Paw Plunger vs MudBuster: Which Cup Fits Your Dog?

Paw Plunger vs MudBuster is the comparison most people make when they shop for a cup-style paw cleaner. Both work the same way: water in a cup, a paw pushed in, bristles that scrub as you twist. They differ in what the makers publish about size. This page lines up those published specs, says which differences they support, and flags what is still unknown. We have not used either product.

The short version

Choose by your dog's paw and your priorities, not by a ranking. If you want the maker to state paw widths, the MudBuster does and the Paw Plunger does not. If you want a wider opening, the Paw Plunger's published numbers point that way. If bristle softness matters most, we cannot tell you which is better: we have not handled both and we found no firmness figure for either.

Specs side by side

MudBuster figures come from the Dexas store text as quoted in search results. Paw Plunger figures come from a Rover store listing, since the maker's page was not read. We do not use Amazon listing text for specifications. Where sources conflict we say so below.

Figures are the makers’ published specifications. — = not stated by the maker.

Specs last checked: October 13, 2026

What the specs support

How each is sized

The MudBuster is sized by paw width: Small up to 2 in, Medium roughly 2.5 to 3.5 in, Large above 3.5 in. The Paw Plunger lists dog weight instead: Petite up to 15 lb, Medium 15 to 75 lb, Large over 75 lb, per seller guidance. No paw-width guidance for the Paw Plunger turned up. That makes sizing the MudBuster easier to check with a ruler, and the Paw Plunger easier to pick if you only know your dog's weight. Weight is a rougher guide, because two dogs of the same weight can have different paws. Our MudBuster size chart explains how to measure.

Opening and footprint

The Paw Plunger listings give an opening: 2 in (Petite), 3.5 in (Medium), 4.5 in (Large). Listed outer sizes, length by width by height, are 5.25 x 3.5 x 4 in, 8.5 x 6 x 6.5 in and 9.75 x 7 x 9.5 in. The MudBuster listings give only outer height and width: 4.3 x 3.65 in, 6 x 4 in and 8.85 x 4.75 in, with no opening figure. So you can compare how much counter space each takes, but you cannot compare the openings directly. A Paw Plunger Medium is 6.5 in tall against the MudBuster Medium at 6 in, but the Plunger is also 6 in wide against 4 in. In other words, the Plunger sits larger on the floor.

Bristles

Dexas describes the MudBuster as soft silicone bristles inside an easy-to-grip tumbler. We found no maker statement of the Paw Plunger's bristle material, so we do not compare the two. No maker publishes a stiffness figure for either product.

Lids

Dexas lists a lidded MudBuster in Medium and Large as a separate listing. We found no maker statement about lids for the Paw Plunger.

Where the sources conflict

• MudBuster Medium paw range: Dexas store text says 2.5 to 3.5 in, and another Dexas page says up to 2.5 in.
• Paw Plunger Medium height: 6.5 in on the Rover listing, 6 in in a trade article we saw.
• Paw Plunger Large height: 9.5 in on the Rover listing and 7 in in the article.
• Paw Plunger Medium weight upper limit: 75 lb on the Rover listing, 70 lb in a Chewy question-and-answer thread.

Treat every number on this page as the maker's or a retailer's claim, and check the one that matters for your dog on the product page before you buy.

What we do not know

• Interior depth of either cup. Neither maker states it.
• Dishwasher safety of either product.
• Weight of the cups and full materials, including bristle material for the Paw Plunger and BPA-free status.
• Whether either leaks. We found no maker statement and have not checked ourselves.
• How well each cleans between the toes, and how long each lasts.
• Paw-width ranges for the Paw Plunger.

Unknowns like these are why we avoid naming a winner. Anyone who does is either citing hands-on use or guessing.

Which to choose, by scenario

• You know your dog's paw width and want a size match. The MudBuster, because the maker publishes paw-width ranges you can check with a ruler.
• You only know your dog's weight. The Paw Plunger's weight bands are easier to start from. Check the opening against the paw before you order.
• A dog with wide, heavy paws. Compare the Paw Plunger's 3.5 in or 4.5 in opening with your measurement. The MudBuster Large has no stated upper paw limit, so ask Dexas.
• A small dog or tight storage. The MudBuster Small is 4.3 in tall and 3.65 in wide, the smaller footprint of the two on paper.
• A dog with a sore or injured paw. Neither. Ask your vet before using any scrubbing tool.

If your walks are only occasionally muddy, a towel may be all you need. See our guide to cleaning dog paws before you buy a gadget.

Where to check listings

For the MudBuster, you can check the current listing for the Small, the Medium or the Large on Amazon. For the Paw Plunger, we have a verified listing for the Petite and the Medium. We could not identify the Large listing, so check the maker's page at petppi.com for that size. We show no prices. Our MudBuster review covers how to use a cup, fix common problems and care for it, and most of it applies to the Paw Plunger too, except details specific to Dexas.

Updated October 13, 2026