Help!! The flies are literally eating my dogs' ears!! We used to have cattle and used fly tags on their ears. I was thinking of buying the same tags and fastening them to the dogs' collars to repel the flies. Seems like a good idea. Has anyone tried this? Could it be dangerous to the dogs?? Thanks

-- Kim Scales (barkinbarnyard@rrv.net), July 06, 2000

Answers

i used to buy those orange cow tags for our dogs and i heard it was bad for their livers. I don't know. never seemed to noticably hurt them. however since it didn't seem to make a big difference on them any way i thought it was not worth the risk.

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), July 07, 2000.

Kim: Check with your vet before you use fly tags intended for cattle. Something intended for a 1,000 pound cow might be dangerous for a dog. There are probably other products intended for dogs you can use. Besides, you would have to buy a box of 20 and they are about $1.25 each. I use them in my cattle. While they don't appear to keep all flies away, apparently it works against those which transfer pink eye as I have not had a case since I started to use them.

-- Ken Scharabok (scharabo@aol.com), July 07, 2000.

Kim, I'd be a little worried about doing that. I used to have a dog whose ears would be chewed bloody by the flies. I got a bottle of a gel fly repellant from my vet, it helped both to chase away the flies and to heal her ears. Hmm, I just called my vet to get the name of it. He says he carried a number of different brands over the years so he can't tell me the name of the one I used. What he did tell me is that it probably had Lindain in it so it isn't on the market anymore. Now about everything is pyrethium based. So he says that an ear tag probably wouldn't hurt your dog, it just probably wouldn't help much with the ears. (Different story if you have old ear tags leftover, then it would depend on what is in them.) He said if you can't get some sort of lotion or paste to put on your dog, buy some horse fly spray and spray her ears every day. If the ears are really bad, get some ointment from your vet to help heal them up and to provide a bit of a barrier between the spray and the raw flesh.

If your dog lives in a spot where you can hang fly tapes without catching stuff other than flies, try to reduce the flies with those. There have been several threads on catching or repealing flies, check them for some more ideas.

I'd apply something to the dog's ears, either from the vet or aloe vera leaves or purchased gel. The most important thing for the dog right now is to get those ears healing. That will be the biggest help in reducing the fly problem for her. Make a choice about fly sprays or cattle tags and use them. Do what you can to make a "fly-free" zone for the dog at least part of the time. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), July 07, 2000.

Years ago, I tied a couple of the cattle tags on the equines mane and tail. Absolutely useless!

Tie a fabric softner dryer sheet on your dog's collar/harness.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), July 07, 2000.

Cattle ear tags will also kill a goat if allowed to chew on them, we killed a couple of wethers on test with them, it did indeed stop liver function, just as if they were poisoned. They have fly collars for horses in the Jeffers equine catalog, don't see how come that wouldn't work. Beware of the product SWAT, a salve for cuts and scrapes on animals that also has a fly repelant in it, it took the hair and hide off a rear udder here. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 07, 2000.

Kim, I wouldn't use the ear tags on a dog unless someone else did it first. I've had good luck with the 'BioSpot' tubes of insecticide you put between the shoulderblades. It's only a few bucks, and works for a month or two if the dog stays out of water. Keeps mosquitos, fleas and ticks off too. For the injured ears, I've used a mix of 2/3 pine tar (sporting goods store, for bats) and 1/3 neosporin. Cake it on the ears and it will heal and prevent flies from penetrating and causing more damage. Outside dogs only, for obvious reasons. Jill

-- Jill Schreiber (schreiber@santanet.com), July 08, 2000.

I wonder why this stuff works for some people and not others. I've tried Bio-Spot, Advantage, Frontline, etc. and none of them worked on my dogs for more than a few days for fleas. I conquered the flea problem by putting nothing on the dogs and sprinkling Diatomaceous Earth on the carpet.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), July 08, 2000.

Kim,

We are having some luck with two products, both contaiing pyrethrins. We put "Pet-Guard", an insecticide gel, on the dogs (on the head, between the shoulderbades and between the rear haunches) daily. This is made by Virbac and we got it from our vet. $11.00 for 8 fluid oz. We'll also bought a product called "Bronco" in a spray bottle, I forget the cost, my neighbors with horses like it so we are trying it on the dogs.

Flies (and other flying pests) are really bad this year. I've put out 8 to 10 flytraps around the house and barn (plastic bags with some lure and tops that the flys get in but then supposedly don't get out) but I don't know it I'm just attracting more fly than trapping. I hope we have a decent cold snap this coming winter that will kills off some of these bugs.

Bob

-- Robert (STBARB@usa.net), July 08, 2000.

My daughter is on her way to the barn to get the name of the stuff I use .It used to be pink now I've found it in white .I've used it with my Shepards for years .Here she is its called swat , white jar blue label .Your feed store should have it .It works great .Smells bad !

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), July 13, 2000.