I want to talk about ToeGrips® dog nail grips because they are a wonderful tool for senior dogs. I heard about them quite a while back, but never really knew much about them. Last May, I met Dr. Buzby in person and learned about how ToeGrips® dog nail grips work. At the time I did not have a need for them, but I filed away the information in my mind as I knew I might need them at some point.
As a pet parent, one of the hardest things is to watch is your pet “getting old”. My Kuvasz Katie is thirteen years old, and has been suffering with osteoarthritis for at least the last five years. As she ages, the progression of her arthritis seems to happen faster and faster and I’m trying my best to keep her moving and comfortable. The end of last summer I realized she could no longer walk on the hardwood floors in our home. Not only could she no longer walk on the slippery floors without falling, she could not get up when she did fall. For several weeks I was awakened at night by the sound of her paws thrashing on the hardwood floor downstairs. She had fallen and could not get back up, which meant I had to get out of bed, go downstairs and help her. A part of me was in denial of the problem, which is why I came up with all kinds of reasons she was not ready for ToeGrips® dog nail grips yet.
I admit, I was skeptical about ToeGrips® dog nail grips and I was reluctant to accept my senior dog needing walking assistance. I want to share with you the seven things I love and have discovered since Katie started using ToeGrips® dog nail grips about six months ago.
7 Reasons I Love ToeGrips® Dog Nail Grips For My Senior Dog
1. They are the best and easiest solution
Not sure Katie really needed ToeGrips® dog nail grips, I came up with the brilliant idea to create throw rug paths around our main floor for her to walk on. I even invested in super gripping carpet tape to ensure the rugs did not slip around. Talk about an epic failure! I’m happy I didn’t break my neck falling with this solution! The rugs never stayed put. I tripped on them, the cats used them as sliding mats (despite the tape which didn’t hold worth a darn), the other dogs tripped on them, and Katie even fell trying to walk on them. My advice, skip the rugs and move right to ToeGrips® dog nail grips!
2. Buying ToeGrips® dog nail grips is easy
Did you find this blog post? Then you too can find ToeGrips® dog nail grips. At first, when I thought I had to visit a veterinary clinic to purchase them, it was a good excuse to not use them. But guess what? You can buy them right here at ToeGrips.com. I placed my first order and had them in the mail within a few days. The ToeGrips® dog nail grips come with easy to follow instructions in the package, and the instructions are also on the ToeGrips® Dog Nail Grips Instructions page.
3. My dog doesn’t mind wearing ToeGrips® dog nail grips
In the past I tried putting shoes on Katie to help her walk, but she did not like them, and they made her walk funny. I figured it was only logical ToeGrips® dog nail grips would have the same result. Wrong! Katie doesn’t like it when I put them on, but within about thirty seconds, she forgets they are even there. They go on, she stands up and walks like usual with no slipping. If she does fall, they help her get a grip to get back up. It is important to also keep the paw fur on the bottom of the paws trimmed short as it makes floors even more slippery.
4. ToeGrips® dog nail grips stay on really well
I never in a million years thought the ToeGrips® dog nail grips would stay on Katie’s nails. They are just a small rubber circle that would surely pop off in no time. I couldn’t have been more off! These ToeGrips® dog nail grips not only grip the floor, they grip to the nails. On occasion, one will pop off, for Katie I find one about once a week. Usually it happens in the house where I will see it on the floor, and “reinstall” it. There is no glue involved, but they stay on like crazy glue is involved!
5. ToeGrips® dog nail grips last a long time
Katie is 78 pounds, not exactly a small dog, and I was sure the ToeGrips® dog nail grips would wear down and need replacing within a few days at best. Once again, I was so very wrong. I am guessing there are two reasons why they last so long. First, the material they are made of is quite strong, and second, dogs who need the non-slip grips are not the wild dogs out hiking through rough terrain. We walk an hour or more on asphalt every day, and they hold up fine. I am averaging about one package every three months which isn’t bad. I can see when one or two are starting to wear down, but they still seem to last quite a while. Because Katie doesn’t put weight on her paws evenly with her arthritis, a few ToeGrips® dog nail grips wear more than others.
6. Cold and snow don’t ruin ToeGrips® dog nail grips
We live in Minnesota and walk every day of the year at least twice a day. I was really excited to see what happens to ToeGrips® dog nail grips in the cold and snow. To my surprise, nothing happened! Even when walking in below zero temperatures, they stay in place, don’t fall off, nor do they crack. If anything, they may provide a bit of grip on icy patches.
7. ToeGrips® dog nail grips are reasonably priced
When I finally convinced myself Katie needed ToeGrips® dog nail grips, I was a bit concerned about the expense, but have since learned my fear was unfounded. At $34.99 on the website, figuring a bag lasts Katie about three months, it is only around $10 a month. A bag comes with twenty grips, four per paw, with four spares. If for some reason they do not work with your dog, they offer a money back guarantee on ToeGrips® dog nail grips, so really, you have nothing to lose!
If you have a senior dog who is having trouble getting around on hardwood floors, stairs, tile, or linoleum floors, I definitely recommend ToeGrips® dog nail grips. It really has added quality back into Katie’s life! I feel so much better knowing she can get around in the house and if she falls, she can get back up on her own.
Joy Schneider is a pet parent to 13-year-old Katie the Kuvasz, nine and two-year-old GBGV’s, Emma and Bailie, and two rescue cats, Bert and Sophie. She is passionate about health and fitness for her pets as well as herself. Her hobbies include photography, writing, running, as well as nose work and tracking with her GBGV’s. Joy has traveled the world, lived abroad for 11 years, and is now living in Minnesota. She is the human behind the humorous and informative blog MyGBGVLife.com which is written from the viewpoint of Emma the GBGV.
my OES is only 10mos old. We have Beautiful hardwood floors made of hickory which is suppose to be a harder wood. Unfortunately she has damaged our floors with her nails. I keep them trimmed but it still happens. Do you think these would help with this problem?
Hello Loretta, We do not recommend ToeGrips for young, active dogs. I do think ToeGrips help to protect the floor, because they keep the dogs quieter on hard floors, BUT that is not the focus of our product. Our focus is about protecting the dog from the floors. 🙂 I would recommend you check out a product called Soft Paws. Thanks for the inquiry!
I may need these toe grips for my Golden Retriever, Shadow, at some point; but right now, despite some elbow arthritis, she is doing quite well running around after her younger sister.
That is great news that Shadow is doing so well! Mobility is the greatest asset for our senior dogs. It’s wonderful to see them active and happy!
Wonderful story and information as always. I am so happy for this sweet love learning how good Toegrips are.
Thanks, Cyndi! I love this story, too. It’s such a blessing for us to be involved in improving quality of life for senior dogs! 🙂