5 Best Fly Repellents for Dogs in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks
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As much as they bother you, imagine how much worse it is for your dog — after all, they don’t have access to a flyswatter or even a pair of chopsticks to knock the little jerks out of the sky. As a result, they have to just deal with them for the most part.
That’s where a good fly repellent comes in. In the reviews below, we’ll show you which repellents actually keep flies away. Once you find one that works for you, you’ll finally be able to give your dog a little respite from those annoying insects.
A Quick Look at Our Favorites of 2024
| Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Best Overall
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Farnam Ointment |
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Best Value
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Farnam |
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Premium Choice
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Calm Coat Natural |
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Nantucket Spider Natural |
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Absorbine Natural |
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The 5 Best Fly Repellents for Dogs
1. Farnam Flys-Off Fly Repellent for Dogs — Best Overall
While it’s nominally for use on open wounds and sores, Farnam Flys-Off Ointment can also be used to keep flies away from your pup’s face, even when they’re not injured.
It works on all kinds of flies, including horse flies, house flies, and stable flies (maybe not elephant flies, but luckily no one’s ever seen one of those). It’s perfect for pets with jobs in rural areas, such as herding dogs.
A little of this stuff goes a long way (and that’s probably due to the smell, which is atrocious), so there’s no need to slather your pooch’s entire body with it. You simply slather a little bit on the affected area with your fingers, and then watch as the flies stay away.
If your mutt is constantly being attacked and pestered by flies, there’s really nothing like Farnam Flys-Off Ointment. Not only was it the clear choice for the top spot on our list for best overall dog fly repellent, but it’s head and shoulders above the rest (except for our #2 product, but there’s a reason for that, which you’ll see shortly).
- Keeps all types of flies away
- Works on open sores and wounds
- Great for working dogs
- A little goes a long way
- Easy to apply
- Smells awful
2. Farnam Flys-Off Insect Repellent for Dogs — Best Value
There’s a good reason why our pick for the best fly repellent for dogs is only slightly better than our #2 pick, and that’s because they’re both from Farnam. This version of Flys-Off comes in a spray bottle, which makes application more convenient, but at the cost of reducing effectiveness a bit.
The spray bottle makes it easier to cover a large swath of your dog’s body, but that’s usually unnecessary, and it also increases the risk you’ll get some in her eyes accidentally. The good news is you don’t have to get any on your hands, though, because it doesn’t smell any better than the ointment.
It’s perfect for spraying on bedding and other fabric to keep flies from landing. In addition to flies, it also repels gnats, mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and lice.
Even better, it does all this at an extremely competitive price, making it the best fly repellent for dogs for the money. If you had to choose just one, we’d recommend the ointment, but luckily, they’re each affordable enough that you can keep both handy.
- Spray bottle makes wide-scale application easier
- No need to get hands dirty
- Works well on fabric and bedding
- Repels gnats, mosquitoes, and more
- Budget-friendly price
- Smells as bad as ointment
- Spray makes it easy to get some in dog’s eye accidentally
3. Calm Coat Natural Fly Spray for Dogs – Premium Choice
You don’t have to worry about lathering a bunch of harsh chemicals all over your pet with Calm Coat Natural, as it’s made with botanical ingredients like citronella. This lets it protect your pooch against flies, mosquitoes, gnats, chiggers, ticks, and more.
The spray isn’t oily or sticky, so your dog’s coat shouldn’t be affected for long, and the scent isn’t overwhelming.
It is a bit expensive, though, and that becomes aggravating when you realize you’ll need to reapply it every day to see any results.
While Calm Coat Natural works well, it only does so for a day at a time, so it’s hard for us to justify ranking it any higher than third — especially given that it’s relatively expensive.
- Uses natural ingredients
- Also protects against ticks, gnats, and more
- Not oily or sticky
- Scent isn’t overwhelming
- On the pricey side
- Has to be reapplied every day
4. Nantucket Spider Best Natural Repellent for Pets
Nantucket Spider Best Natural is a DEET-free concoction that instead relies on essential oils to keep bugs at bay. It uses a wide range of these oils as well, including rosemary, lemongrass, spearmint, and more, giving you broad protection against insects.
We can certainly see why bugs hate this stuff, because the smell is nearly unbearable. Your dog likely won’t appreciate getting coated in it, so expect to watch her roll in the dirt immediately after you apply it.
However, that may be a small price to pay for a repellent that actually works, which Nantucket Spider Best Natural seems to do. It’s easy to get a complete coating, too, as the sprayer offers a consistent fine mist with every pull.
While it keeps flies away well, it does little for mosquitoes and gnats, so you may need a separate spray to take care of them.
Ultimately, this is a good-but-not-great solution — and #4 on this list seems like a good place for something like that.
- DEET-free formula
- Uses lots of different essential oils
- Sprayer releases even mist
- Smell is awful
- Does nothing for mosquitoes and gnats
5. Absorbine UltraShield Natural Fly Spray for Dogs
Absorbine UltraShield Green Natural is another product that uses essential oils, but they must use different ones than Nantucket Spider does, because they can’t quite match that product’s results.
The good news, however, is that this stuff smells a lot better than the other spray. It has a fresh botanical scent that dogs don’t seem to mind, but it doesn’t last very long. Expect to have to reapply it at least twice a day, if not more.
That means a single bottle won’t last very long, and this stuff isn’t cheap. If you only need to keep bugs away for a short time, such as on vacation, then this is a fine choice, but we wouldn’t recommend it for everyday use.
Even when it’s freshly-applied, though, don’t expect it to keep away every fly. It will certainly cut down on the number bothering your pooch, but it won’t completely eliminate the problem.
We’re big fans of eco-friendly solutions like Absorbine UltraShield Green Natural, but we’d be even bigger fans if it worked better and lasted longer.
- Uses essential oils
- Smells good
- Eco-friendly solution
- Needs to be reapplied often
- Bottle doesn’t last long
- On the expensive side
- Won’t completely solve problem
Buyer’s Guide — Choosing the Best Fly Repellents for Dogs
As much as it may feel like flies love to bother you, they seem to find dogs absolutely irresistible. In this guide, we’ll explain why that is, and why it’s important that you put a stop to it as soon as you can.
Why Do Flies Love Dogs So Much?
There are many reasons why a fly might be drawn to a dog’s coat. These include everything from little bits of poop that are matted in the fur to open wounds concealed by their hair.
Some flies are even more diabolical than others. Horseflies, for example, will actually bite your dog (and you, too, so be careful). These bites can bleed, leading to infection, so it’s important to treat them as soon as you can — not to mention prevent them from happening again.
Are Flies Dangerous to Dogs?
They can be, yes. As noted above, some bite into your pup’s flesh, leaving wounds that can easily become infected.
Others transmit disease — as many as 65 known diseases, in fact. These range from harmless annoyances to serious conditions like dysentery.
Granted, it’s rare that a dog will suffer a potentially-fatal disease from coming in contact with flies, but there’s no reason to take a chance.
What’s the Best Way to Keep Flies at Bay?
While the repellents on this list do a great job of keeping bugs off your dog, they can only do so much if swarms of flies are constantly buzzing all around.
As a result, it’s important to keep the surrounding area as clean as possible. This means picking up poop as soon as possible, ensuring all garbage containers are tightly sealed, and removing any standing water.
Also, grisly as it may be, sometimes you’ll have an abundance of flies due to a dead animal in the area. In that case, it’s essential to remove the carcass as soon as possible (and you may need to call animal control to do this).
You can also set up fly traps, strips, and zappers around your home to try to snatch the bugs out of the air before they land on your dog. Be careful about using anything that comes with an attractant, though, as that can just make the problem worse.
Finally, there are other natural solutions, like releasing fly predators into your yard. For example, there’s a species of non-biting wasp that feeds on fly larvae; by releasing them around your house, you can completely decimate an entire generation of flies without using a single chemical.
What Should I Look for in a Dog Fly Repellent?
The short answer is, anything that works.
There are a variety of solutions that may offer relief, from eco-friendly essential oils to powerful pesticides like pyrethrin. It ultimately comes down to what you’re comfortable putting on your pet’s skin, as well as what you find to be the most effective solution.
Conclusion
Farnam Flys-Off placed two repellents in the top slots on this list: an ointment and a spray. The ointment was our pick for the best fly repellent for dogs overall, as it just took a little dab to keep flies away from your dog’s entire body. Plus, it’s great for keeping them off open wounds and sores.
Their fly spray for dogs is almost as good and a little bit cheaper. It doesn’t require you to get your hands dirty, and it even works to keep them off bedding and other fabrics.
We hope these reviews have made it possible for you to find a repellent that will finally give your dog a little peace on hot summer days. We believe the options shown here are your best bet for finally keeping all manner of flies at bay.
If they don’t, of course, there’s only one solution left, and it involves buying copious amounts of napalm.
Featured Image Credit: Fran_, Pixabay
