Is Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) a controlled substance?

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) is not federally scheduled in the US. Controlled-drug status differs by country — verify your local rules.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Calculate dosage

Sourced from published veterinary references. Awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer — our editorial process.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) is dosed at 50–100 mg/kg IV q24h in guinea pigs, per Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.7 (Miscellaneous Agents Used in Rodents). Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Supplement

Routes

POSCIV

Indications

Acute severe scurvyacute vitamin C deficiencyAntioxidantAntioxidant adjunctAntioxidant supplementationcopper hepatopathy adjunctDeficiencyEmpiricalEmpirical: hypovitaminosis Cgingivitishypovitaminosis Cinfections

Show all 19

nutritional supportSevere scurvyskin slough (snakes)skin slough in snakesstomatitissupportive therapyVitamin C supplementation (obligate requirement)

Mechanism of Action

Essential antioxidant and cofactor in collagen synthesis, immune function, and iron absorption. Guinea pigs cannot synthesize vitamin C endogenously (obligate requirement).

Side effects & warnings

ESSENTIAL supplement for guinea pigs (10-30 mg/kg/day minimum). Degrades rapidly in water — supplement daily. High parenteral doses may cause oxalate crystalluria. Most other species synthesize their own.

Species with Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) dosing data (15 dose rules)

African Grey Parrot African Pygmy Hedgehog Bearded Dragon Blue-tongue Skink Cat (Domestic)Corn Snake Crested Gecko Dog (Domestic)Eastern Box Turtle Guinea Pig Red-eared Slider

Species references:All African Grey Parrot drugs All African Pygmy Hedgehog drugs

Evidence levels across 15 dose rules

Strong×2Anecdotal×4Weak×7Moderate×1Extrapolated×1

Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.

Sample dosing (2 of 15 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 11 species — reptiles, birds, pocket pets, livestock, and equine — is free on the per-species pages above. Pro adds the weight-based calculator for every species.

Species	Route	Dose	Frequency	Evidence	Source
Dog (Domestic)	PO	10–30 mg/kg	q12h	Weak	Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023) — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.96-97, Ascorbic Acid monograph, Dosages.Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.
Cat (Domestic)	PO	10–30 mg/kg	q12h	Anecdotal	Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023) — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.96-97, Ascorbic Acid monograph, Dosages.Compilation only — we have not located an independent source that prints this figure.

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Backed by 13 published sourcesShow

· 138. Fraser MA, Girling SJ. Dermatology. In: Girling SJ, Raiti P, eds. BSAVA Manual of Reptiles, 2nd ed., British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, UK; 2004:184-198. || 322. Mehlhorn H, Schmahl G, Mevissen I. Efficacy of a combination of imidacloprid and moxidectin against parasites of reptiles and rodents: case reports. Parasitol Res. 2005;97(Suppl 1):S97-S101. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.268 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.9 (Nutritional/Mineral/Fluid Support Used in Reptiles.a).
· 29. Isenbügel E, Baumgartner R. Diseases of the hedgehog. In: Fowler M, eds. Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine: Current Therapy, 3rd ed., WB Saunders, Philadelphia, PA; 1993:294-302. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.746 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 8.7 (Miscellaneous Agents Used in Hedgehogs).
· 87. Fraser MA, Girling SJ. Dermatology. In: Girling SJ, Raiti P, eds. BSAVA Manual of Reptiles. 2nd ed. Quedgeley, Gloucester, UK: British Small Animal Veterinary Association; 2004:184-198. | 224. Mehler SJ, Bennett RA. Upper alimentary tract disease. In: Mader DR, ed. Reptile Medicine and Surgery. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Saunders/Elsevier; 2006:924-930. — Source: Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery, 3rd Ed, p.1418

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Calculate Dosage for Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.7 (Miscellaneous Agents Used in Rodents).

· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th ed, Table 5.4. NOTE: the served figure was matched against the table as a whole, not against this drug's own row, so confirm the number on the page before relying on it.

· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.803, Table (Miscellaneous agents used in guinea pigs/rodents), Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), maintenance row — corroborated verbatim by BSAVA Small Animal Formulary 10th ed, Part B: Exotic Pets, p.302: 'Guinea pigs: maintenance: 10-30 mg/kg/day p.o., s.c.' — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.7 (Miscellaneous Agents Used in Rodents).

· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th ed., Table 4.10 (vitamins/nutritional support, reptiles), p.268, Vitamin C row, superscript 138 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.9 (Nutritional/Mineral/Fluid Support Used in Reptiles.a).

· Fehr M, Sassenburg L, Zwart P. Krankheiten der Heimtiere, 8th ed., Schluetersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Hannover, Germany; 2015. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.7 (Miscellaneous Agents Used in Rodents).

· Fraser MA, Girling SJ. Dermatology. In: Girling SJ, Raiti P, eds. BSAVA Manual of Reptiles, 2nd ed., British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, UK; 2004:184-198. (co-cited: Mehlhorn H, Schmahl G, Mevissen I. Efficacy of a combination of imidacloprid and moxidectin against parasites of reptiles and rodents: case reports. Parasitol Res. 2005;97(Suppl 1):S97-S101.) — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.268 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.9 (Nutritional/Mineral/Fluid Support Used in Reptiles.a).

· Fraser MA, Girling SJ. Dermatology. In: Girling SJ, Raiti P, eds. BSAVA Manual of Reptiles, 2nd ed., British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, UK; 2004:184-198. | Mehlhorn H, Schmahl G, Mevissen I. Efficacy of a combination of imidacloprid and moxidectin against parasites of reptiles and rodents: case reports. Parasitol Res. 2005;97(Suppl 1):S97-S101. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.268 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.9 (Nutritional/Mineral/Fluid Support Used in Reptiles.a).

· Fraser MA, Girling SJ. Dermatology. In: Girling SJ, Raiti P, eds. BSAVA Manual of Reptiles, 2nd ed., British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, UK; 2004:184-198. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.268 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.9 (Nutritional/Mineral/Fluid Support Used in Reptiles.a).

· Meredith A. BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, Gloucester, UK; 2015. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.7 (Miscellaneous Agents Used in Rodents).

· Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023) — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.96-97, Ascorbic Acid monograph, Dosages.