How To Get Rid of Flies on Your Dog

This past Fourth of July weekend we were lucky enough to spend four days at the cottage. The weather was beautiful, the water refreshing and the deer and horse flies unrelenting. We were prepared with our bug hats (integrated bug net and bucket hat), which allowed us to still enjoy the outdoors. Our faithful dog Sophie was right there by our side, following us around and enjoying the freedom of roaming the property. While Sophie was enjoying the wide open spaces, I looked down and noticed the flies were enjoying Sophie.

I spent the rest of the weekend swatting biting deer flies and horse flies away from Sophie’s head, it got so bad, we were forced to take refuge on the screened-in porch. I came back home to research tried and true techniques for getting rid of biting flies on our dog. The two lists below include some natural and homemade remedies and some store bought chemical based solutions made specifically for animals. Do not use DEET based products on your dog, they can make them very sick. Hopefully these tips will help your pet enjoy more time outdoors.

Natural – Homemade Remedies for Flies:

• Try spreading Vaseline on your dogs ears, flies will not be able to bite into the skin, some say the brown medicated version works best. You can find it at drug and grocery stores.
• Spread Canola oil on the dog’s ears and around the eyes – works in a similar fashion to the Vaseline.
• Try Burt’s Bees All-Natural Herbal Insect Repellent. It contains caster oil, rosemary oil, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, peppermint oil, citronella oil, clove oil, and geranium oil. It isn’t toxic. Smells good too.
• Bag balm is another natural products that people say works real well. The flies are usually around the ears and eyes for the moisture. You can coat the ears and under the eyes with the bag balm.
• If your dog is not bothered by the smell, put a tiny bit of vinegar on or around his ears. Do not put it in his ears. Flies are repelled by the smell of vinegar.
• Using a spray bottle, make a solution of half amber colored Listerine, and half water. Spray the dogs. The smell repels the flies. It should last for hours then just repeat as necessary. Do not spray around eyes.
• Fill plastic clear bags (the Ziploc type) with water and hang them around the porch and doorways of your cottage or cabin. The theory is that flies do not like to see there reflection in the water and leave. This will help keep flies from travelling inside with your pet.
• Bye-Bye Black Fly is another all natural DEET free repellent that is safe for human and pets, it is the consistency of wax shoe polish, but it’s clear in color.

Here are two chemical based solutions that people have had success with:

• Pet-Guard Insecticide Gel is a combination insecticide and repellent with sunscreen especially designed to protect dogs, cats, and horses. It is a non-gooey gel, that you can apply to your dog’s ears. You can ask your vet or follow the link to buy it on-line.
• Flys-Off is a specially formulated ointment for dogs and horses and can be found at pet stores or on-line by following the link. It comes in a spray for the body and a cream version that you can apply to help heal fly bites and keep the flies off their ears.

We’ll be  trying some of these techniques during our next visit to the cottage. We would love to hear from our readers – please send us comments and let us know if you’ve tried any of our suggestions and if they have worked. Don’t hesitate to let everyone know if there is something that works that hasn’t been mentioned. And, as always if you know of a great product and you think we should carry it, feel free to send us your recommendations.