Hi all,

We took Tuscany our 9 month old mini doxie camping with us this weekend and he loved it. But, he ended up being bitten by black flies very badly on his tummy (like 7 or 8 different times). Is there anything that we can use as a preventative (like fly spray for horses)?

Thanks so much

I can see black flies being a problem for dogs, but I don't know what to do. I never found a good way of keeping them off myself. You might talk to your vet. Perhaps one of the more aggressive flea remedies such as Revolution might help.

I can't keep them off myself either... I look like I have the mumps. Thanks Labman!

Tuscany, I deal with this every year at this time. Certain tick/flea treatments also repel mosquitos. Those are the ones to use. Black flies are attracted to carbon dioxide, as mosquitos are. This won't completely keep her from getting attacked, but reduces the number of bites. Unfortunately, those insects get to the exposed belly. I did find something called Naturapel that is safe for pregnant women & children, and per my vet, is okay for the dog. It has citronella in it. It is okay to rub a just a little bit on her exposed belly. I can't use it on my dog because I am allergic to citronella. But, if you are not, this is the only product that seems to help minimize the belly bites. Hopefully, someone else will stop by and have found something else that is safe and works well.