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Gnats biting ears


Ninso
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Poor Lok's ears are getting all bitten up by gnats. He goes outside for 5 minutes and is covered with them (though they don't seem to be bothering either of my fosters at all). I swear last night I brushed like 30 gnats off of them at one time.

 

Is regular bug spray safe for dogs if I spray it on my hand and just wipe his ears with it (so as not to get it in his eyes)? I called all the pet stores around and none of them carry any kind of gnat repellant. The bug spray I picked up last night ("Off") says it repells gnats and doesn't have any kind of "don't use on pets" warning. Otherwise, is there something else I should use?

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Poor Lok's ears are getting all bitten up by gnats. He goes outside for 5 minutes and is covered with them (though they don't seem to be bothering either of my fosters at all). I swear last night I brushed like 30 gnats off of them at one time.

 

Is regular bug spray safe for dogs if I spray it on my hand and just wipe his ears with it (so as not to get it in his eyes)? I called all the pet stores around and none of them carry any kind of gnat repellant. The bug spray I picked up last night ("Off") says it repells gnats and doesn't have any kind of "don't use on pets" warning. Otherwise, is there something else I should use?

 

We use something called SWAT at our rescue kennel. It is actually formulated for livestock, but is safe for dogs as well. It is goopy, but it works to keep the flies and gnats off of their ears. I have also found something called Marigold Spray...it is all natural and safe for humans, won't sting open wounds or eyes, etc. - I found it at Tractor Supply in the horse section.

 

Good luck - those gnats and biting flies are horrible to deal with :rolleyes:

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Gnats are horrible here too. I've found two really good products- one is "Gnatural" creme or spray,

 

http://www.adamshorsesupply.com/browse.cfm/4,3044.html

 

The other is a Rio Vista product called "Coat So Soft". Both are labeled for both horses and dogs and both smell good! I use them on myself as well. Only thing- you do have to reapply them fairly frequently when the bugs are really bad.

 

Good luck.

 

Lori Cunningham

Milton, PA

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I've been using an all natural citronella & rosemary fly spray, intended for horses, but it woks OK on the dogs' ears (and mine, too, actually) for gnats as well as flies,

 

A

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Anna - What is the name of that product and where do you find it? We don't have that issue here but, where I train, the gnats can be pests as they fly in my face (and sometimes my wide-open, hollering or huffing-and-puffing mouth).

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Swat would be my choice because it stays put for quite awhile. I know people who breed

German Shepards and really works for gnats on the ear tips of erect ears. Unfortuneately

it's messy and would get on the carpets/furniture if your dog comes inside. The citronella

sounds like a good solution.

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I second Lori's (HEY THERE LORI!) Gnat product, I use Gnat Cream (in a tube) and the GNatural stuff in the tub, it's original use was for horses, but works on dogs too, good stuff, I tote it to trials where I run into flies and bugs like that, don't have much problem at home. You can find it in better horse stores and catalogs.

Last week I groomed a G SHep X who had his ear tips eaten off from flies...poor guy. We sent him home with VIP ointment slathered on them (vet rec.). SWAT also works, but GNat is likely less offensive, chemically, still does the job.

I personally use Skintastic spray, noseeums and flies leave me be.

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Sue--it's NaturVet's "Natural Horse Spray." Citronella, rosemary, and cedar oils. No chemicals or pesticides. Works as well as anything else on the horse, at half the price, with the bonus of being chemical-free. I get it at my local feed store,

 

A

 

ETA: I just got my glasses to read the fine print, and it's manufactured by the Garmon Corp,. right up the road here in Temecula, Ca. Website: www.naturvet.com

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