? Anyone know how long it takes Metacam (Licensed for cats in the UK- safe for short term use) to work

Hey,

Lily has been in a lot of pain this evening so I have given her her dose of Metacam, I was wondering how long it takes to work as a pain relief?

She is meowing and huffing in pain

 

I won't give my cats Metacam.

If your vet says that Lily's pancreas is inflamed then it logically follows that he has given a de facto pancreatitis Dx. Just because a cat diagnosed with pancreatitis doesn't present with nausea or vomiting it doesn't automatically follow that the cat won't be finding it all that painful. Is the pain worse after she eats?

Below is a very useful resource which discusses symptoms and treatment. I've also included a link to the nausea page on Tanya's Site; it's a great help for identifying clinical signs of nausea/pain.

IDEXX pancreatitis treatment guidelines

Nausea symptoms and treatments

IDEXX recommend buprenorphine for management of pain associated with pancreatic inflammation. Perhaps you might speak to your vet about it? I don't know about how it might or might not help with the arthritis. (I think I've seen mention here of members treating their cats' arthritis with Cosequin but you might want to ask a separate question about that; I've never used it so can't comment on its use/benefits/shortcomings.)

I'd suggest you give the vet a call as soon as they're open to let them know about Lily's current clinical signs. I hope she feels better soon.


Mogs
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Thanks for the reply. This has also raised her BG significantly. Into the 500s. She just looked so pitiful last night and seems much happier today! Tha pain does get a little worse after food, I will say that much.

Does metacam have sugar in it?! Can't see how bg could be raised like that!

What I will say is I did research this to the hilt and she has been given metacam oral suspension for cats which has been licensed for cats in UK. So it is a much less potent version than the canine one which was affecting kitties so awfully. I think the vet wanted to hold off on the bupe as she is a little constipated (poos, but hard ones).

I will talk to the vet about that pancreatitis test and will try to order one myself as well so we can see what's what.

Becka

 

Talk to the vet about fibre (e.g. pumpkin, psyllium husk) or Miralax for the constipation. I really hope that he'll be able to help Lily today (glad she's feeling a bit better this morning).

Useful site:

www.felineconstipation.org


Mogs
.

 

I've given it to one of my old cats for pain relief and it 'seemed' to work within hours. My cat had a bad reaction to bupe, so, after a lot of discussion we tried metacam. And I gave it to my cat in the full knowledge of the potential risks associated with it. But my cat was in pain, and something needed to be done to help relieve that.

Yes, the cat-specific version of metacam in the UK is much more dilute than is used in the US.

I've also read loads of stuff about this online, and have had extensive conversations with my vet. He said he'd been to a couple of conferences (one quite recently) where the use of metacam was discussed. Dosage seems to be crucial. Any overdose is risky. And of course, there are some cats who suffer unfortunate side effects (some serious) from taking any metacam.
He also told me about a study where a group of cats (with arthritis, I think) were given a low dose of metacam for a period of months and had their blood tested at intervals. Some of cats in the study group had CKD. At the end of the study the CKD cats showed no deterioration in kidney values. I think it was something of a surprise. But even more surprising was that some of the CKD cats in the 'control group' (who didn't receive metacam) did have worsened kidney values at the end of the study. This has got vets thinking about the effect of pain on the body, and how pain itself may worsen illness...

I don't know if metacam raises blood glucose. The cat I gave it to was not diabetic. (The vet nurse told me it tastes like honey, so maybe it is sweetened...?). I did a quick search online just now about this and opinion seems to be divided as to whether it raises BG.
But we do know that pain and inflammation can raise BG, could that be a factor also...?

Keeping fingers and paws crossed that your girl feels better very soon.

Hugs,

Eliz

 

Hi,

Thank you for the detailed response. I am not really sure what is going on with her tbh. We have erred on the side of caution with the dose and only one dose every 24 hours. I hope the anti inflammatory starts working soon. What I did find this morning was the biggest poop I have ever seen. So I think that may have also been causing some pain. I know she was straining last night. Lily had come down to what she normally would be at +4 by +4. Leads me to believe it was a dodgy strip. Problem is, my meter is not accurate (as the cattery found out), I am waiting for an Alphatrak and strips and can't really afford to buy anymore for the dodgy one I already have. I also only have 4 strips left, so not that many. This means retesting is not an option for me at the moment. It must have been a dodgy strip because she was on track for a normal day when I retested her at +4.

She also has a huge amount of pain in her back left leg. I think arthritis. I really hope this metacam starts to work soon as she is stiff and limping. Other than that, she is not withdrawn, she is playing and seeking me out, laying on her back, side, front etc. The only way she now shows that she has a bit of abdominal pain is when I try to touch her - She just encourages me to stroke somewhere else.

 

Hi Becka,

That can definitely bump up BG levels.

I wonder if something like Nutramed or Cosequin (and maybe omega supplementation) might help Lily with the pain from the arthritis? I think it would be a good idea for you to start a thread asking members for suggestions on what can help with arthritis.

BTW, I know that I said earlier that I no longer give Metacam to my cats (since I read about the risks - and our main vet is wary of it since Saoirse was diagnosed with stage II kidney insufficiency last year). However, if a cat of mine needed pain relief and there was no other effective treatment avenue available I would give Metacam in those circumstances. Eliz's post above makes for very interesting reading.


Mogs
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You're right, it was a very thoughtful and insightful post.

I agree that once her pancreas has calmed down I should start her on something else for the arthritis. I also didn't know that poop can raise the BG!

Her little abdomen is all cute and squishy this evening so all seems okay for now. I'll have to give her the next dose tomorrow morning as I am not staying up until 0100 again! Too much!

 

Nutramed is a nutraceutical: it's supposed to help with both joint inflammation and pancreatitis (our vet prescribed it for the latter). Might be worth having a chat with your vet to see whether he thinks it might help Lily.


Mogs
.

 

I gave Metacam to my cat Sheba for about 18 months I think it was ( we are in Australia and have the correct cat dose strength). She is a diabetic and it definitely did not raise her blood sugars at all. In fact her blood sugars dropped quite a bit when she went on it and her pain levels reduced. She was on it for arthritis.
If you are using metacam you need to follow directions closely. Only give it once a day and no more than the correct dose. Many people give a lower dose and it is still effective. I reduced Sheba's dose to a third of what she could have over time and it was just as effective. You also have to give it with food and make sure they are not at all dehydrated. I gave extra water in the food to make sure Sheba was hydrated.
I put the dose of metacam on top of a small amount of food and she ate it fine.
I found Metacam a life saver when used correctly. I know people in the US do not have the cat specific strength so are very wary of it but the strength in the UK, France and Australia is the correct strength.
I have not seen it used for pancreatitis before.
Good luck

 

The vet prescribed metacam for my Lucy a few months ago for her arthritis and we also have the cat specific version here in Australia. I find it takes about two hours to see a positive effect. Like Bron said with her Sheba having a third of the recommended dose, we are also using a low dose. I am giving my Lucy about one third of the recommended dose for her ideal weight and we have monitored her very carefully with blood tests and regular checkups and I am very happy with the positive benefits. I am still a bit anxious about the metacam but seeing my Lucy run and play again is worth it and quality of life is so important. We decided against buprenorphine for various reasons. But it is another option. Please follow all the precautions that Bron stated and it is only for once a day dosing every 24 hours. I don't know about the use of metacam for pancreatitis. I know our vet won't use it for her cat as he has had triaditis but otherwise she has had no major problems prescribing metacam to her patients. I understand the caution about the use of metacam in the U.S. where the cat specific formulation is not available to vets and where there have been problems with using the dog version and higher doses. All the very best to your Lily and to you.

 

The vet who did the study is an Australian feline specialist vet. Our vet has taken her cat to his practice. He does have connections to the company that makes metacam but I think that is open knowledge though I have communicated with him and he seems genuinely passionate about relieving chronic pain in cats, due to his own personal experiences I think he said. He is a very well regarded vet here in Australia. He does however say that more studies are needed and that cats should be monitored whilst on metacam.

 

Just looked at that, it looks like a safe and viable option for miss kitty. will talk to mr vet about it.

 

I'm so happy to hear it helped your kitty! As it is, this morning lily has gone from having an average high 300s amps reading to a 277...a drop of 100 points plus. She must have been in so much pain... makes me feel guilty that we didn't sort her sooner.

 

Becks,
I was also a user of Metacam for Crystal for a couple of months. I think the results were positive for her and it had no adverse effect on her bgls, I would definitely recommend its use, but obviously with caution. I hope Lily is feeling better now.