Flies...

[birni]

Hi - I'm hoping someone can help us....

Since moving to Canberra in 2003 my Akita has suffered badly with flies biting his ears. Last summer was bad, leaving the tips of his ears furless and scarred but this year it is even worse :rolleyes:

One of his ears is very bad again but I have now found that they are also chomping at the top of his nose, and this morn I have discovered them having a munch on the pads of his legs (don't know the tech term).

I have tried (on his ears) Troy Fly repellent which doesn't help at all and have now moved on to Cetrigen spray which has helped but they are persistant. I'm stumped now though with the nose and pads!! I don't know how to make it better for the poor baby, or how to keep the darn flies away!

He's on Cortisone at the moment for Lymphoma (see separate thread) so would this be making him even yummier for the flies?

Keeping him inside seems the only option but this is difficult - with the Cortisone he drinks bucket loads and therefore needs to wee often so during work hours....

If anyone has any suggestions at all for me it will be greatly appreciated by fur baby and my self!!! (... and what is it with ACT flies??) :cool:

[Kez]

Cintronella.

See if any of your Stable supplies stores has any "Donerite" Herbal Stable & kennel spray (contains citronella, neem oil, and tea tree oil).

You can spray it everywhere your dog "hangs out".

You can even spray it onto your dog, or wipe some on him with a cloth.

Also, get a "fly trap" and hang it up somewhere away from where your dog "hangs out" (but not too far away or it won't be effective).

Vaseline over the fly bitten areas will help keep the skin supple, and should reduce their attractiveness to the flies.

:rolleyes:

[Paula-]

This year is terrible for flies my yard isn't too bad, but a friend has a huge problem and her dogs are bitten all over. Our vet said it's particularly bad over near Weston.

Bunnings recently had fly traps for about $10, we've both put them up and there has been a huge drop in the number of flies hanging around. They apparently attract flies up to 20m away. Gross to empty :cool: but the yard is clear :rolleyes:

[bommy]

I cant go past MUSCOBAN, it is dogsafe & works wonderfully.

Smells alright too

Jacqui

[persephone]

I have used the roll-on aerogard on dog's ears when mozzies were bad...just a tiny bit on the tips!

Our outside dogs are all sprayed weekly with permoxin..ears/feet..helps with flies :rolleyes: caution..POISONOUS to cats!!!!!

[Kez]

Gross to empty    but the yard is clear  :rolleyes:

Are they ever GROSS to empty out!!!

When I had my big operation in December, my dogs went to stay with a friend (and when I got out of hospital I went to stay with my dogs! )

I rang my DBF and asked him to go around to my place and make sure the trap had enough water in it,

He rang me back to say he couldn't get the lid off.

When I got home 2 weeks later, I knew exactly what had happened - he took one look at the (now overflowing) trap & decided to stay right away from it!! I ended up dropping the lot into a bucket of boiling water (yes, there were live & wriggling things in there! :shakehead: ) before emptying the carcasses out of it.

To make your traps last longer - carefully tip the "bodies" out & keep the stuff in the bottom!

I haven't had to put new "bait" in mine for 12 months & it is still going strong (even after the hot water dunk).

:cool:

[MissMonaro]

We use Septicide cream on our labbies ears. One of them has been attacked so bad that she had a big open sore on her ear.

Problem with the cream is that the other labs lick it off. I have also tried vaseline (an old treatment used to keep flies of horses eyes) but same thing.

Tried aerogard......but was pretty useless.

Then I tried the purple anticeptic spray I keep for the horses. (Then you know which dog is licking the ear as they get a purple tongue. :rolleyes: )

The other dogs licking it has actually helped it heal.

We picked up some of those fly traps as well. Disgusting looking things, but they sure work and help to keep the flies down as well. I reckon they have worked the best of all the things we have tried.

[Guest Dr Nat]

Try

1. treat the environment - using any of the above replies. I use fly traps and if in an enclosed kennel area that free of drafts then an ecomist pyrethrin puffer will make a big difference.

2. repell from you dog - theres lotsa good ideas here, also available is a product called fly repella specifically for this purpose. It has a repellent and antiseptic base that moisturises the tips and helps stops them cracking. Most vet clinics carry it.

[birni]

Thanks for your replies guys...

The purple spray is the Cetrigen that I have been using - we used to use it on the horses too. I have to say though these flies are persistent! When we used it on the gee-gees it was a lot more effective. This spray is more hot-pinkish too so I'm wondering if there is another one out there (I too remember it being a purple)??

The sores on his ears are often opened to red bleeding raw, and the reason I noticed his nose and heels are cos of bloody dots so they are really hooking in, and Kiya is very upset by them. I left him inside for 4 hours yesterday while I was out but had two puddles to clean up so that isn't going to be an option for a work day.

I will head to Bunnings today and check out these fly traps cos they sound like the way to go....

"Donerite" sounds cool too - I need something I can spray all over him as he tends to not hang out anywhere in particular!

Thanks guys....

[Clyde]

Vaseline over the fly bitten areas will help keep the skin supple, and should reduce their attractiveness to the flies.

This is what I do, then I spray fly repellant on top so it 'sticks'. I use Permoxin (does flies and fleas).

[Kez]

Cetrigen used to be purple, but one of the ingredients was found to be dangerous (or something) and it went off the market.

When it returned it ended up being a bright pinkish colour.

The only problem with cetrigen, is that it dries the wound out - the wound area as it heals will be prone to cracking, and the flies will be attracted to the weeping flesh underneath.

Spray some Debrisol on the area & clean it - this will help keep the granulation to a minimum (so your dog doesn't end up with a cauliflower ear).

Put a thin coat of vaseline over the top to reduce the "smell" to the flies & keep the wound supple.

Spray some citronella over the vaseline - dogs also hate citronella, so it will help stop your other dogs from licking it off.

[RnB]

I have found Repel X by Troy effective but need to reapply ideally during the day

Regular bathing helps...

was once told by an arkansas pig farmer to use Avon skin so soft talc powder as blocks pheremones? That attract flies?

Also had a dog with lymphoma and the flies always went to him first...

If you find an antiseptic and repella that is best for the ears as drN has stated

]You have to stay on top of it and remove blood crusts...

know the prob with cortisone=water intake=peeing!

Ask your vet if limiting water intake whilst your at work is an option so that he can stay indoors....I hate flies, sand flies acan drive animals nut! And after being bitten i can understand why

[KOE]

vasoline and citronilla we use it on horses or see if you can get one of those ear tags for cattle, we tie it around the horses neck or to its mane purchased from primac. Flies also do not seem to like the bayer kiltix collar.

for your fly baits vegemite and water does the trick.

[abbeyandsandy]

Abbey's ears are badly affected by flies each year around this time. This year I've noticed that the flies are a little worse than usual and her vet confirmed that he had found this as well. I wash the sores with tea-tree oil diluted with warm water and each morning I put roll-on Rid on her ears. Sometimes I get a fly repellent cream from the vet that includes an antiseptic, but I've found that the Rid for sensitive skin works just as well, combined with the tea-tree oil washes.

[Tim'sMum]

Vaseline over the fly bitten areas will help keep the skin supple, and should reduce their attractiveness to the flies.

This is what I do, then I spray fly repellant on top so it 'sticks'. I use Permoxin (does flies and fleas).

You can also mix Permoxin with Vaseline and coat the ears with the mixture!

[Akitaowner]

when im at shows etc and flies are becoming a nuisance - i spray some aerogrard on a flannel and wipe it over my boys face and paws and anywhere else that seems to be attracting them - generally dont spray the actual dog as it may get in eyes etc!!!

think i may get some permoxin if its safer? - does that affect the coat at all (like leave a residue?)

[Tim'sMum]

think i may get some permoxin if its safer? - does that affect the coat at all (like leave a residue?)

There is no residue with Permoxin and the scent is not overpowering either.

[Kez]

I won't say which may be the safest to use, but this is the Safety Data for Citronella and Permoxin, so people can judge for themselves:

Permoxin contains Permethrin -

Both Citronella & Permethrin have the same Risk phrases:

R36 Irritating to eyes.

R37 Irritating to respiratory system.

R38 Irritating to skin.

Permethrin -

Toxicology details:

Skin and eye irritant. May be harmful if swallowed.

Note: Toxicity depends on cis-trans ratio of the product.

ORAL - RAT (Lethal Dose, 50% kill) : 430 - 4000 mg kg-1

ORAL - MOUSE (Lethal Dose, 50% kill) : 540 - 2700 mg kg-1

SKIN - RAT (Lethal Dose, 50% kill) : > 4000 mg kg-1

SKIN - RABBIT (Lethal Dose, 50% kill) : > 2000 mg kg-1

Personal protection

Safety glasses. If used as a garden spray, avoid exposure to mist and liquid, wear gloves

Citronella -

Toxicology details:

May be harmful if ingested in quantity. May act as a skin or eye irritant.

SKIN - RABBIT (Lethal Dose, 50% kill) : 4700 mg kg-1

Personal protection

Not believed to be a hazardous material in normal use.

Obviously when used in manufactured dog specific products, permoxin/permethrin is perfectly safe.

Permoxin is still listed as Unsafe for pregnant bitches, although there is testing being done at the moment for clinical safety results.

[Guest malisa]

We had the same problem with flies (we live in QLD) our rotty suffered for years. Untill we bought a outdoor bug zapper. In summer we leave this on 24hrs a day and flies no longer bite our rotty or akita's ears. I wish we had bought one 10 yrs ago. In the mean time slather on vaseline on ears it is yuky but does help. Some horse fly repelent works well but check with your vet. But the zapper is the best.