Metacam

Topaz was put on Metacam and although it is for dogs, she is on a low dosage. She has been one it for three days before I got a chance to look it up and it appears to not be a safe medicine for cats. She is moving much better since she is on it and probably is arthritic beside diabetic but has anyone had any feedback or experience with this medicine?

 

while yes this is a controversial medicine, if handled properly and dosed carefully, it can be used in cats. my late Spazzie was on it a couple times for arthritis too.

the key is the cat has to have healthy kidneys in order to use it so her kidneys should have been checked before being put on it. were they?

now, there are alternatives and i would say you should look into them in all honesty, i.e. cosequin, dasuquin, adequan, etc..... for arthritis so as to minimize the risk to her kidneys

 

Yep a full blood work was done and all was well. Were you able to mix it with food? I will take up the issue of the other meds but how often and for how long was Spazzie on it? Thank you. We continue to learn from those who have passed on before.

 

Spazzie would only be on it for a few weeks at a time. She broke a back leg when she was 11 months old so as she got older, and the weather cooler in the winters, that leg would bother her so she'd take the metacam for a couple weeks and she'd be all good then for the winter. mind you, winter here in california is pretty short

I actually just administered it via the mouth, but i have read a couple times that that is not advisable. That's what the vet told me to do so we did it and Spazzie was the easiest cat I've ever had when it came to medicating and stuff. (So much so that alot of the testing pics and videos of done in regards to diabetes star Spazzie and not my actual diabetic Mousie. LOL!!)

carolynandlatte knows alot about metacam as latte suffered some dire complications from it so she has really done her research on it. you might want to get hold of her for more info too.

 

Maaryon, how big is the dose?

Do a search here for Metacam, there have been several recent discussions about the dangers.

 

Please just make sure the dose really is low ... like a drop or two only.

Here's a good discussion on the old board : http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/read.php?8,1867651,1867651#msg-1867651

 

Hi Maaroyn,

Im glad you were able to get kidneys checked before starting on it. Please note that a fair amount of older cats are predisposed to having kidney disease. This will not show on labs until a fair amount of kidney functioning has been comprimised. A medication such as metacam *can* potentially throw one over the edge, so to speak. My Latte was all clear with labs prior to starting metacam. She was 14yrs old. She went into acute renal failure a few weeks later. The metacam was the cause of the ARF.

It would be helpful to know weight of your cat, dosage, how long you are expected to give it daily (daily is a lot), and if you are in the U.S. or another country (particularly Europe).

The main thing I try to get accross to people considering its use is to research it and decide if the risks outweigh the benefits. In some cases it will. In our case, if I had researched it first...no WAY would I have given it to Latte at that point in her life. Damage and deaths from metacam is not rare. Latte is not an exception. QOL is vital. If it can only be had through metacam, even if it shortens the life than it is probably worth the risk. If there are other options with less serious side effects,and can do the job then it might be worth reconsidering.

You can click on the link in my signature for further information, including possible side effects to look for. If you notice any of these side effects, please call your vet immediately and bring your cat in for a renal panel and check up.

Someone posted a link to the old board with a discussion. Our story is in that post.

What ever you decide, just make sure it is the best decision for YOUR cat.

Im glad you are asking questions!

 

The dosage of Metacam was .5 mg daily for a 14 lb. cat. However, it is all moot as I took her off of it after two days as she stopped eating and drinking - which was the origional problem that we went to the vet. I am waiting for a call from him to take her in as we are now on day two with no eating or drinking. She does not appear to be in pain.

 

awwwww ((((maaryon))))
Im sorry. Im glad you recognized the need to stop it and called the vet. I hope whatever the issue may be, it can be resolved and Topaz will be feeling well again.

Please do let us know (especially if its metacam related...there are steps you need to take with the pharma company).

Have you had any success offering babyfood, boiled meats, gravy? I had to syringe feed latte for 9 months, so Im unfortunately very familiar with innappetance. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help!

 

I took one of my civies to the orthopedic surgeon yesterday to have a limp check out. They found no breaks and no tissue damage, yet sent me home with Metacam to give him for three days. I was not going to give it to him anyways. But the part that shocked me the most was the amount that I was told to give. My civie weighs 17.5lbs and they were telling me to give up to 17 on the syringe that comes with the bottle. THAT IS A HELL OF ALOT OF METACAM! Thy freaked me out and needless to say I am not going back there for other reasons that occured that day as well. Thank you Carolyn for bringing attention to the possible dangers of Metacam. I never knew this in the past. :YMHUG:

 

Hi Paige,
I'm not sure what kind of syringe they put it in, but medicines like that are measured in ml/cc's, instead of units. The only 1ml oral syringes I have are baxa's, in which the 17 line is =.85ml. Monojects are commonly used as well and I think that would be .17ml (if you are counting the lines like you do units with insulin).

No matter what your decision was, I am glad you were able to make an informed choice. And in the future I hope you will continue to ask your vet for info on medications if they dont offer it and/or research them yourself.

Did they discuss other options for your civvie in the case of pain? I hope everything will be ok!

 

Carolyn - they gave the the syringe that comes with the 0.5mg/ml solution bottle. I calculated based on his weight the dose 0.2mg/kg weight and it came out that he should get 2.8ml of the metacam solution. However in my past experience I knew that the solution needed to be shaken before given and the tech said no. So I was immediately uncertain about her. I had told the surgeon that most regular vets would perform xrays and send us home with metacam. So when he found no damage to Shelby he said that he wished he had something other than Metacam to send me home with (after what I told him, lol).

This evening I was watching SHelby walk down the stairs one at a time and could tell that his leg is bothering him so I am seriously considering giving him at least one dose to help with whatever inflammation might be going on. What are your thoughts? He weighs 17.5 pounds, but I thought 2.8mls was a lot.

 

First, Im not about to recommend ANY dose of this medication. Im not there, nor am I a professional, as well as I have never used the syringe that comes with the bottle. On top of that, there is not a 'standard' dose used in the U.S. (which is part of the problem).

Let me however, ask you some questions and give you some links.

Were you given prefilled syringes or sold the bottle? is the bottle , if you have it .5mg/ml solution or 1.5mg solution? Did they show you how to fill the syringe and where to fill it to if you are suppose to do it yourself?

here is a link to the U.K. site showing how to fill the syringe
http://www.metacam.co.uk/cats/applicator.html

Dosing in U.K., where it is approved and there are standards. This is for the .5mg/ml solution , NOT the 1.5, which will obviously be more potent:
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Boe...Ds-mg_ml_Oral_Suspension_for_Cats/-40679.html

I believe this .2mg/kg is the dose for DOGS. You got yourself a good size cat ;-) ,but it aint no dog!

Warnings:
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Boe...Ds-mg_ml_Oral_Suspension_for_Cats/-40680.html

If this is not a life threatening emergency and/or you are unsure of what you should give...DONT GIVE IT! Call another vet or go see another vet, call an ER, look for alternatives pain options. A good start is searching on this site "pain meds".

 

Oh my gosh! Thank you Carolyn. From the 0.1mg/kg weight calculates to Shelby getting only 1.5ml. That is MUCH better. But you are correct, it is not an emergency. I just wanted to east the pain or discomfort he must be having. I will search for other pain meds here. ((((((thank you so much))))) I am going to print this out for the future.

 

Paige,
I hope you find an alternative that will help, and that you can get it quickly.

so now you have another job! ;-)
You need to call that vet back, or go into their office (Gayle-style :lol: ), and ask them where they came to that dose for your cat. You print off the pages I linked, hand it over to them and ask them why there is a conflict between what you have in your hand and what they recommended. Maybe I am completely wrong and they can explain it. Or,maybe they will do some digging and realize it was probably too much. Hopefully, never again to dose a cat at that amount.

Again, thank you for asking questions and doing research on behalf of your cat!