Chinchilla Medications and Treatments

Back in 2002, Azure Chinchillas published the following advice regarding medications and treatments specifically for Chinchillas. The Azure Chinchillas site is gone now, but the content is too good to lose so I'm republishing it here.

I have divided this list into sections and have listed the items, where they can be sourced and what they are useful for. It is based on what I have in my kit at home — but those people with just a few chinnies will not need such a large kit – but I hope this list may help people to “pick and choose” what items may be useful.

However, I cannot stress highly enough that most problems will need professional treatment from a vet – and certain items are only available by veterinary prescription. A first aid kit is useful in emergencies – and if treating minor conditions – provided that the owner is certain they know what they are treating and only as a COMPLIMENT to professional veterinary care. All treatments have been tried and tested on my own chinchillas – with the full knowledge of my vet.

Digestion

• Milpar – chemists – useful for treating digestive conditions such as bloat (0.5ml 2-3 times daily)
• Liquid Paraffin – chemists – for treating constipation (not to be confused with castor oil – which is harmful to chinchillas digestion) (as above but do not use for more than 2 days)
• Syrup of Figs – chemists – for treating constipation (milder than liquid paraffin) (up to 1ml 2-3 times daily)
• Paediatric Kaolin/kaogel – chemists/vets – for treating diarrhoea (as above)
• Pro-biotics – vets or specialist suppliers – balances the intestinal flora

Eyes

• Golden Eye Drops – chemists – for treating minor infections (1 drop in eye twice daily)
• Optrex – chemists – for flushing eyes and removing foreign bodies
• Brolene – chemists – (as Golden Eye Drops)

Skin and Fur

• Evening Primrose Oil – chemists/health food shops – excellent for a wide range of skin/fur problems – taken orally – 1 drop daily or applied to skin.
• Baby Oil – chemists/supermarkets – excellent for treating “flaky ears” – just a tiny drop rubbed well into the ears!
• Athletes Foot Powder – chemists – for treating possible fur-fungus conditions – add a tablespoon to sandbath only when needed
• Lamasil – chemists – antifungal cream – may help with ringworm – but veterinary advice is essential

Wounds/Injuries

• Hibiscrub – vets – use diluted for bathing wounds
• Intra-Site Gel – chemists – applied to large open wounds to assist healing and form a protective barrier
• Dermisol Cream – vets – an antiseptic cream also removes necrotic tissue
• Hydrogen Peroxide – chemists – use to flush and clean wounds according to instructions ** ONLY USE DILUTED – UNDER VETERINARY RECOMMENDATION **
• Iodine – vets/chemists – thoroughly cleans wounds, skin infections etc (stings though)
• Purple Spray – farm stores – antiseptic spray useful for minor wounds
• Wound Powder – farm stores – powder for minor wounds

Colds

• Sudafed Liquid – chemists – suppresses mucus – (0.2ml per adult chin – twice a day)
• Calpol 6+ – chemists – although a pain relief is very useful when treating colds too (100mg per kilo of body weight. Calpol 6+ contains 50mg per ml – i.e. an “average” chinchilla weighing 500g would only need 1ml of Calpol and a larger chinchilla weighing in at 1 Kilo (1000g) would require 2ml of Calpol. DO NOT EXCEED DOSE AND DO NOT GIVE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME

Pain Relief

• Calpol 6+ – chemists – as above
• Metacam – vets – excellent pain relief but prescription only.

Also in kit.

• Loads of cotton wool and cotton buds – chemists – variety of uses
• Carnation milk – shops – just in case need to hand-rear
• Food replacement (i.e. Oxbow Critical Care or Supreme Science recovery) – vets/specialist suppliers – for feeding sick chins
• Curved Scissors – vets – for trimming fur away from injuries or removing soiled fur – curved to prevent injury to chinchilla
• Cohesive Bandage – chemists/vets – sticks to itself – not the chinchilla
• Vitamin B12 (Cytacon) – chemists/health food shops – stimulates the appetite and acts as a tonic (1ml once a day for three days)
• Milton Fluid – chemists/supermarkets – used to sterilize pretty much anything from bowls, water bottles – to hand feeding equipment and syringes.
• Dioralyte – chemists – rehydration treatment
• Different sized syringes – vets – variety of uses
• Pipettes – vets/specialist suppliers – for hand feeding