Fly Bite Dermatitis
There are several species of flies causing fly worry in cattle, horses, goats and dogs.
Fly types
- Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) has rasping teeth with blades to attack the skin of animals. They feed off the blood and exudate from wounds on the animal. Crusted ulcerated ear wounds are often created from the flies' bite. The lesions may be itchy and certainly the flies worry the animal.
- House flies cause minor nuisance feeding on eye and nose secretions and wound exudate.
- Horse flies (Tabanids) bite pieces of skin out to feed on the exudate and blood. The bite is painful.
- Deer fly (Chrysops) and mosquitoes also cause annoying bites. All insect bites can cause allergies greatly increasing the irritation and itch.
- Fly maggots can infest old animals that become wet from urine scald and cannot move.
- Buffalo flies (Haematobia irritans) are a severe problem in tropical Australia during the late summer.
Management
- Farm animals and horses can be sprayed all over, or around wounds with Permoxin diluted in water according to the directions on the bottle. It can be sprayed directly onto open wounds.
- Dogs can also be wet down, rinsed or sprayed with Permoxin in water according to bottle directions.
- Repeat as is required by fly pressure.
- In particularly difficult swarms, a prolonged action can be obtained by mixing Permoxin with white petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and mineral oil (baby oils).
Home made fly repellent
Dilute 1ml of Permoxin in 40mL of Vaseline or baby oil and mix well. If a consistency less than thick Vaseline or more than baby oil is desired these two ingredients can be mixed in the desired proportion to give the desired consistency after the Permoxin is added.
Add the baby oil/Permoxin mixture to the Vaseline/Permoxin a little at a time until the desired ointment consistency is reached. This will keep for the summer months, then discard.
This ointment can be applied on wounds to help healing and prevent flies from further irritating the wound.
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