As most of us are aware, mosquitoes are the route of transmission for canine heartworm disease. Fortunately, there are several excellent heartworm preventive medications available. Ask your veterinarian about this problem if your dog is not currently taking one of the preventatives. Finally we come to the real impetus for this article, and that is the subject of flystrike. I must warn you that what follows is not for the faint at heart, but it needs to be said.
Flies cause two main problems in dogs during the warm months.
One is a traumatic dermatitis caused by the feeding of biting flies. This usually occurs on the ears, and is seen as a scabby, ulcerative dermatitis. There are several fly repellent ointments available that can be applied to the ears of affected dogs to reduce this problem. The second, and far more serious, fly related disease is myiasis. Myiasis usually occurs in outdoor dogs, generally ones with fairly long coats.