When asked, "Why does the dog smell like cough drops?" it became apparent. I am a Midwestern girl in a strange land. Florida is not the Midwest. As such, dear reader, I invite you to come along on the journey, share a laugh, and engage.
Regarding the odor of the four-footed members of the family, the
dogs smell like cough drops because they have been generously spritzed with a home-made
eucalyptus potion to ward off fleas. Fleas, even this time of year, are more
prevalent than Canadians on the Sunshine Coast. (No offense to the Canadians who
fuel the local economy.)
To the flea point, these are not the annoying, occasional, irksome
fleas of the upper Midwest. These are, I
suspect, super-fleas who drink topical flea treatments with the same relish Snow
Birds drink Happy Hour 2:1 specials. Their ilk is growing in number, (the
fleas, not the vacationers) having been allowed to breed unfettered by the lack
of a real winter for the past few years.
(Again, the fleas, not the Snow Birds are breeding unfettered)
In years past, standard flea treatment for our pack was more
than sufficient. Herbal topical
treatments worked well. Not here. An herbal topical flea treatment results in the dogs being chewed on like four-footed gingerbread cookies.
After months of pills, potions, topical drops, baths, dips,
groomer fees, more baths, and a group “shave” that would make Michael Chiklis
proud, the cough drop smelling remedy seems to be working best.
I suspect that should the area fleas develop cold symptoms of stuffy head and nose, we’ll be back to the drawing board.
