ShareThisWhen the winter weather is frightful, some dogs are reluctant to go out into the cold, while outdoor critters try mightily to get into our warm houses.
I'm talking about rodents that gain entry to homes through tiny cracks and other openings. Before we hear the patter of little mice feet, we could try a product called Mouse Magic.
For dogs, there are two products that will keep them more comfortable when they venture outside onto sidewalks and surfaces covered with snow and ice. More on Musher's Secret and Safe Paw ice melter later in this column.
Mouse Magic is advertised as an "all-natural mouse repellent" that is safe to use around pets and children.
This may seem like an odd product to push in a pet column. But many animal lovers, myself included, are reluctant to kill mice with poison or traditional traps that break their necks.
Glue traps are worse. You're likely to find a live mouse struggling in glue that will kill in a slow and agonizing way.
I've heard from kindhearted people who used humane box traps in the house. When they took the traps outside and set the mice free, the rodents ran back into the house.
I've heard about Mouse Magic from a variety of sources. I called my neighborhood hardware store to see if the glowing reports are true.
"We can't keep it on the shelves," said Dennis Gasper of Rollier's in Mount Lebanon, Pa. "We're getting great feedback," and not one customer has complained that it doesn't work.
Ingredients include 2 percent peppermint oil and 2 percent spearmint oil.
Though it sounds too good to be true, I'd say it's worth a try. The price is $8.99 for four packs that will repel mice for about a month, according to Bonide, the manufacturer.
Musher's Secret is an "invisible boot" made from natural wax, according to www.musherssecret.net. It creates a "breathable bond that protects paw pads from snow, salt and chemicals."
"We sell a ton of it," said Gasper, who is Rollier's buyer of animal products. "We also sell a lot in the summer. It protects pads from hot sidewalks and hot sand" at the beach.
Rub the wax on the pads and in the hair between the pads, which prevents the formation of painful ice balls that give dogs a limpy, gimpy winter gait.
Pablo, our cocker spaniel, uses Musher's Secret, which amazingly does not stain furniture, rugs or hardwood floors. Our $14 can of wax is still half-full after two winters.
Another paw product is Safe Paw ice melter, which is safe for children and pets and will not corrode or stain asphalt, concrete, decks or wooden flooring. It will not damage or kill plants and shrubs. These promises come from Steve Vernik, director of operations, sales and marketing for Gala Enterprises, Inc., the Pennsylvania company that makes and sells it.
Safe Paw was invented in 1996 by Steven Greenwald, a chemical engineer who is Vernik's stepfather.
Other companies claim their ice melters are safe around children and pets, but they're not as good as Safe Paw, Vernik says.
"Look for first-aid instructions and warnings to keep away from children and pets," he said. Safe Paw does not contain urea, calcium magnesium acetate or salt, and he recommends staying away from products with those ingredients.
Suggested retail is $20, but Safe Paw lasts longer than cheaper brands and works at very low temperatures. Vernik said if you put Safe Paw down before it snows, it will prevent ice from forming on the sidewalk, deck or driveway and should work for up to three days.
He swears it's so safe you can put it in roof gutters, before it snows, to prevent ice dams from forming.
Not everybody uses Safe Paw, so after a walk, paws need to be wiped off and dried before dogs lick chemicals off their feet.
It's sold online, in specialty stores, groceries and many major stores including PetSmart and Costco.
(Contact Linda Wilson Fuoco at lfuoco(at)post-gazette.com)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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