Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was reading on the back of my nolvasan bottle and it has so many warnings I'm almost afraid to use it now. Say's it's corrosive,
harmful or fatal if inhaled, need to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts when using, not suppose to get on your skin, wear gloves when using etc.... the list goes on. Then I checked on the Wyeth pharmacutical site and it said it was not corrosive. Anyway, one of my main concerns is I use it at least weekly to disinfect my cages and of course I use a spray bottle. Actually, I even rinse my hands in it sometimes to try not to cross contaminate my dragons. I thought this product was relatively safe but now I don't know. Can someone
fill me in or calm me down.....LOL
Thanks and take care,
Karen
p.s. I originally had the generic form that I received from my vet
in a bottle with no labeling.

>>I was reading on the back of my nolvasan bottle and it has so many warnings I'm almost afraid to use it now. Say's it's corrosive,
>>harmful or fatal if inhaled, need to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts when using, not suppose to get on your skin, wear gloves when using etc.... the list goes on. Then I checked on the Wyeth pharmacutical site and it said it was not corrosive. Anyway, one of my main concerns is I use it at least weekly to disinfect my cages and of course I use a spray bottle. Actually, I even rinse my hands in it sometimes to try not to cross contaminate my dragons. I thought this product was relatively safe but now I don't know. Can someone
>>fill me in or calm me down.....LOL
>>Thanks and take care,
>>Karen
>>p.s. I originally had the generic form that I received from my vet
>>in a bottle with no labeling.

but I have asked repeatedly, at different times, in different forums and have gotten responses that it is harmless and a GREAT cleaner to use. These opinions have been from what I consider to be very reliable resources!

I've seen major breeder websites indicate they somethimes wash their animals with it, always clean their cages with it, their hands, etc. The list goes on and on. Hell, I'm thinking about downing a bottle of it, the stuff seems so good. No, I wouldn't suggest anyone do that but basically, from everything I've read and been told, it is extremely safe and the only thing I've heard is to keep it away from your beardies eyes.

FYI, all of the precautions very well could be liability issues and required by their insurance carrier to provide coverage for them. I'm not saying that's the case and very well could be wrong there, but I suppose it's a possibility.

Hope this helps calm you down a little !
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Rob Talkington

Only reason I can think of as to why it has all those warnings, is the concentration of the cleaner straight from the bottle compared to the diluted form it is when used. What was it now, one capful to a gallon of water? Even bleech is deadly poison, including the fumes when straight from the bottle, but once diluted, it's fine. Heck, it's in most of our drinking water and we swim in it at the pool (ick) so it can't be all that bad when properly diluted. Not that I can stand even the faint taste of bleech or the smell of it. If Nolvasan is what I think it is, from way back in my youth when I worked as a hotel cleaning maid, I couldn't stand the stuff either. But then again I am sensitive to anything that has a strong chemical or perfumed scent.

My vet says she developed an allergy to Nolvasan and can no longer touch it. She said it happened when she was using it to clean bird cages many years ago. It was probably some high concentration.

BTW, where are you guys getting full bottles of the stuff? My vet gave me a small amount in one of those squeeze bottles with the tip on it. It was "FREE" but I would still like to get a bottle of the stuff.
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0.0.2 Bearded Dragons(Ziggy and Stardust)

I usually order mine from calvetsupply.com
It's 'bout $20 a gallon, but it lasts a long time.
Lots of other places sell it, but they're all about the same price. Hope this helps,
Cricket

Thanks! I will be checking this out.
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0.0.2 Bearded Dragons(Ziggy and Stardust)

Dr Douglas Mader, M.S. D.V.M, Author of Reptile Medicine and Surgery

Wounds and on bacteria
"The are a number of flushing and irrigation agents available. Chlorhexidine diacetate (nolvasan, Ft. Dodge), povidone-iodine solutions and Hydrogen peroxide are the most common used and are relatively safe when used as directed. They have all been recommended for use in oral mucosa (inner mouth) at one time or another and clinical use seems to support this practice. A 1:20 or 1:30 dilution of chlorhexidine 2% has been advocated for the treatment of infectious stomatitis. This Author (Dr Mader) also contends that, despite popular belief to the contrary, Nolvasan is effective against many strains of Pseudomonas. A statement that the product is effective against Pseudomonas spp. is lacking on the container, and the author contends that this is because the solution does not conform to the standards ser by the Assoc of Official Analytical Chemists. Nolvasan sesitivity disks are available for routine culture/sensitivity testing."

Another practiioner recomends using nolvasan to treat shell infections in quatic turtles after first debriefing the healthy tissue"

Nolvasan is routinely used to flush out the mouth of many reptiles and swallowed by them with no ill effects but killing the bacteria.
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www.reptilerooms.com

kb