My dog has fluid-filled black spots from fly bites. What to do?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Gracie. Yes they do look like black fly bites, but there is no treatment for them. To prevent them, you need to clean up your yard of anything that attracts flies such as dog poop. Pick up all the dog poop, and throw it away in a closed trash can. Keep the trash can closed and locked if possible to prevent flies from coming there. Use a fly spray to kill any flies in the home. I hope this helps!

Poor doggie. Visit your local pet store, they sell over the counter fly repellent cream that will keep the flies away. And if there are sores on the ears apply a thin layer of Neosporin after cleaning them with a mild soap and warm water (i.e. Dove).

Thank you for the picture of Chipper's lesion. It appears to be a black fly bite. These lesions from the bite look bad, but typically they do not bother the pet. You don't need to do anything to treat it, these usually go away on their own over time. That being said, if this doesn't improve over the next week, it looks worse, or he's constantly itching it, then he will need to see a vet. I hope this helps!

It is possible, though it looks more like it could be a bacterial infection. Ideally, take her in to the vet for an exam so that the proper treatment can be determined. If you want to try something at home, you can try this product: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-wound-and-skin-care-for-dogs However, if it is not improving within a few days, please get her in to see your vet. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

It is hard to tell for sure it if both dogs have it I would be most suspicious of black fly bites, which are often just a local irritant. However, the other big concern would be petechia hemorrhages- which could come secondary to things like rat poison exposure! If they are feeling fine and were exposed to flies recently this is more likely but if they seem to feel off or had any other signs of concern it would be safer to take them in!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. This could possibly be a black fly bite. If this is the only lesion Peppa has you can try applying this hot spot gel spray to the affected area two to three times per day until it resolves. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) If there are more of these lesions, more lesions come up in the next few days or this one lesion gets worse or does not resolve in about 7 days then you need to take Peppa to your vet for an exam. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I would recommend getting Cable to the vet as soon as you are able to. Oftentimes these types of biting flies are attracted to open wounds and so unless his current wounds are treated it will continue to get worse. Once examined, your vet should be able to recommend a specific treatment for the biting insects as well. Cable will likely need some antibiotics to help the wounds clear up. In the meantime, try to keep him inside, away from the insects, if you can. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.