Maintaining the dog‘s cleanliness and wellbeing is always a fur parent’s topmost priority to keep them healthy.
No matter how closely we keep watch on our canine pals, insects fly around and even stay on their furry bodies. And, among all the insects that love bothering our pups, flies are their most frequent visitors.
Though we can’t entirely remove these pesky insects from our environment, we can do something to prevent them from flying around our doggy friends.
So, if you’re ready to find out how, continue reading below for a more detailed explanation on this hot topic.
How to keep flies off your dogs?
Before you go spraying your home with pesticides, there are eight major tips you can use to keep flies off your beloved dogs. First, you need to groom your dog as often as possible. Second, feed your doggo with nutritious food. Also, make sure to potty train your canine so he’ll never leave his mess exposed to flies that’ll end up biting him. Cleaning the pup’s bedding and environment can also help to keep the flies at bay. But, if all these fail, you can spray essential oils, apply apple cider, and use homemade fly repellents to solve the problem.
How to keep flies off your dogs – 8 Steps to Success
1. Groom your dog daily
Generally, flies love filth and unpleasant odors.
Thus, your dog would be less likely to attract flies if washed and bathed once or twice daily. Don’t forget to include brushing in their daily grooming session, particularly during the summer months. Flies are usually active during this time of the year.
2. Feed your dog healthy food
What does diet have to do with keeping flies away from your pup? Well, you’ll have to continue reading to find out.
Pampering your canine companion with a high-quality, nutritious diet helps in warding flies away. Animals that are healthy and strong are much less attractive to flies than poor and sick ones.
If you make sure your loyal companion receives all of the nutrients he needs to stay solid and stable, he would be well safe from flies.
3. Potty train your canine
Establishing a normal toilet routine for your dog can also help keep the flies at bay.
As flies sometimes lay their eggs on feces, they can accidentally introduce bacteria on your canine if they choose to stay on his furry body. Worse, the flies can introduce these harmful microorganisms directly to the pup’s bloodstream through their bites.
Thus, the most effective way to prevent flies from introducing these microbes into his bloodstream is by teaching your dog to go potty in a certain part of the yard. In that way, the dog’s feces won’t be exposed to any flies that’ll pass by.
4. Clean the dog’s bedding
Cleaning the dog‘s bedding will keep it free of odors and stains, as well as any fly eggs that might be hidden in the cloth.
Make sure to hand or machine wash the dog bedding with pet-friendly soap and hot water to remove soil, odors, and potential fly larvae at least weekly if not visibly soiled.
If your dog’s bedding still smells bad after you’ve washed it, baking soda might help. To do this, sprinkle a little baking soda on the bedding, and then vacuum it up after about 15 minutes.
Reapply the baking soda as desired or anytime you wash it to keep your dog’s bedding smelling fresh and new always.
5. Keep the dog’s environment clean all the time
When you want to keep flies away from your puppy, the first line of protection is to make the atmosphere unappealing to them.
To achieve this feat, keep your dog inside your house during the hottest times of the day. Since flies are active in the daytime, make sure to keep your canine outdoor trips to a bare minimum.
If you cannot do this, keep your backyard fresh and clean at all times. Any leftover food or waste left in your yard unattended can attract flies, leaving your dog vulnerable to an imminent fly craze.
Cleaning out your dog’s bowl after each feeding and cleaning up dog poop as soon as you see them will help you keep your outdoor environment more sanitary and less attractive to flies.
6. Essential Oils
One non-toxic fly repellent you can use to keep the flies away from your doggo is essential oils. Since most commercial fly repellents contain additives that are toxic not only to flies but to our canine pals as well, using essential oils may be the remedy you’ve been waiting for.
And, thankfully, some essential oils have natural fly repellent properties in them.
Essential oils like geranium, sandalwood, Idaho tansy, lemon, lavender, and rosemary are naturally known to repel flies.
To create your own essential oil spray, mix five to ten drops of your favorite essential oil with 32 ounces of purified water in a spray bottle. Make sure to shake the mixture well before using.
7. Apply apple cider
In your fight against flies, you can use apple cider vinegar as a tool to ward them off.
To do this, apply apple cider topically on your dog or add it to his food and water as a natural fly repellent. Since most dogs don’t like the taste of apple cider vinegar, your safest bet is to dilute it in water in a 1:1 ratio and place it in a spray bottle.
After which, spray the mixture on your dog’s ears and muzzle.
8. Homemade fly repellents
Aside from essential oils, there a range of herbs that not only useful in the kitchen but helps in repelling flies as well.
Basil, bay leaf, mint, and rosemary are among these well-known herbs that can act as fly repellents. These herbs are beneficial for humans and pets alike but are extremely unpleasant for flies.
If you can’t make your own natural fly repellent, a spray containing the active botanical ingredient Pyrethrum is effective in destroying flies in all stages of their life cycle easily.
Flies and the harm they pose on dogs
Flies are more than mere annoying creatures that disturb your pup’s peaceful living. They can also pose a serious health hazard to your canine friend.
The majority of flies will target your dog’s ears or face, where he will be less likely to protect himself against painful bites.
If there is torn and infected skin on those areas, they’ll naturally attract flies to it, luring them to feed on the blood meal. This will ultimately cause more skin irritation.
Even if your beloved canine companion is not allergic to fly bites, flies may lay eggs on the infected skin, which eventually hatch into maggots and provide a breeding ground for infection.
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