Hello all,

I was hoping to get some informed opinions on Metacam, the anti-inflammatory for cats. I hear such conflicting stories. Some say it's awful and stay away and some say it's fine. Is it just that it causes problems in a small minority of cases?

Thanks.

It has apparently caused problems in some yes but my vets use it and i have some here too, but haven't used it as i wasn't sure on it myself at the time x

I think with a lot of things there's a risk, you have to just weigh up the pro's and con's and also work out if there's an alternative x

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yes is OK from what I beleive in the short term not the long term

My cat gets very constipated & he crys as its very painful
He had a emerge enema done (again ) and they gave me some of this & it was a godsend!!!

I asked them for a repeat but they said it can affect the lining of the tum so only use it short term, I used it for about 7 days?

Hope this helps a bit!

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If u dont mind me asking, what is the reason the vet prescribed it?
Metacam does have side effects but short term use is usually ok unless ur pet reacts badly (dog/cat) this usually happens within the first 12hys of using it, most common is vom n diarrhoea.
If u want to play it safe and use holistic painkillers there are a few out there...arnica, green lipped muscle or long term use of glucosamine,chondroitin and msm is good for maintaining joint health, if its an arthritic condition.
good lk

Hi yea agree that some cats and dogs it doesnt agree with however it shouldnt be used with animals with bad kidneys.But it is a very good drug just need to be careful!

I heard the same here. Also I believe it was more of a worry when the dosage was being done by drops with the dog version and it didn't have the proper syringe for cats, like it does now. I think it would really depend on what it was being prescribed for. Either way cats apparently are very sensitive to stress and pain, there are specialists that work specifically on cats for pain management because it differs so much to other animals. Metacam is meant to be the best there is for cats now, I think.

Am I right in thinking that for the first dose the dose needs to equate to the weight of the cat i.e. cat is 3.5kg - dose is 3.5 ml (or whatever it is on the syringe).

The reason why I am asking this is because my vet told me to give Louis 3.5 per day. Over the last week he has become very subdued and has lost his appetite so I decided to have a good read of the drug instructions and it says that the dose must be HALVED after the initial administration!!! Which means I have been over-dosing Louis!!!!

I am annoyed at both myself and the vet!

the dose for cats as faras I am aware is one drop a day.
Double ck with the vet as that sounds way too high a dose and if it is it could compramise the kidney function.

Don't panic! The dosing is based on long term use. Depending on what it is being used for. The dose is based on weight of the cat. So if your cat weighs 3.5kg then the dose would be 3.5(sometimes less or more depending on what your vet prescribes) on the syringe. This doesn't not equate to 3.5ml as this would make a cat VERY ill. There is 0.017mg per drop. There is 0.1mg in each kg on the syringe. It's recommended that this be reduced to 0.05mg per kg after the first dose. Its recommend that 6 drops per kg is used for the initial dose and then 3 drops after if not using the syringe and dropping from the dropper on the bottle or being used for a pet under 2kg.

All of this should be done with the instruction and care of a veterinarian. Many feline specialists believe that this administration is a bare minimum and in some situations a different dose may be needed. It's possible your vet felt this way in your case and has not advised you use the lower dose for a reason. If you are in doubt of this please contact your vet as soon as you can to discuss it.

Drowsiness is completely normal in most cases, kitty should also be eating with this medication. Please speak to your vet about the risks of giving the meds without food, there are some. If they are not familiar with them I suggest you do your own research to further your knowledge and enlighten your vet. As there are renal risks.

Also, if you are using the syringe it's possible you are already under dosing as it's not very accurate. With the space where the bottle fits causes an air bubble and makes it difficult unless you are over filling or creating an extra air space for the fluid to be completely released.

I think it's one drop a day if using the Dog Metacam, but it's very inaccurate. But it's 6/3 drops per kg with the feline 0.5mg/ml 15ml Metacam.