Star Care's Paw Balm
Certain products from the Star Care Line are inspired by someone, or in this case, some dog. The Paw Balm was originally requested by Roberta Pluim and Tommy Starkey for their dog, Princess Peach.
To know Princess Peach is to know love, to know energy, to know what it is like when a tornado hypothetically rips through a house. Her enthusiasm knows no bounds. But it wasn’t always that way. Tommy Starkey found her wandering the streets of Portsmouth one early morning. Animal Control wasn’t open yet, so he stayed with her until they were able to arrive on the scene, and something connected. Roberta checked in on her at the humane society, per Tommy’s request, and discovered that Princess Peach (at the time Cheyenne) was seriously injured—a broken femur and pelvis. The vets suspected she had been hit by a car.
Tommy and Roberta offered to foster-to-adopt her if she got along with Titan, their other dog. At the time, due most likely to the pain, Princess Peach was a very mellow dog, and during her introduction to Titan received a little lick from him. That was that; she came home with them that day.
Princess Peach ended up only needing physical therapy for her injuries, but her femur had fused together, making it a couple of centimeters shorter than her other leg. The longer she stayed with Tommy and Roberta, the more her energy levels grew, and her enthusiasm for life burst. Those who know her, know of her big personality and her need for pets and scratches.
It was as summer turned to fall of this year that Princess Peach’s allergies flared, causing her to have constant skin infections. One was severe enough that her paws became chapped, hard, and grew extra keratin, a condition in dogs called hyperkeratosis. She was taken to the vet, and over several visits, was administered antibiotics. However, her paws still bothered her, and Roberta requested that Sue, and the Star Care Products team, devise a balm to help soothe paws. The team went right to work, and at Princess Peach’s next visit, the vet made the comment, “whatever you are doing for her paws, keeping doing it. They are so soft now!”
While the paw balm did not get rid of the excess keratin, it did help soften the keratin so that it could “sluff off” with other topical treatments, instead of requiring more severe methods of removal. Princess Peach enjoys having her paws rubbed nightly before bed. And most importantly, the balm has all-natural edible ingredients, in case her or her brother get any ideas. Princess Peach is now on monthly allergy shots, but it doesn’t seem to stop her from snoring like a freight train.