by Michael
(London, UK)
Friskies dental diet cat food was dropped in 2010 as far as know, based on internet research. Why was this popular product dropped when it gets a fantastic rating on Amazon.com – it gets a full 5 star rating from 32 reviews, you can’t get any better (example: “Make a GREAT item, then discontinue it…., December 12, 2010)“? The people writing the reviews say that their cat loved the product and questioned why it has been discontinued. The reviews seem genuine too. But we should be aware that sometimes (and I am not saying that that is the case in this instance) people get paid to make nice reviews about products.
“The only dried food my cat will eat, and she needs something like this to control the plaque she gets when eating her favorite food, wet cat food. What the ____ is Purina thinking by stopping producing it?!!!!”…Derek C Wylie, Amazon comment
This dry cat food is manufactured for the North American market. On shopwiki.com (a online shop) it is listed as if it was for sale today, 2nd February 2011. However, the link on this website to the online shops where it is meant to be sold do not have Friskies dental diet cat food on sale.
Friskies dental diet cat food is claimed to reduce plaque & tartar build-up by 25% on the shopwiki.com website. This statement is tagged with an asterisk but the site does not explain what the asterisk means. It is probably a disclaimer, a statement that says they can’t promise that this is case i.e. a true statement that this product does indeed reduce tartar build up.
For the sake of complete clarity, “tartar” is part of the beginning of periodontal disease, which is an infection of the teeth and gums. Periodontal disease “begins when plaque and calculus are deposited on teeth and gums near the gum line” (Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated
page 173 – 1995 edition).
This condition can occur in cats over 2 years old. My personal experience tells me that periodontal disease is in part dependent on genetics. Some cats are more susceptible than others.
Plaque consists of organic and inorganic material plus bacteria and calculus (tartar) is a “mixture of calcium phosphate and carbonate with inorganic material”1. Tartar enhances deposits of plaque. Calculus and plaque are a good medium for bacterial growth leading to bacterial infection of the gums.
The idea behind Friskies dental diet cat food is that is reduces the build up of tartar. It does this through the abrasive action of the food on the teeth. The ingredients of the dry cat food rub against the teeth to remove the tartar. It is trying to replicate the prey diet of a wildcat (Homemade Cat Food). When a wildcat eats prey the mashed bones of the prey rub against the teeth and gums and clean them; that is the natural concept!
The trouble with dry cat food – called “kibble” – is that the manufacturers are highly commercial enterprises and they make the food for profit. In order to make dry cat food a high level of carbohydrates is required. Carbohydrates at this level are not natural to a cat and they can promote the formation of tartar and plaque and predispose to feline urological syndrome and possibly feline diabetes. There is, therefore, a conflict going on. The truth is that, although, your cat might like Friskies dental diet cat food, its main purpose is to sell the idea that you won’t need to take your cat to the vet for teeth cleaning, a relatively dangerous operation, or clean them yourself (a difficult task to do well). It is a commercial product. The claim that it is good for your cat’s teeth could, I would have thought, be disputed. Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM (author of Your Cat: Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life
) would dispute it and she would dispute the existence of dry cat food generally – see Cat Food Recipe.
The authors of Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated say that dry cat food is best for the cat’s teeth because it is abrasive.
I think I have gone on enough. The consumer wants this product back on the market but Friskies want if off. The true reason may not be that there is a lack of demand but a lack of complete transparency in its efficacy.
Note:
1. Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook page 173.
Friskies Dental Diet Cat Food to Cat Health Problems
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| Jan 10, 2012 | Broke down and bought Purina DH Hi everyone — I was on my last bag of Dental Diet too… I would like to not support Purina/Friskies anymore, but broke down and bought three bags of their new, overpriced DH (someone mentioned it in the thread below, thank you). All 9 cats went nuts over it — like kitty drugs! I hear even the finicky ones crunching it. Our most senior cat isn’t allowed to have it because of her kidneys, but even she tries to get some. It cost a lot.. at least 3-4 times what I paid before for a giant (6 lb) bag. Our vet is checking to see if she can get it for less, and that would be free shipping. I saw 6 lb bags going from anywhere to 18.99 to $30+, but shipping varied ( I did an informal comparison of the old bag with the new bag, and it’s close to the same ingredients. Some are mixed around or with slightly different wording. There is more moisture in the new food, more protein, some other slight changes. But, essentially, the nuggets look the same — I think the new ones seem a little bit juicier/moist, if that makes sense. Just so the cats are happy, we can eat Ramen :0)) I hope this helps, and don’t despair, if you can afford it, it’s about the same stuff. Good luck!
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| Jan 09, 2012 | Amber wants Dental Diet My Maine Coon Cat has grown up on a mixture of dry cat foods in each dish, just to make sure that some company didn’t forget something. However, her favorite from the very beginning was Dental Diet. She has never liked little bits of food and refuses to eat the “crumbs”. So many of the available dry foods are small. She continues to go running to her dish and look longingly at me as if saying, “Why, Why won’t you give me some good food today?” I try every new dry food I find, she is still unhappy. They shouldn’t have stopped making a great product. I do take her to the vet annually. She has never been sick and never had tartar buildup. She no longer is a happy, nor as well feed as before. Shame on Friskies!!! |
| Jan 03, 2012 | Purina what were u thinking???? This is The ONLY cat food my 10 yo cat has ever or will eat. I have tried EVERY other brand and flavor. Last year when I heard about the discontinuance I bought several cases online. Now I have three bags left and don’t know what I am going to do as my cat literally won’t eat anything else. I don’t understand Friskees strategy here. Even when it was being produced it was difficult to find because it sold out so quickly. Why isn’t Purina listening to its customer base???? Maybe they should discontinue another of its products that isn’t moving and bring dental diet back,, |
| Jan 03, 2012 | upset My cats loved Friskies Dental Diet. I mixed it with other Friskies cat foods and gave them some variety. The dental balls were always the first things that were eaten. Now I have to purchase Scientific cat food that has dental balls that is three time the price of what I was paying. |
| Dec 27, 2011 | I should have hoarded more We bought up as many of the large bags as we could find online, after Petsmart all of a sudden stopped carrying the Dental Diet last year. (We had already tried every store in Tucson that we could think of.) Nine cats with perfect teeth all these years, after starting Friskies Dental Diet in the mid-90s. With coupons, and sometimes on sale, the food wasn’t that much (relatively, around $5-8 for a big bag) and we were able to adopt more strays. Now, we are basically *screwed* — forgive my language — and I’m not sure what to do. Around $30 for a prescription bag that doesn’t even have healthy ingredients?? I might see paying that for dental food if at least the food wasn’t garbage, fillers, GMO leftovers, and sawdust. Thank you for letting me rant here. |
| Dec 06, 2011 | Dental diet Even my vet says it’s a good product. My cats won’t eat the other oral care brands. Please bring it back. |
| Dec 04, 2011 | my cat is doin without! PLEASE HELP> my cat has been eating dental balls his entire life. and now i can not find his dental balls he loves and craves so much. how can they possibly discontinued an items that im sure sells. im very upset that i can not find them, now what? my shadow wont eat another dry food but his favorite dental balls. if anyone no where i can get em pls contact me at livengoodcynthia64@yahoo.com SO URGENT MY SHADOW IS SO UPSET HE LOVED HIS DENTAL BALLS |
| Oct 06, 2011 | Purina website I was livid when I found out what Purina has done to replace the Friskies Dental Diet. My 2 cats actually picked that food out when I mixed it in with other dry foods. Now they come out with this Veterinary prescribed dental food that is exactly the same as the former Friskies dental diet food except for the ridiculous price gouging. I went to email Purina about how furious I am and lo and behold you can’t send the email. I found this out after I wrote the email and went to hit send only to discover there isn’t any send button! So I guess they will be getting a phone call! |
| Sep 28, 2011 | Friskies Dental Diet I’m sorry that Friskies Dental Diet was discontinued. My cats would eat that before the wet food. If I mixed it with other dry food they would pick it out first. Come on Purina! It’s clear that there is a market for this food. You took it off the market 2 yrs ago and people are still trying to find or an alternative. Please bring it back. Anna and Tim will love you for it. |
| Sep 27, 2011 | Dental Food I do still have a bag of Friskies Dental food. When I heard they were taking it off the market I happened on a sale probably almost a year ago because they were getting rid of it. I bought all 9 bags on the shelf. I had to share them with my mother and friend who were also using this food. We all were not using it as a straight diet. We were adding several pieces to the dish daily. My friend was having trouble with her cats teeth. I told her about the food and she started using it and her teeth got much better. I am down to the last little bit and am sorry that I can not buy this product anywhere. I even looked for it when I was out of town. When I called Friskies they told me I could give my cat dental treats. I don’t want to do that. It is not the same. I hope they are listening and bring this product back on the market. And by the way, I am not from the company or being paid to say this. My cats as well as my moms and friends cats loved this product. |
| Sep 05, 2011 | My Cats Are Not Happy Delighted to find this blog, & mad as heck at Friskies! I’ve been looking for this stuff forever! My cats loved it, Nothing else works as well, I went through a hunger strike & a lot of soft food before I could get them to eat other dry. My cat food company has gone Corporate, it’s all about the $Money$ I will track down a bag of Purina Veterinary Diet DH, hopefully on sale. Does anybody have a bag of the ORIGINAL Dental Diet? I’d love to compare ingredients labels. How is this good PR? |
| Sep 02, 2011 | purina friskies dental diet cat food have tried other brands they like this one the best vet says their teeth and gums are great. |
| Aug 06, 2011 | Dental Diet I do not understand why Purina would stop manufacturing a pet food that is so popular. Where can I find another dental type product? I have not heard of any other. My cat has eaten this since he was a kitten and he is 16 years old and still in good health and cries for his Dental Diet. |
| Apr 23, 2011 | OUT OF FOOD Thank you friskies for taken the food off the market, because you do not like cats you only want to make money off us. You could care less about what we need and too do something like this I would like to say that I will never support your company again and maybe you will be put in this same way that I am in with no (DENTIAL DIET) I can not do much but if you donot say something then no one will hear you about a problem. Lets think about the pets who can not speak but we can make you feel a little better when you are with out something that you really like. Please read and bring back dental diet. Onced Loved, Domino Rollo IODINE |
| Apr 23, 2011 | OUT OF FOOD Thank you friskies for taken the food off the market, because you do not like cats you only want to make money off us. You could care less about what we need and too do something like this I would like to say that I will never support your company again and maybe you will be put in this same way that I am in with no (DENTIAL DIET) I can not do much but if you donot say something then no one will hear you about a problem. Lets think about the pets who can not speak but we can make you feel a little better when you are with out something that you really like. Please read and bring back dental diet. Onced Loved, Domino Rollo IODINE |
| Mar 22, 2011 | Purina Scam On Dental Diet In my ongoing hunt for an alternate source to the Friskies Dental Diet(Purina) food that has been discontinued, I have found that Purina produces another source called “Purina Veterinary Diet DH. DH signifies Dental Health. I ordered several bags to see what it was like. Lo AND Behold People!!!! It is the exact same stuff as the Dental Diet which Purina discontinued with one important difference…it costs 4x as much!!!!! They know damn well that cat owners love this stuff and they are cashing in on our need by doing away with the cheaper name and selling it under a different name for lots more money. I paid around $4 a bag for Dental Diet and now I pay $23 for the same thing under the new name of Veterinary Diet DH. Shame on Purina for taking advantage of our love for our cats…they know we have to buy it for the health of our cats because there is nothing else that does the job and paying more is still cheaper than having dental work done on our cat. The green monster of GREED once again rears its ugly head!! If another company came out with something competitive to Purina’s VDDH, I would stop using ALL Purina products because they are nothing but a miserly self interested company that cares nothing for its customers. |
| Mar 04, 2011 | My cat loved Friskies Dental Diet I have been looking for Friskies dental diet for a few months now, and couldn’t find it anywhere. I guess I know why now. My cat’s vet said she had beautiful teeth for the age of 7, and I thank Friskies dental diet for her nice teeth. I hope they put this cat food back on the market because my cat must miss it. She loved this food, and now is stuck eating another brand. |
| Feb 25, 2011 | Purina Equivalent? It’s more likely that Friskies removed the dental food because it’s packaged in the Purina form and sells at almost three times the cost. What specific brand is this? My Mom worries about her cat b/c his favorite food no longer exists. He did eat other kinds, but ate about twice as much Friskies Dental Diet. I would buy the other for her, if it is indeed the same. |
| Feb 23, 2011 | Dental Diet My cat will only eat Dental Diet. We have tried mixing it with other dry foods, in order to introduce them, and he picks out the Dental Diet and leaves everything else in his bowl. I am afraid that he will get sick from not eating if we can’t find it. Where can I find it? |
| Feb 22, 2011 | Friskies Dental Diet It’s more likely that Friskies removed the dental food because it’s packaged in the Purina form and sells at almost three times the cost. |
| Feb 18, 2011 | Why My two cats are brothers and are 19 years old. My vet comments on their yearly checkup on how nice their teeth are. He knew a long time ago that I was feeding them Friskies Dental Diet along with their wet food and a mixture of indoor formula with the Dental Diet. Unbelievable that Friskies would discontinue this product. I am so upset with them now. If they don’t bring this product back soon, I am switching to another whole product line for their wet and dry food. I am completely out of Dental Diet and cannot find online anywhere. A product that works and they take it away. What are they thinking? |
| Feb 08, 2011 | kratzbäume The Friskies way to help maintain your cat’s dental health! Reduces plaque and tartar. This special formulations has been designed to reduce plaque and tartar build up from your cat’s teeth. Clean Teeth & Fresh Breath. http://www.kratzbaeume-billiger.de/ |
| Feb 03, 2011 | What now??? I am very upset that Friskies discontinued their Dental Diet dry cat food. My cat has eaten it his entire life (13 years) and actually sorts it out from the Nutra Cat I’ve mixed with it. He goes to the vet regularly and she has never suggested that he needs his teeth cleaned. She feels it must work because he actually chews it, not just swallows it. We have enough Dental Diet for a few more months but I don’t know what to do after that. Cats are such finicky eaters and creatures of habit. I am concerned about what will happen when we run out. I do know that I will never again purchase a Friskies product. |
| Feb 03, 2011 | What now??? I am very upset that Friskies discontinued their Dental Diet dry cat food. My cat has eaten it his entire life (13 years) and actually sorts it out from the Nutra Cat I’ve mixed with it. He goes to the vet regularly and she has never suggested that he needs his teeth cleaned. She feels it must work because he actually chews it, not just swallows it. We have enough Dental Diet for a few more months but I don’t know what to do after that. Cats are such finicky eaters and creatures of habit. I am concerned about what will happen when we run out. I do know that I will never again purchase a Friskies product. |
It’s all about money, and Friskies has to compete with royal canin and Hills which I think the latter of the two foods are horrible…both contain crap. Friskies was cheap and I am sure they took it off the market due to money not being made and shelf at the stores..it’s too bad no one cares about cats anymore..
I’m gone to say to my little brother, that he should also visit this website on regular basis to get updated from newest news.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about cat health. Regards
That’s a really nice little story. Thanks for telling us. Friskies Dental appears to have popular.
The vet suggested larger kibble for my cat who was eating too fast and was over weight. I squeezed my way through the pet food and found Friskies Dental. GK not only chewed it, instead of feeding in bowl, I spent a few minutes throughout the day shooting kibble like marbles. She would chase and devour them and it was a wonderful exercise and bonding for us the last years of her beautiful 20-year life. If we’d had digital cameras and youTube then, she’d have been a star!
Now i need Dental for feral colonies with dental problems, but can’t find it.
Oh my, I just went to the store looking for Friskies Dental Diet and the clerk at PetSmart had never heard of it. I did not realize that the product had been discontinued. My 16 year old cat has been eating it since the vet recommended it during his first visit. A visit to the vet last week, still showed he was doing well but now concerned. I have been offering another dried food for the past 3 years, as I now have 4 cats, but the older one, always eats the Dental Diet first, and leaves the crumbs! Heavy sigh………