If your cat is about to undergo a surgical procedure, it is likely that the vet will use Metacam Sub-Q injection at the time of the operation for pain relief.
This is fairly routine and will help to make your cat more comfortable after the operation.
However, make sure that your cat is administered one dose only.

Metacam Sub-Q injection for Cats is a one dose only medication and the Boehringer Ingelheim (the manufacturer’s) are very careful to spell that out.
According to the manufacturer’s own guidelines:
“Repeated use in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death”
‘Do not administer a second dose’
“No safe repeat dose has been established in cats”
“Repeated use in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death
‘The safety studies demonstrate a narrow margin of safety’

When you collect your cat after the surgery, ask the vet if he or she has been injected with Metacam. If so, talk to your vet about what the adverse reactions might be and keep an eye on your cat for several days (this is also clearly stated in the manufacturer’s instructions)
Also, check with your Vet that puss has had only one dose.

Our cat went into renal failure after 3 injections of Metacam. Our Vet admitted their well-meaning oversight and agreed Metacam was the cause. Our cat was 3 years old and survived.
Being informed beforehand is more important than acting afterwards.

Please click on this link to read Boehringer Ingelheim’s own instructions for Metacam.
Please read carefully under the sections ‘Warning’ “Dosage and Administration “ and ‘Foreign Experience’.

http://www.bi-vetmedica.com/product_...cam_Cat_RP.pdf

Thanks for this.

Metacam is known to be "hard" on the kidneys, but I don't know that many vets routinely administer it. Mine certainly doesn't. My cats get a ketofen injection post surgery, and they've had oral metacam occasionally for pain relief, but this is formulated specifically for cats.

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I'm so sorry to hear that this happened to your cat. We commonly use metacam postoperatively in cats as long as they have no known kidney issues. I often will give a reduced dose on the second day as well. I would say I have given thousands of doses of metacam to cats and have not seen one cause kidney problems.

However, if Metacam is given to a cat who has kidney disease it can make that disease progress quicker.

Incidently ketoprophen is in the same class as Metacam but is much less safe than metacam and harder on the kidneys.

Dr. Marie.
Online Veterinary Help

Perhaps things are done differently in the US; most people on this forum are in the UK

The NOAH website actually gives very similar contraindications and warnings for metacam & ketofen.

I can only speak from my own experience that I've had both prescribed for my cats in various situations and have had no problems.

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Excuse me, are you saying that you are giving a second injection of Metacam the day after you've given the first?

Yes, I have done this for years for declaw surgeries. On the day of the surgery the cat will get a full dose and then on the second day a half dose.

While there are several different dose regimes that Metacam is labelled for, here is one from Plumb's Veterinary drug handbook:

For surgical pain: 0.2 mg/kg (or less) PO or SC once; 0.1 mg/kg (or less) SC, PO daily for 3-4 days
For chronic pain: 0.2 mg/kg (or less) PO, SC once; 0.1 mg/kg (or less) PO for 3-4 days; 0.025 mg/kg PO (0.1 mg maximum dose per cat) 2-3 times weekly

However, I would not do this on an older cat or one suspected of having any kidney issues, and not likely on a very sick cat either.

Dr. Marie.
Online Veterinary Advice

I may be barking up the wrong tree (apologies for the wrong metaphor for the website) but we have been prescribed Metacam as a long term pain and inflammation relief for one of our 2 cats who broke her knee cap.

Is this the same, or are you discussing a different version ?

Thanks

Ouch! That's an unusual injury!

Yes, Metacam comes in an oral form as well so this is likely what she is on.

Dr. Marie
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