Will never again use Chlorhexidine on my animals wounds

Tonight I was cleaning water bowls with diluted Chlorhexidine and sprayed it on my newly done, raw tattoo. Unbelievable pain! Not stinging, not burning, PAIN! 50 times worse than Betadine, hydrogen pyroxide, or even alcohol. I will never put my animals through that again no matter what vet or anyone tells me to.

How diluted was your solution? Usually chlorhex when it is applied to a wound is diluted much further than when it is used to disenfect a cage.

About 3 oz in a 32oz spray bottle. When my vet had me clean an abscess in my Boas mouth it was 1 part Chlorhex to 10 parts water, about the same.

That's odd, I've put clorhexidine on my own wounds before and never experienced anything like that, in fact I'll usually spritz a little on when I get bit just because it's handy. I wonder if there was something about your tattoo that made it react so much?

Could be because I use it to wash after cleaning cages and have never experienced it then I had minor cuts. My hand is really raw though. Not infected as far as I can tell.

Your dilution ratio seems a bit high.
About 10 times too high if it is for wound irrigation.
http://www.anapsid.org/disinfectants.html

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• when used diluted to 1% strength, it is safe and effective for wound irrigation

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And, here starting with a 4% solution it is suggested that this already dilute solution should be mixed 1:8 for topical use.
http://www.everythingreptile.org/chl...uconate-4.html

Sounds like your rinse is *very* strong. The oral rinse I use at work is 0.12% Chlorhexidine Gluconate. Doesn't burn at all at that strength. If anything, feels better. As for topical, anything stronger than 2% Chlorhexidine can be irritating. Especially to fresh open wounds/skin and the such. Surgical Scrub strength at my work is 2%.

Also usually snakes don't have needles jammed into their skin for hours, injecting a foreign ink into their skin, then spraying a chemical on the wound. Sure disinfectants will hurt but that just means they are working.

Also I never spray it on my snakes. I only use it to clean bins and disinfect bowls. Which I dunce with water after so they don't ingest it.

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Originally Posted by interloc

Also usually snakes don't have needles jammed into their skin for hours, injecting a foreign ink into their skin, then spraying a chemical on the wound. Sure disinfectants will hurt but that just means they are working.

Also I never spray it on my snakes. I only use it to clean bins and disinfect bowls. Which I dunce with water after so they don't ingest it.

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Yah, I have to say getting it on my tattoo turned out well. It took the inflammation down fast.