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Fly-Biting Syndrome – A Basic Guide
This page shares my own journey with a dog that began fly biting without warning. I describe what I observed, how we sought help, and the current status
My Dog and the Syndrome | Personal Story
Willy was five years old when he started showing signs of Fly Biting. He is a neutered Labrador-Rottweiler mix with a loving, playful personality, living with me in a countryside home with an active physical life.
Since he was a puppy, Willy occasionally stay with a trusted petsitter for short periods. At some point, I had to travel often and his stays increased to four consecutive days each month, and he was always happy to go to dogsitter's.
When it all started:
After three months doing this routine, I had to leave him with the dogsitter for 14 consecutive days. Four days after returning home, while relaxing in a familiar environment, he had his first Fly Biting episode, snapping at the air for no clear reason.
The first online searches didn’t provide me with a clear explanation; in any case, the fly biting only lasted a moment.
It wasn’t until two months later, after the summer holidays, that he repeated the behavior, and from that point on, it only increased over the time.
Over the following nine months, I consulted various specialists to find the cause and a possible solution for Willy’s increasingly frequent fly biting episodes. At its worst, Willy couldn’t relax without snapping at the air. It was something he couldn’t control, and it initially caused him both discomfort and fear.
Current happy situation:
Five months after I stopped traveling, Willy stopped fly biting. But before that, thanks to the various mesures, treatments, and changes we made to his routine, Willy learned to manage the syndrome, which was essential for his quality of life and self management.
After one year he stopped, Willy has not showed again fly biting symptoms.
Which specialists assisted us?
(Chronological order)
Behavioral Veterinarian: Came to our home to analyze Willy’s environment. Suggested adding an additional bed in a quiet room. This was crucial as Willy learned to self-regulate by going to that room everytime he started fly biting.
Trainer: Analyzed routines both at home and with the petsitter. Since Willy had already received training, no major changes were introduced.
Neurologist experienced in flybiting: For about 4 months, we tried calming treatments (all non-prescription) to reduce the effects of fly biting. Some were more effective than others, but they helped Willy manage daily life. Just as we were about to start stronger medications, Willy began to reduce the fly biting until it eventually stopped.
Ophthalmologist: We had Willy checked to rule out vision problems, but the test came back negative.
Educator: Similar to the trainer, the educator found Willy to be a balanced dog, and no major changes were made.
On my own:
I tried feeding Willy hypoallergenic food for a month, but there was no improvement.
I used a dog anti-stress vest, which worked very well. However, if used too often, its effect would wear off as Willy got used to it.
Since I have to leave Willy alone for 9 hours, four days a week, I added a petsitter to walk him in the middle of the day.
When did Willy Fly bite?
Only in indoor spaces, never outdoors.
When he wasn’t receiving attention; as soon as his attention was captured, he stopped immediately.
Only when there were people around; he never did it when left alone at home (cameras were used to monitor him).
It happened less often when he was tired.
Even while sleeping, if he was in someone’s company at home, he could wake up snapping at the air.
Notably, on one occasion, it started strongly when he saw me packing a suitcase.
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