Clinical manager Nora’s 5 top tips

1.LOOK OUT FOR CHANGES AT HOME

Be aware of any changes to your cat’s eating / grooming behaviour at home. Many cats with dental impairment will avoid dry food, may drink excessively, or stop grooming themselves. Grooming is an important part of any cat’s life, and a cat who stops doing so is often in pain. While this can be associated with osteoarthritis or other illnesses, it is very common to be associated with dental disease. You know your cat(s) better than anyone, so if you think something is not quite right with them, it’s time for a check-up!

2.MAINTAIN REGULAR VETERINARY CHECK-UPS

Healthy adult cats need a veterinary check-up at least once a year. Younger and older cats require more frequent checks. Dental health should always be checked by a veterinarian, both during routine and non-routine appointments, so please do make sure that you are up to date with these preventative check-ups, it could be crucial. The veterinary team will update your pet’s medical notes to record any dental issues evident and will monitor progress at every opportunity.

We pride ourselves on providing the highest level of dental expertise in Abu Dhabi so please book an appointment with one of our vets!

3.BRUSH YOUR CAT’S TEETH!

For the gold standard in preventative care, you can introduce brushing your cat’s teeth. This is hugely successful in reducing the need for surgical intervention and can become part of your cat’s daily routine! It sounds a bit more daunting than it is… and the vets and nurses at GVC are the best advocates to speak to about this. Here are a couple of key points to remember.

NEVER use human toothpaste – instead get a cat friendly poultry flavoured paste!

Introduce slowly – get your cat used to the sight and smell of the brush and paste BEFORE brushing.

Get training! Our cat friendly nurses would be delighted to show you all the steps needed, either here at the clinic, or in the comfort of your home.

4.USE DENTAL FOOD

If tooth brushing is not agreeable with you and your cat – dental food is a great option (although not a direct alternative)!

Veterinary prescribed dental food can work well as an aid to better dental hygiene.

The food pieces are large and hard, providing a mechanical mechanism that cleans the teeth. Cats have to forcefully chew down before swallowing, allowing the hard pieces to help break down plaque on teeth. It also combines special ingredients that prevent the minerals in food from binding to the teeth. The combination of these actions makes it an ideal choice for supplementing your cat’s dental health regime (and you will receive a preferential price for all of our food products through the GVC Pet Health Club)!

5.GIVE YOUR CAT “PLAQUE OFF”

Another great, non-invasive option to help preserve your cat’s dental health is to use a product like “Plaque Off” sprinkled on every meal! “Plaque Off” is an algae- derived powder that acts naturally and is clinically proven to reduce tartar and plaque in cats. Its special cat formulation contains brewer’s yeast which cats find highly palatable (YUMMY)!

OK, so cleaning your cat’s teeth may take a little bit of time to learn and although the trickiest of the tips mentioned, it does have the greatest benefits. The rest are small, simple enhancements to existing routines, all of which will certainly help. We do of course suggest that the first step is to visit your vet as having the right information will always aid in making the best decisions.

Here at GVC we utilize the latest technology to aid diagnostics and deliver clinical excellence and as the first clinic in the Middle East to receive the ISFM Gold Standard Cat Friendly Clinic award, providing the very best feline health care and dental hygiene really is what we do best.

To book your cat in for a feline check-up today, please call us on 971 (0)2 556 2024 or email us at info@germanvet.ae.