Is there anykind of cat treats that would help my Dazy-g keep her teeth clean?  I'm giving her Feline Greenies from Petcetra right now.  I had given her some holistic cat food but I noticed on her hind legs there was one bloch of fur missing on both of them.  I'm guessing that would mean she cannot have that because Dazy-g is alergic to it, right?  Can't remember what its called. 

As for Gizmoe, the vet told me that they are finding that orange and white male cats are more prone to be diabetics, right now Dazy-g is a orange and white female so far she seems to be good except for her weight.  She isn't way over weight but enough.  Got any suggestions?  Thanks for your help.

I've read/heard that the carbohydrates in the greenies (and other dental chews/kibbles) acutally cause as much harm as good.  The food gets caught between the teeth where the carbs become food for the bacteria present in the mouth.  Any kind of a high carb kibble is going to contribute to dental issues.  Feeding a species appropriate diet is the best option but when no available there are products that can be sprayed on the teeth.  And, brushing of course (easier said then done with a cat)...  Another poster left a thread about her cat having severe dental issues and how adding a vitamin supplement helped with her cat - they thought they were going to have to pull all his teeth (young cat).  I can't remember the thread title but it was posted within the last 30 days or so...

"orange and white male cats are more prone to be diabetics"  Genetics etc may predispose cats to diabetes but high carb diets CAUSE diabetes.  My family is predisposed to breast cancer but that doesn't mean I am for sure getting breast cancer.  Carbohydrates (sugars) cause an insulin spike.  Ongoing insulin spikes lead to insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes!!  No insulin spikes, no worn out pancreas.

"Insulin Resistance

The cause of abnormal pancreas function in diabetics is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when the cells stop responding to insulin, meaning the door which allows glucose to enter won't open. Because the cells aren't allowing glucose to enter, the amount of glucose in the blood gets higher and higher. As long as there is too much glucose in the blood, and too little glucose in the cell, the pancreas will continue to produce insulin until the glucose level goes down. However, if the cells in the body have become insulin resistant, the amount of glucose in blood will never go down. The pancreas will continue to try to lower glucose levels by producing more and more insulin, but eventually it will wear out. Often this is the first cause of diabetes."  http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/diabetes/pancreasdiabetes.cfm

There may be another factor in the orange and white male cats but I high carb diet is definately a contributing factor.

"Sugar and refined carbohydrates are undeniably linked to diabetes. Researchers around the world have come to the conclusion that the consumption of refined sugar is detrimental to the health of people without diabetes and disastrous for those with it. Furthermore, excess sugar in the blood can cause the onset of type 2 diabetes. First, however, what exactly is diabetes?

According to Bruce Fife ND, "Diabetes is all about sugar -- the sugar in our bodies known as blood sugar or blood glucose."  http://www.***/009333_sugar_diabetes_high-fructose_corn_syrup.html

This holistic vet specializes in cats.  Bolded emphasis is the doctors...

Feline Diabetes      Lisa A. Pierson, DVM

Diabetes is one of the most common feline endocrine diseases and, while we do  not know all of the causes of this complex disease, we do know that many diabetic cats cease needing insulin or have their insulin needs significantly decrease once their dietary carbohydrate level is decreased to a more species-inappropriate level than that found in many commercial foods. 

Although all dry foods are too high in carbohydrates, please be aware that many canned foods also contain far too many carbohydrates making them very poor choices for cats.

Feeding a diabetic cat a high carbohydrate diet is analogous to pouring gasoline on a fire and wondering why you can't put the fire out. 

Cats are obligate carnivores and are not designed by nature to consume a high carbohydrate diet.  If you have not read my article on this site entitled Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition, I urge you to do so.  This article explains why it is terribly illogical to feed any cat dry kibble, but especially one with diabetes.  The rationale also applies to any of the prescription dry diabetes diets such as Purina DM and Hill's Science Diet w/d and m/d.  These diets are not only poor quality diets, they are still too high in carbohydrates and contain several species-inappropriate, hyperallergenic ingredients.

Please understand that there is nothing 'magical' about these diabetes-management diets other than the fact that they are lower in carbohydrates than the majority of cat food products on the market. 

As this webpage points out, it is very important to address the carbohydrate level in a cat's diet but it is 'tunnel vision' nutrition to stop there.  We need to also address the quality of the ingredients in the foods that we feed to our cats - not just the carb level. 

Both issues (carb level and nutrient quality) are important since we are feeding the whole cat, not just the disease of diabetes. 

Many cats that are in a diabetic state no longer need any insulin when they are finally fed an appropriate low-carbohydrate diet.

If the diabetes has been a long-standing condition brought about by years of feeding a high carbohydrate diet, or another disease process, these cats may always need some insulin but the amount necessary to maintain proper blood glucose levels is nearly always significantly reduced once the patient is on a low carbohydrate diet.

Carbohydrates, Obesity and Diabetes

Most people are aware that diabetes is more common in overweight humans than it is in people closer to an optimal weight.  The same is true for cats.  Fat (adipose) cells produce a substance that increases the resistance of the body's cells to insulin.  This increase in insulin resistance is the hallmark of Type 2 diabetes.  As mentioned above, this is the most common form in the cat.

Cats are designed to utilize proteins and fats for their energy - not carbohydrates.  They are lacking the necessary enzymes to efficiently utilize carbohydrates to meet their energy needs.  When the carbohydrate level of an obligate carnivore's diet is higher than it should be - remember that a bird or a mouse is only 3-5 percent carbs and that most dry foods contain between 35-50 percent carbs - the excess carbohydrates are stored as fat.  The increased fat cells, in turn, promote Type 2 diabetes via an increase in insulin resistance.

http://www.catinfo.org/felinediabetes.htm

There's a TON more info on this site if you're interested.