says these products are dangerous. And people wonder why there’s so much cancer now in cats and dogs!” Roger Biduk