Readers know that while we don’t have our own dog, we’re lucky to have special dogs in our life. The kids are always asking if we can go and see Judo and Jess, Charlie, Dodge and Toby . Thankfully we get to dog sit Dodge and Toby and see them both as often as we can. Dodge can normally be found down at work with Daddy and Toby, of course lives with Nanny (the kids call him my brother and their uncle!). Caitlyn especially loves dogs. She even found a dog to walk while we were on our half term holiday in France and that was definitely the highlight of her break. At the weekend, all of her siblings were busy so she asked if we could walk Toby. I agreed that it was a great idea so we took him on our favourite walk, to Castle Pill Woods.
Castle Pill Woods
It’s such a pretty walk, so green and lush with lots of wild flowers. There is a stream, a pond and two roundhouse shelters. There’s also a rope swing for the kids. It’s fallen into disrepair in a few areas recently, but I’m hoping this will be fixed soon. Meanwhile, it’s only a walk suitable for the physically able (you have to jump across in a few places) and you need to take care.
When I’m dog sitting, I think about the walks, the feeding, the medication (thankfully not needed for these healthy dogs but our old dog Snowy used to need some), keeping them clean (they often need a bath after our messy walks) and the grooming. I have to admit, I’ve never really considered caring for their teeth. Seen as I have to remind four kids to brush their teeth twice a day, I’d have thought this would have been fresh in my mind, but no, I’ve never cleaned a dog’s teeth in my life (caring for these lovely dogs is great practice for when we eventually have a dog of our own as we learn so much).
Caring for Your Dog’s Teeth
We were sent some Dentastix for Toby which he has had before. They’re dog treats with a unique X shape, this special texture is scientifically proven to reduce the build up of tartar by up to 80% if fed everyday. We decided to give Toby one as his walk snack, he certainly found it tasty and enjoyed it. As he has a few treats a day anyway, I think it’s a great idea to give one of these once a day to help with his dental care. Each treat is low in fat with no extra sugar.
I’ve also been looking up other ways to improve Toby’s dog dental care when we dog sit next.
Tips to Look After Your Dog’s Teeth
Feed your dog a healthy diet- a combination of wet and dry food. Good quality food will nourish your dog and keep their teeth stronger. Only give a responsible amount of treats.
Offer dogs vegetable and fruit as snacks as these won’t stick to your dogs teeth and dog’s love them -Snowy used to go wild for cucumber.
Give your dog a chew toy to play with as they can scrape and clean the teeth.
Raw bones can scrape dog’s teeth clean too. Toby loves a large raw bone as a treat.
Brush your dog’s teeth regularly. It’s best to get them used to this as a puppy but with patience you can still introduce this routine later on.
Give your dog a dental stick treat, such as Pedigree Dentastix, every day. It’s such a convenient way to help keep your dog’s teeth healthy and a delicious treat for them too. Give this treat at the same time every day so it becomes routine.
I’m relieved that I have been doing everything above apart from the teeth brushing when we’ve been dog sitting but I didn’t realise the benefit for the dogs teeth- I though the chew toys were just for fun.
We had a lovely walk with Toby and are looking forward to when we get to look after him next (don’t forget your toothbrush, Tobes!).
He’s such a lovely dog who puts smiles on our faces every day. Here he is making us laugh hiding behind the tree and popping his head out now and then!
He looks so pleased with himself when he makes us laugh! Toby came to my Mum as a rescue dog and it’s lovely to see him happy and healthy in his loving home.
How do you take care of your dog’s teeth? Any tips? Let me know!
This post is a collaboration with Pedigree, but all thoughts are my own. For
additional dental care information you can read the following PedigreeReviews article for tips and advice.
