The core actives of the F10 Veterinary Disinfectant product range are quaternary ammonium and biguanidine compounds which act synergistically to kill a wide range of viruses, bacteria, fungi and spores. It is available as a concentrated disinfectant for dilution with water (F10SC Veterinary Disinfectant), a combined disinfectant and cleanser (F10SCXD Disinfectant/Cleanser), a germicidal treatment shampoo (F10 Germicidal Treatment Shampoo), a germicidal barrier ointment (F10 Germicidal Barrier Ointment) with or without cypermethrin as an insecticide and as a new wound spray which also contains cypermethrin (F10 Germicidal Wound Spray with Insecticide). The F10 product range is manufactured by Health and Hygiene (Pty) Ltd in South Africa. These products have been used on a wide variety of vertebrates, including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians and show efficacy at low concentrations, with short contact times and with minimal tissue irritation.

Zoological medicine is characterized by the large variety of animal species that may be dealt with on a regular basis and products effective against a wide variety of pathogens and with low toxicity across taxa are useful and cost-effective additions to the zoo veterinarian's armoury. This paper discusses a range of applications for the F10 products which the author has found useful in clinical zoo practice.

Nebulisation involves the aerosolisation of a liquid therapeutic agent so as to allow its direct application into the upper and/or lower respiratory tract. It allows instantaneous drug delivery to the required site without the potential lag time which many systemic drugs take to achieve therapeutic tissue concentrations. It also allows drugs with systemic side effects such as aminoglycosides to be given safely, since the respiratory epithelium is relatively impermeable and it is also a good method of rehydrating small animals, especially birds. Nebulisation is a particularly useful adjunct treatment in cases of fungal or bacterial upper and lower respiratory disease including rhinitis, sinusitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, air sacculitis and pneumonia. In avian species if air sac or lung disease is present, an ultrasonic nebuliser capable of producing a particle size of less than 5μm is preferable, since the diameter of the air capillaries ranges from 3-10μm. If upper respiratory tract disease is present, cheaper compressor nebulisers can be used, which produce a larger particle size.

Typically animals are nebulised for 15-20 minutes two to three times a day with F10SC diluted 1:250 with saline. This has been found to be an effective adjunct therapy in many cases of rhinitis and sinusitis in birds, reptiles and small mammals, respiratory aspergillosis in birds, bacterial and fungal air sacculitis and acute pneumonia, including aspiration pneumonia in neonatal mammals.

The nasal flush is a useful technique for management of upper respiratory tract infections in avian and reptilian patients (Chitty J 2002; Chitty J, 2004). The animal is restrained with its head downwards to avoid aspiration and F10SC, again at a concentration of 1:250 in saline is forcibly syringed into the external nares so that it exits through the choana and drains out of the oral cavity. Although the anatomy varies with species, this usually allows the flushing solution to pass over the surface of the nasal conchae and parts of the infraorbital sinus such as the preorbital diverticulum. This technique can be carried out easily and safely in most small to medium sized birds as well as lizards and chelonians and allows daily removal of accumulated mucus and inflammatory material as well as direct application of the medication to mucous membranes.

F10SC is also suitable for sinus flushing directly into the preorbital diverticulum in birds. Again the head is held below the body to avoid aspiration and the needle is inserted