Do as I say and not as I do – an expression that really holds true when it comes to vets and their pets. One of my big sins when it comes to ignoring my own advice is not cleaning my pets' teeth.

Dental disease is something that almost all our cats and dogs will suffer from in their lives.

Generally it is older pets that get tooth issues and, as we often have to treat these issues with the pet under anaesthetic, one is put in the position of having to give an elderly dog or cat an anaesthetic.

So the most logical thing is to prevent tooth issues occurring in the first place – the best way to do this? - brush your pets' teeth on a regular basis.

Tooth brushing in pets can be easier than you think – there are special cat and dog toothpastes that taste of things like chicken (do not use human tooth paste – they will hate the taste and some can even be poisonous to pets) and we have a selection of brushes that fit a pet's mouth and can be easy to use.

By regular brushing you can prevent the build up of tartar and therefore stop gum disease and tooth decay. Many owners will use dental chews to try and clean pet's teeth but these are never as effective as brushing itself (and always remember that these chews can be very calorific).

I can always tell at an annual check up which are the dogs and cats that have vigilant owners who do home brushing as those pets have the best teeth – it is definitely time I joined this group of pet owners!