Forepaws

11/19/2025

A local group, near & dear to my heart: Grundy County Heroes & Helpers is a fantastic group of First Responders & Volunteers from Grundy and surrounding areas.

We get together each year to fill the hearts of so many local children with the joy and love of the Holidays!

Not only do children get to shop for essentials with First Reaponders, but afterwards, they are treated to lunch and photos with Santa. Plus, they get to shop for loved ones (and themselves) inside the Gift Village! Brand new toys, all donated locally, for children to shop through!

Donations like those which we are collecting during our Coffee & Crafts with Mrs. Clause Event Nov. 29th!

Even if you don't take part in the event, please consider bringing in a New toy/craft set/etc. for this great cause! Everything will be directly given to Grundy County Sherriff Briley immediately following our Event!

11/12/2025

11/12/2025

11/05/2025

6 Days left to apply for families to be considered for our “Shop With A Local Hero” Event!! Families must live in Grundy County IL and children attend a Grundy County school to be considered. 

11/04/2025

November is Diabetes Awareness Month.

I (Megan) have been a Type 1 Diabetic for almost 30 years! It is a huge reason that I am passionate about holistic, nutrition-based preventative care for pets.

I have been around for a lot of technological advances in the Diabetes-world: old, clunky insulin pumps; 7+ daily finger pricks with all sorts of machines; syringes and vials; pens; testing BG with urine sticks; treating with glucagon/glucose tabs/sugar packets; and now, CGMs, tubeless insulin pumps, and more! (Plus, the University of Chicago has some really promising stem trials right now, too! 🤞)

Most pet owners know that your dog and/or cat can become diabetic - but did you know even they can use the new CGMs and insulin pumps?! Yep! You can know your pet's BG instantly using your phone, which helps your DVM better prescribe proper insulin doses! Pumps can be used off-label with Vetsulin (pet-specific insulin) or human R(Regular) insulin (which can be used instead of Vetsulin and is SO MUCH cheaper ($25 at Walmart)).

Furthermore, there are a lot of ways to give your pet proper nutrition to stabilize their BGs without it needing to always be prescription formulas! You just need to find the one that fits your pet's needs for protein/carb/fiber. Plus, ALWAYS read the labels! Know your ingredients and WHERE they come from in the world (and why they are in that food)!

10/28/2025

So here is the next exciting event info!!

☕️🤶Coffee, Crafts & Critters with Mrs. Clause!

Small Business Saturday (Nov. 29th) 11am-4pm

For the "cost" of 1 donation to EITHER a pet rescue OR Grundy County Heros & Helpers --- your kiddo gets to decorate a hot cocoa ornament with Mrs. Clause!

Donations must be brand new, and can include:
Pet rescue:🐈 🐾 dog/cat canned food, dry food, potty pads, timothy hay, toys, cat litter, essentials or treats. 🐕 🐇
GCH&H: 🪀 children's toy, game or craft set 🧸

1 ornament per donation. (We ordered 200) We will have everything needed to decorate! These would make awesome gifts for extended family/friends!

Mrs. Clause will be there to create with kiddos and for any photos!!

☕️🧋For the parents: KoffieBar coffee cart will be there with plenty of yummy (warm) options for purchase (they are donating a portion of sales to the rescue/gchh too!)

A few local pet rescues will also be there with adoptable pets in case your home needs an early present under the🎄!!

10/25/2025

The season of sniffles is here! Oh, goodness is it here!
Boost your pet's immune system with some all natural supplements.

10/25/2025

Are your kiddos curious about 4H?!

I KNOW tons of young visitors come to Forepaws daily and LOVE animals! We have some color sheets at the store with QR codes that explain all the awesome things within 4H.
My kids are a part of the local group Silver Spurs, but there a bunch of Grundy County groups available!

Best part is that they get to meet and hang out with other, calmer kids with similar interests!

Projects do NOT have to be animal-oriented either! Rocketry, Welding, Quilting, Photography, Electricity, Food preservation, Gardening, and so much more (including all kinds of animals - livestock or pets)!

This is the current raffle going on in the Grundy County area - in this economy, who couldn't use more meat?!

10/22/2025

Save the Date! Nov. 29th!
We have a fun Holiday event in the works for Small Biz Saturday!

09/27/2025

Did you know?!

Hedgehogs make great pets...kinda.
They are exotics, so veterinary care is tricky to find.
They have spikes (and teeth), and they WILL use them!
They need regular nail trims (which can be a bit of a struggle).
They are insectivores, which means you'll need to feed live and dead bugs regularly.
They p**p...a lot..and while running in their wheel/cage/etc and it is NOT pellet p**p, it is f***s (like a cat).
They are nocturnal, which means they don't wake up until dark and run all night, and they hide all day!

They are cute, but PLEASE (please) do your research before making any pet (especially an exotic pet) a part of your family!!!

PS: this is the 2nd, within a few months, that has become part of my, personal, family (through no fault of their own) and they are both fed a mix of crickets/roaches/superworms and a high quality bug-based pet food (commercial hedgehog food is made of chicken/fish...not bugs-and that makes zero sense to me).

09/25/2025

You Do NOT Want To Miss This Weekend!!
Check out all these AMAZING deals ----- THIS WEEKEND ONLY!!!!
All at Forepaws!

Make sure to let your friendly Forepaws cashier know you saw the sale online! (it's a lot; we might miss one or two or forget)

Plus, who knows, we might throw in a few more exciting special savings! Wink Wink!