To every dog owner out there, this is my public service announcement to you: Take care of your dog’s teeth! Brush them (I’ll explain that one later), give your dogs quality dog food and treats that help with dental care, and have your vet check them out on a regular basis.

Why the rant about teeth today? I was going through Pom Pom and Casper’s vet records yesterday, and I came across an invoice of Pom’s dental cleaning from last August: One cleaning plus SEVEN extractions (yep, they had to pull out SEVEN of her teeth) for a grand total of 400 bucks!

Unfortunately, Pom Pom already had pretty bad teeth when we first adopted her from the pound, so we’ve always been playing catch-up with her dental care.

We’ve been brushing both Pom Pom and Casper’s teeth a couple times a week, as recommended by our vet. If you’re not brushing your dog’s teeth yet, I highly suggest starting to as soon as possible. You can pick up a tooth brush at your vet’s office, and most pet stores and some groomers will have them for sale as well.

Teeth cleanings from a veternarian are always going to be expensive, but if you can keep up on that brushing, you’ll keep your pooch’s pearlies looking good.