Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips For Dogs Review 2024: Our Expert’s Opinion
By Sara Seitz
Updated on
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We give Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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About Dr. Buzby’s
Dr. Buzby’s is a company with a singular mission: Help senior dogs live their best lives. The flagship product of this vision is the company’s world-famous ToeGrips.
Unlike copycat products, ToeGrips utilizes a unique design that leaves dogs’ nail tips uncovered. This allows dogs to grip naturally when running on carpet or clawing their way up a muddy path while still providing extra traction on slippery surfaces.
ToeGrips are a highly useful product for any dog that struggles with mobility on hard surfaces, whether due to injury or age.
I had a chance to try Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips on my 14-year-old Chihuahua, Papyrus. I was very interested to see how they would work to help him move around on the vast hard flooring in my house. And I was equally interested to find out how he would tolerate them given how sensitive he is about his feet.
Overall, I was very impressed with not only how little he cared about them but how well they worked. Keep reading to find out what I loved about this product and why it might be the right choice for your senior pup.
ToeGrips was the brainchild of a senior dog owner who wanted to help his best friend get around better on their hardwood floors. He passed the prototype for his invention onto Dr. Buzby, a veteran veterinarian with a soft spot for older pooches.
Today, ToeGrips are sold worldwide in over 60 countries. They are made right here in the USA in Beaufort, South Carolina, and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Who Are ToeGrips Best Suited For?
ToeGrips were originally designed for senior dogs with mobility issues. But they are also a great option for tripods, dogs with leg injuries, and young and old dogs with hip dysplasia.
Despite what most people think, the majority of dogs don’t bug ToeGrips once they’re in place. But if you do have a notorious chewer, the company also sells a type of superglue to help keep the grips in place. This is more likely to be a problem for young dogs than for older ones.
Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips Reviewed
Here is an overview of Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips, including valuable information on what sizes are available, how you put them on your dog, how they help to stabilize, and how long you can expect them to last.
Contents
Each package of ToeGrips comes with 20 grips and an in-depth instruction packet.
For dogs with a normal number of toes, each pack of 20 provides 4 extras just in case one falls off or gets lost during application (which is easy with the tiny ones!).
The instruction packet has some great tips. It also includes a QR code that gives you access to even more resources.
How to Put Them On
ToeGrips are super easy to put on but convincing your pet to sit still might be interesting!
Each grip is made of thick, malleable latex that stretches to fit over the nail but grips tight once in place.
Dr. Buzby’s website offers some great tips for applying ToeGrips, including using isopropyl alcohol to slip them into position. This definitely helps!
For dogs that are likely to pull ToeGrips off or that are fairly active, especially outdoors, Dr. Buzby suggests adding a dab of superglue to each grip before sliding it on to help it stay in place longer.
As far as the actual process of getting your dog to hold still to put the product on, that’s where you have to get creative.
For my Chihuahua who does not like his feet touched, I had to muzzle him and put him on his back (the same way I do to cut his nails). But once he realized I wasn’t breaking out the Dremel, he actually calmed down and let me put the ToeGrips on with little fuss.
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How They Work
The way ToeGrips works is fairly simple. The ring sits behind the point of your dog’s nail. When your dog’s paw extends over the floor as they walk, the grip makes contact with the floor adding extra traction.
Other products on the market cover the entire nail with flexible silicon or plastic. This allows for more consistent contact but also takes away the natural gripping power of the sharp tip of the nail.
In my experience, the unique design of ToeGrips helps dogs get traction on hard flooring without taking away the natural traction they have on carpet, gravel, and dirt.
In Summary
- Seven sizes for a better fit
- Each pack comes with extras just in case
- Website has great resources
- Long-lasting with proper application
- Unique design allows for better traction on all surfaces
- Pricey
- Can’t customize your color
Key Features
Sizes Available
Buzby’s Toe Grips come in seven accommodating sizes from extra-small to extra-extra-extra-large. These sizes cover breeds as small as a Teacup Maltese and as large as a Wolfhound.
Each size comes in a different color. This makes it easy to remember which size to order when the time comes, but it also greatly limits customization. There’s no outfit coordination happening here!
Longevity
One of the most common questions I see surrounding ToeGrips is how long do these actually stay on.
According to the website, most dogs can wear a single set of ToeGrips for one to three months before they start to fall off. Adding superglue during application can help ensure you get closer to that three-month mark.
Papyrus, my dog and test subject, lost one grip within 24 hours of application. But, given that the other 15 haven’t moved at all in the weeks since I applied them, I chalk this up to user error. Make sure you slide those grips back far enough!
Are Dr. Buzby’s ToesGrips A Good Value?
These grips aren’t cheap. All packs of 20 cost the same, no matter the size, and come out to be about $2.50 per toenail.
If you have a dog with minimal mobility issues that is still fairly active, the ToeGrips may only last a month before they start falling off and getting lost. In this case, I’d say take the cost into consideration.
But for dogs that do really struggle on hard flooring (the same dogs that are less likely to be very active), these are likely to really help and last closer to three months. In this case, I think they are absolutely worth the money.
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FAQ
Will my dog chew ToeGrips off?
This was a big question I had, especially given how sensitive my dog is about his nails. To my surprise, he didn’t even notice the ToeGrips once I put them on. He has yet to bother them even once after weeks of wear.
And this seems to be the case for most dogs. According to Dr. Buzby’s, 99% of dogs don’t chew or bug their ToeGrips.
Do I have to trim my dog’s nails before putting ToeGrips on?
Dr. Buzby says this isn’t necessary, but in my experience, it can help, depending on the shape of your dog’s nails.
For most nails, the grips can be applied in the right position to make good ground contact even if the nail is longer than it should be. But for Chihuahua nails, the exaggerated curve of long nails made it hard to get the grip in a good position to contact the ground without being too close to the end of the nail. Once I trimmed my Chihuahua’s nails a bit, they worked much better.
How do you get ToeGrips off a dog?
Removing ToeGrips is pretty easy. Simply use your fingertip to roll the top of the grip down while holding the toe firmly with your other hand. If you used glue to apply the grip, you may have to use your fingernail to break the seal.
Our Experience With Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips
As an owner of two senior dogs, I was very interested in learning more about Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips. Neither of my dogs suffers from terrible mobility issues, but Papyrus, my Chihuahua, does slip around a bit on our tile floors.
Because of that, I chose him to try these toe grips on. But I was equally interested in seeing how he tolerated them because I know it won’t be long until he and my larger dog will really need some help getting around.
Applying Toe Grips
As I mentioned, Papyrus is not a fan of having his feet touched. I was hopeful that maybe I could just slip the grips on while he was standing and he wouldn’t notice, but no dice. You really have to put some elbow grease into getting these things on!
So I went with my backup plan and put him on his back between my legs as I do when I trim his nails. He did a lot of Chihuahua screaming at first but eventually realized I wasn’t cutting his nails and calmed down. After that, it was fairly easy to slip the grips into place.
To my surprise, once the grips were on and Papyrus was free from my clutches, he didn’t even seem to notice them!
It’s been a few weeks since the application and he has never once tried to chew them. I’m not even sure he’s noticed they are there, which is a big relief.
How They Worked
Papyrus doesn’t slip around a ton on our hard flooring, I think thanks a lot to his small size. But I do see his back legs fly out on him every once in a while. But with the ToeGrips on, I definitely saw much less of this.
What impressed me even more was that the grips didn’t seem to get in his way when he was outside running around on the gravel or rock climbing in the garden. He had no trouble getting around on rough surfaces despite the ToeGrips.
As I mentioned, he did lose one grip on the first day. I think he was probably nesting in the comforter on my bed and pulled it off. I replaced it and made sure to slide it a bit farther back than I had originally and have not had any more problems with the grips coming off.
It’s only been a few weeks, but none of the other grips have moved. Though a few of them are showing signs of wear. At this rate, I would expect them to last two or maybe three months before they need to be replaced.
Overall, I believe this product is very valuable and worth the money for senior dogs and those with injuries who struggle on hard flooring. They are easy enough to get on, highly durable once in place, and my very sensitive dog didn’t care at all that they were on him.
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Conclusion
Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips is a wonderful solution for senior dogs who struggle to stay upright on hardwood and tile floors. The product’s unique design doesn’t interfere with walking on rough surfaces and is comfortable enough that most dogs don’t even know they’re there.
They are a bit on the expensive side but more than worth it for dogs who really struggle on slick surfaces and those who are calm enough to keep them on for the full three-month lifespan.
If your pooch is slipping and sliding, get them some Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips. I promise you won’t regret it!
