Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been taking my dogs to the river regularly this summer, and they love it.

Unfortunately, so do the flies and mosquitoes!

One of my dogs gets bitten all over her stomach, and ends up with greenish pussy sores. These dry up and go away very quickly if popped.

The other dog has shorter hair and gets bites ALL over. He is literally covered in scabs. They don't seem to get infected on him though.

We haven't gone for about a week now because of this, but we are expecting a very hot week, and I would like to take them swimming.

Any suggestions for a waterproof fly repellent?

I have an insect repellent, but I don't really want to put deet on my dogs, especially if it is going to wash off immediately into the river.

Many essential oils are very good insect repellents; citronella oil for instance. You could add some to rubbing alcohol, put it in a spray bottle and lightly mist the dog. I doubt though that this will remain on the dog while swimming. If you respray the dog right after he has come out of the water and shaken off, it should provide protection for several hours, or until the next swim.

Thanks, I'll try that. I had thought of using essential oils, but I wasn't sure which ones would affect flies. Last week I tried picking a bunch of lavender flowers and rubbing them all over the dogs, but the smell wore off pretty quickly.