(Continued)
Biting Flies
The ear flap has an assortment of blood vessels which, when damaged, tend to bleed uncontrollably. With every scratch, any blood clot which was formed is then removed, and the bleeding begins all over again. The tips of the ear have crusted blood from which might ooze fresh blood.
One of the main causes of blood vessel damage is the biting fly. I think in Guyana, we call these big flies with massive jaws ‘cow flies’ or ‘horse flies’. The scientists call them Tabanids – after the family to which they belong. They seem to have a preference for biting the tips of dogs’ ears.
These are serious pests, especially the female. The male doesn’t bite the ear since it lives off vegetable juice and flowers instead of blood. The female, on the other hand, is equipped with bladelike jaws which inflict painful wounds that result in a great flow of blood, which she laps up. You can imagine that the flowing blood will attract other flies and there is a feeding frenzy – to the discomfort and
