How to get rid of flies?

Hello elmariachino,
I don't know much about flies, especially in Saudia Arabia, but try going on line and typing in "flies on dogs"I think you might find some answers there.Do you bath your GS?
good luck

hi elmariachino,
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! If that doesn't work they do have remedies online
good luck
Steph & Wyatt

Hi,
Because of the quantity of flies you're describing, be wary of something called fly strike, especially if your dog gets sick at all or has diarrhea.

My dog growing up was a 13 year old Airedale terrier, we kept her trimmed down during the summer, but one summer about two years before she passed on, she got really really sick - we took her to the vet and she was on meds.

We cleaned her thoroughly after every time she made a mess but it still wasn't enough.

She got fly strike.

Fly strike occurs when flies are attracted to sick/dirty/dying or slow (too slow to avoid or bite the flies away) animals, the flies lay their eggs in the dogs fur. When the maggots hatch, at first they just eat whatever dirt they find in the fur (feces, debris that gets caught, old skin etc) eventually though, they start attacking the dog. It is very hard to see them in dogs with thick fur, you have to dig down past the surface layer.

With our Airedale, she had a traditional Airedale trim - longer fur on the hind legs - and we didn't see them at first.

To make a long story short, we ended up with her at the vets, on a strong dose of antibiotics and her butt was trimmed right down. The vet did not have knowledge of fly strike in dogs until my mum who had researched it, told her about it.

We found out after the vet did more research that we were lucky to have caught it so soon, as often there is the potential for the maggots to enter the dogs body and travel along the spine under the skin - causing paralysis/death.

Because we were not informed of this hazard for long fur dogs, I think it is very important for dog owners to know that this can happen - especially during periods of large populations of flies.

Don't panic or anything! (sorry for the dramatic story!)
Just keep an eye on your dogs health and check it's fur once in a while - especially when sick.

Blue

Hi George,
Blues right, also if your dog gets a cut or sore they will zero in on it and lay their eggs,do you feed your dog garlic? it seems to help repel insects? also is Cheena ( I like that name) in an area that you can put something around the perimeter? I've heard baggies half filled with water hung in doorways etc... seem to repel flies for some reason( so the old wife's tell goes) we're all rooting for you & cheena I hope he's feeling better, steam some rice and mix w/ his food it helps keep us posted on how he's doing and I will keep checking and asking around about remedies for you
Good luck and keep posting
Steph & Wyatt

Hi Steph and Blue,
I really appreciate your concern
As for garlic i'm still hesitant about using it as I know it can be deadly for pets.
An old local wiz told about the baggies half filled with water... unseccessful.
I will try the rice thing (i never heard about it before).
Regarding the aromatic cedar ships... porbably I can't find it in Saudi Arabia, but I will order some from homeland (I'm from Lebanon and Lebanon is known for its cedars).
I'm afraid with the desert climate here, growing mint is not possible.
I know already that citronella oil can be very harmful for dogs, but today I am visiting the horse supply store, I hope i will be able to find some good products.

I'll keep you informed about the latest results.

Thank you once again for your help.
George

[I]I checked Wyatt's picture on the forum... handsome boy [/I]

Thanks George, I think he is too! I would love to see a pic of Cheena, I googled "flies on dogs" and found a number of products and remedies , 2 products that dog owners said worked were: SWAT and FLYS OFF, plus I found links to alot of different sites dealing with the issue that seemed to have alot of information, also Dogs can have Garlic, they actually make a chewable garlic tablet for dogs called "bugs off", if you have a problem getting to any of the sites please let me know and I will put in some links. I'll keep checking for you, we'll find something to help Cheena......
please keep me posted
Steph & Wyatt

PS: a quick note for Blue...
I found a photo of your "girl " she is adorable, and what a bundle of energy she must be.... also Congradulations, I noticed your a moderator now, as well you should be, you are very knowledgable and have exellent advice.

Hello my friends,
This week I am trying Bronco ( [url=http://www.horse.com/products/sku-BUL07QSid-40scode-hnextag.html]Bronco Fly Repellent - Horse.com[/url] ), the merchant in the horse supply shop said it's the best product he has (here they sell it for the equivalant of USD 20, I was surprised when I saw the price on the net). It seems to be efficient prividing I spray it every couple of hours. But it has to be carefully around the nose an the eyes, though it's there where the flies attack mostly.
My friend is coming today from Lebanon and is bringing a product from there, and another friend coming from the States next week is bringing another product.
I'll try ezch one of the for one week to check which is the best.
Furthermore i am adding some garlic powder to Cheena's food on daily basis.
I'll let you know about the results.

For your infos, in this country dog is considered a cursed animal ( [url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,212980,00.html]FOXNews.com - Saudi Arabia's Religious Police Issue Ban on Pet Cats, Dogs - Middle East Map | News | Crisis[/url] ), and there are many related products very diffucult if not impossible to find (after I microchipped Cheena, I was chocked to find out that in the whole country there isn't any reader that can scan the chip; nobody has never heard about the dog training clicker, dog tags can be found as ornement jewelry but you will never find anybody who can print on them.....)
Having a dog is not an easy thing here.
I really appreciate your help.

Blue, I read your Katrina dog's story but i couldn't find a picture of her.
Steph here's Cheena's pic (I will post another one later)

[IMG]C:\Documents and Settings\GAssaf\Desktop\CHINA\Pics\cheena3.jpeg[/IMG]

This is my Girl, I'll try to take better shots.

Beautiful pup indeed! How big is she already?

yaaaa hooooo! ding dong the flies are gone(or greatly reduced) I am sooooo glad to hear that,Cheena must feel a lot better,and I know you must be relieved. Cheenas a very lucky phooch to have you george! are the flys still bothering her ears at all?
keep us posted
best wishes to you and Cheena
Steph & Wyatt