Biting flies target household pets.

• Position: Your Life - Brief Article

The incessant buzzing of flies around the house might be more than just a nuisance. Some are attracted to cats or dogs and can bite their ears or backs, leaving painful wounds on pets. C.B. Chastain, associate dean of the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine, offers the following tips on which flies to look for and what can be done about them:

* The largest biting flies are horse flies. They generally bite pets on the back and leave painful wounds with bloody crusts. Deer flies, which are about one-third of an inch long and have yellow and orange markings, leave the same type of injuries.

* Stable flies are similar in size and appearance to houseflies. These tend to bite on the...