insect/ paracite bite

[twiggy10]

please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my husband has been bitten by something!!
he doesn't know what it is but you can see that the bite has broken his skin. it is always around the calf/ankle area which we think it is not a flying insect but something that can jump. the sensation he get almost immediately is the feeling the poison is pumping around his body, the area that has been bitten swells with the poison to the size of a golf ball!!!. he aches all over and a throbbing headache. the doctor has burst the bubble but does not have a clue what has caused it !!! he now finds it very difficult to walk as the area is swollen!! can anyone please help with any suggestions and preventions!!

[lilacben]

hi twiggy 10 there seems to be a lot of people bitten this past week by horse flies. I was bitten on my hand last week and asked the same question. has the doctor given your husband any antibiotics? also get him to use antihistimine tablets. I prefer the one a day ones that do not make you sleepy. hope he feels better soon. Brenda x

[horsestache1]

This definatly sounds like a horsefly bite, You need to get some antihistamine (piriton) and also some hydrocortisone cream, from the chemist, use as directed ASAP.

To prevent this happening again use a fly repellent containing citronella. I use a roll on meant for horses, sounds yuc but its the only one i've fornd that works!!!!

[earthakitten]

Hi horsestache1. I also get dreadful horse fly bites and thought I'd tried every repellant on the market. Would I get your roll on from a pet shop ? xx

[horsestache1]

Hi Earthakitten, sorry for late reply.

You would only get the roll on from a pet shop that sold horse products and even then they may not stock it. Look in Yellow pages for your nearest "Tack Shop" that way you will be sure to find the right thing. You have to buy all horse products containing citronella by the end of August as they are banning its use after that (Stupid EEC Directive)

I bought 3 roll ons as the use by date was not until 2008, so at least I've got a few years of peace.

Good luck Ann

[earthakitten]

Hi Ann ... Just remembered to check my threads. Thanks for the info. We have a couple of large pet shops locally so I'll go and see what they have got. There used to be a Tack shop in a village a couple of miles away so I'll see if it's still there. Damm the EEC, I had better get my skates on then to beat the date. I wonder if this rule will apply to everything containing citronella or just horses. Thanks again. xx