A Veterinarian's Guide to Beating Summer's Biggest Skin Threats

Summer brings sunshine, green pastures, and unfortunately, two of the most persistent challenges livestock owners face all year: biting insects and udder health issues. As a veterinarian and organic farmer, I see these two problems come up more than almost anything else once the temperatures climb — and I've learned a lot about how to get ahead of them, naturally.

Here's what I want every farmer to know.

The Buzz on Biting Insects

Flies, mosquitoes, and ticks aren't just an annoyance — they cause real skin irritation, stress, and in some cases, disease transmission. Understanding what attracts them is the first step to keeping them away.

Flies are drawn to moisture, odor, and light colors. Keeping living areas clean and dry, removing manure regularly, and using fly traps in barns and milking areas all help reduce populations.

Mosquitoes breed in standing water. Check troughs and low-lying areas around your property regularly, and eliminate anywhere water can pool.

Ticks hide in tall grass and brush. Keeping pastures trimmed and doing regular tick checks — especially around the ears, neck, and underbelly — goes a long way.

Environmental control only gets you so far, though. A reliable, effective fly repellent is essential. I developed Shoo-Fly specifically because I wanted something that actually worked without synthetic chemicals or pyrethrins — safe enough to use on my own animals without a second thought.

The Udder Essentials

Udder health is critical, especially for dairy animals. In summer, the biggest threats are sunburn, chapping, and chafing — all of which can escalate into bigger problems like mastitis if left unaddressed.

A few things that make a real difference:

• Providing shade during peak sun hours, especially for light-skinned or thin-coated animals
• Keeping bedding clean and dry to reduce bacterial exposure
• Using a gentle, moisturizing udder balm consistently, not just when a problem shows up

This is where Savvy Udder earns its place as one of our quietest heavy sellers. It conditions the udder, soothes chapped or cracked teats, and helps seal teats between milkings to prevent mastitis before it starts. And because it works like a natural triple-antibiotic on skin and wounds too, it's often the one product that ends up doing double or triple duty around the farm — for animals and for the humans doing the work.

Prevention Is Everything

The theme running through both of these issues is the same: a little consistency goes a long way. A regular fly control routine and a simple udder care habit can save you significant time, money, and stress compared to treating a full-blown problem after the fact.

None of this requires anything complicated. Just use the right tools consistently before the problem starts and you'll be good to go!

— Dr. Sarah, DVM