Articles & Guides
Long-form reference material from the ExoticRx editorial team. Every article links back into the live formulary so you can move straight from the discussion to the species-specific dose ranges.
Pet Rat Drug Dosing: A Vet Reference
Antibiotic, analgesic, and respiratory-disease dosing for Rattus norvegicus var. domestica. Mycoplasma pulmonis is the dominant pathogen of pet rat practice — most prescribing decisions trace back to it.
Published July 31, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Pre-Anesthetic Bloodwork in Exotic Patients: What to Run, What It Changes
The minimum useful bloodwork before anesthetising rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, reptiles, and birds — plus the species-specific values that should make you stop or change the protocol.
Published July 28, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Chinchilla Drug Dosing: A Vet Reference
Antibiotic, analgesic, anesthetic, and dental-disease dosing for Chinchilla lanigera. Same dysbiosis warnings as rabbits, plus the chinchilla-specific sensitivities to anesthesia and stress that change post-op care.
Published July 24, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Ferret Drug Dosing: A Vet Reference
Antibiotic, analgesic, antiparasitic, and adrenal/insulinoma dosing for Mustela putorius furo — and the ferret-specific physiology that should change your prescribing.
Published July 21, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome: Differential Diagnosis and Supportive Care
A clinician-focused overview of Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome (WHS) in African pygmy hedgehogs, covering the limited evidence base, the differentials that must be excluded antemortem, and a realistic supportive-care framework for a uniformly progressive, ultimately fatal disease.
Published July 17, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Snake Mites (Ophionyssus natricis): Identification, Treatment, and Reinfestation Prevention
A clinician-focused review of Ophionyssus natricis biology, diagnosis, and a stepwise treatment protocol covering ivermectin, selamectin, fluralaner, and environmental decontamination, with explicit contraindications and reinfestation control.
Published July 14, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Reptile Yellow Fungus Disease: Nannizziopsis Diagnosis and Antifungal Protocols
Clinical reference for nannizziomycosis (formerly CANV) in captive lizards, covering current taxonomy, dermatologic and systemic presentations, ITS-based PCR diagnostics, and evidence-graded voriconazole, itraconazole, and terbinafine protocols with husbandry and biosecurity guidance.
Published July 10, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Reptile Metabolic Bone Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Husbandry Correction
A clinical reference for primary-care veterinarians managing nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism in reptiles, covering recognition, ionized calcium-guided stabilization, supplementation protocols, and the husbandry corrections without which medical therapy fails.
Published July 7, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Pet Rat Mycoplasmosis: Long-Term Management of Chronic Respiratory Disease
Clinician-aimed reference for managing Mycoplasma pulmonis-associated chronic respiratory disease in pet rats, covering pathophysiology, antibiotic selection (enrofloxacin, doxycycline, azithromycin, chloramphenicol), adjunctive therapy, husbandry intervention, and prognosis with cited dose ranges and evidence-level labels.
Published July 3, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Hedgehog Oral Neoplasia and Dental Disease: A Diagnostic Approach
Practical clinical reference for the workup and management of oral disease in African pygmy hedgehogs, covering anesthetic oral examination, biopsy, dental disease therapy, surgical and palliative options for oral squamous cell carcinoma, and cited analgesic and antimicrobial dosing with evidence-level labels.
Published June 30, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Ferret Insulinoma: Medical and Surgical Management of Hypoglycemia
Practical clinical reference for diagnosis, acute crisis stabilization, long-term medical control with prednisolone and diazoxide, and surgical debulking of pancreatic beta-cell tumors in domestic ferrets, with cited dose ranges and evidence-level labels.
Published June 26, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Ferret Adrenocortical Disease: Diagnostic Workup and Long-Term Management
Practical clinical reference for diagnosing and managing adrenocortical disease in domestic ferrets, covering the Tennessee sex hormone panel, GnRH-analogue therapy with deslorelin and leuprolide, and the surgical considerations that distinguish left from right adrenalectomy.
Published June 23, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Chinchilla Dental Disease: Recognition, Imaging, and Treatment
A clinical guide to acquired dental disease in chinchillas, covering hypsodont anatomy, intraoral and CT-based diagnosis, anesthesia, coronal reduction, abscess management, and evidence-graded analgesic and antimicrobial dosing.
Published June 19, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Avian Heavy Metal Toxicosis: Diagnosis and Chelation Protocols
A clinician-focused review of zinc and lead toxicosis in companion and exotic birds, covering exposure sources, pathophysiology, diagnostic thresholds, decontamination, and species-appropriate chelation protocols (CaEDTA, DMSA, D-penicillamine) with referenced dosing.
Published June 16, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Cryptosporidium serpentis in Pet Snakes: A Practical Guide
Why C. serpentis is the most prognostically loaded diagnosis in pet snake medicine, how to confirm it, and the realistic outlook for paromomycin therapy.
Published June 12, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Avian Articular Gout: Recognition and Allopurinol Management
How to spot articular gout in psittacines before it disables, and the evidence-base for allopurinol-based long-term management.
Published June 9, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Reptile Dystocia (Egg-Binding): Medical and Surgical Management
How to distinguish obstructive from non-obstructive dystocia in lizards and snakes — and when oxytocin and calcium are appropriate vs when they are dangerous.
Published June 5, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Avian Aspergillosis: Voriconazole vs Itraconazole Protocols
When to reach for voriconazole instead of itraconazole in psittacine aspergillosis — and why the choice matters more in African Greys.
Published June 2, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Encephalitozoon cuniculi in Rabbits: Diagnosis and Treatment
When to test for E. cuniculus, how to interpret antibody titres, and the fenbendazole-based treatment protocol used in pet rabbit practice.
Published May 29, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Antibiotic Selection in Exotic Animals: Principles and Pitfalls
How to choose an antibiotic for rabbits, guinea pigs, parrots, and reptiles — with the species-specific contraindications general practice reaches for first by reflex.
Published May 26, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Anesthesia in Exotic Companion Animals: A Practical Overview
Inhalational and injectable anesthesia choices for rabbits, guinea pigs, parrots, and reptiles — and what species-specific physiology should change in your protocol.
Published May 22, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Ball Python Drug Dosing: A Vet's Reference
Antibiotic, antiparasitic, and supportive-care dosing for Python regius — and the snake-specific physiology that drives the choices.
Published May 19, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Guinea Pig Drug Dosing: A Vet Quick Reference
Antibiotic, analgesic, and antifungal dosing for Cavia porcellus — and why they're not just small rabbits.
Published May 15, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
African Grey Parrot Drug Dosing: A Vet Reference
Antibiotic, antifungal, and supportive-care dosing for Psittacus erithacus — and the avian-specific physiology that should change your prescribing.
Published May 12, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Rabbit Drug Dosing: A Vet's Quick Reference
Antibiotic, analgesic, and antiparasitic dosing for domestic rabbits — and the oral antibiotics you must never reach for.
Published May 8, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Avian Fluid Therapy: Route, Volume, Rate
Why bird fluid plans aren't a scaled-down dog plan. Total body water, maintenance, deficit, and shock-bolus volumes for psittacines and raptors. Choosing between SC, IO, IV, and PO — and why a 90 mL/kg shock bolus will kill the patient.
Published May 4, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Reptile Sedation: Why Temperature Is The Variable, Not The Drug
Most failed reptile inductions, prolonged recoveries, and 'the snake just isn't going under' episodes trace back to one cause: the patient is too cold for the drug to do what it does in a mammal. Practical sedation protocols built around POTZ as the master variable.
Published May 4, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Rabbit GI Stasis: A Bedside Protocol
What to do, in order, in the first 60 minutes when a rabbit presents with anorexia and reduced fecal output. Analgesia, fluids, prokinetics, force-feeding, and the decision tree for when to image and when to refer.
Published May 4, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Bearded Dragon Respiratory Infections: Workup and Treatment
Why a 'simple URTI' in a bearded dragon almost always has a husbandry root cause, and how to structure antibiotic therapy when it doesn't.
Published May 2, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial
Bearded Dragon Drug Dosing: Vet Reference Guide
Antibiotic, antiparasitic, and analgesic dosing notes for Pogona vitticeps — and what reptile physiology means for the drugs you reach for first.
Published April 29, 2026 · ExoticRx Editorial