# Help!Metacam double dose in a cat!



## Izzy_fizzy01 (Nov 3, 2016)

Had my 8 year old cat at the vets yesterday due to her inability to urinate and was told she had cystitis...she recieved her injection of metacam and her shot of antibiotic to kick start the healing. She is 3.5kg there for i was advised to give her 0.35ml with food (wasnt advised once daily) so this morning i started her on the metacam 0.5mg solution which was fine, however at lunchtime my mother gave her a second dose of 0.35ml however i am u sure how much of this dose Izzy took as when my mother said to me i ran up and took her bowl off her whilst she was feeding. I am now dreadfully worried and cant stop checking on her after reading so many posts saying how dangerous this is. Please help any advice or reassurance is appreciated.


----------



## Shikoku (Dec 16, 2013)

Phone your vet, they will be able to offer advice and, or tell you if they need to see her.


----------



## vivien (Jul 20, 2009)

Please ring your vet and get her seen asap. Tell your vet what's happened. It's better to be on the safe side. My cat Yogi is 4.75 kilos but I only ever give him 0.35 When he needs it because of his condition. My vet says if he need to he can go up to 0.4 because he has gained weight but never over. Good luck Hun I hope she is ok. 

Viv xx


----------



## Izzy_fizzy01 (Nov 3, 2016)

Anxiously awaiting vets call back, won't be using metacam again....first and last time after reading all the horror stories.


----------



## vivien (Jul 20, 2009)

What horror stories have you read Hun. If it wasn't for Meloxydil Yogi would be in dire pain sometimes you just have to be very careful with it. Accidents happen. I have a calendar and I write all Yogi's meds down as I give him them so anyone can see he has had his dose. Good luck with your girl. I am off out but will look in when I get back to see how you have got on. Oh forgot to mention Tiga cannot take Meloxydil as it makes him sick with diareah. So he has to have a different pain killer if he gets ill and needs it. 

Viv xx


----------



## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

Please do not believe all the Metacam horror stories, many of which come from the US where there is no cat Metacam so it is harder to give the right dose of the one designed for dogs. It is one of the main ways we can keep our cats free from pain and is generally very safe to use at the correct dose. I expect your vet will say your cat will be fine. Look at the sticky in Health and Nutrition for sensible evaluation of this drug. Many of us who cannot bear to think of our cats in pain have reason to be thankful for Metacam.


----------



## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

The vet should also advised you that the first dose should be 24 hours following the first dose at the vets, so depending on the time of your appointment even the morning does may have been too soon. 

What did the vet say ?


----------



## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

What did the vet say?

Check the label on the medication - are you certain it doesn't say 'once daily' on there? It would be highly irregular if it doesn't. It will definitely say it is to be given once daily on the drug leaflet inside the box.

Please don't be put off using Metacam. It's a valuable medication, being the only anti-inflammatory painkiller licensed for long term use in cats. The internet is full of horror stories on almost any drug, human or animal. Very few people post on the internet to say 'I gave my cat drug X and everything was fine', so you naturally tend to see a negatively skewed perspective.

Google is helpful but I do think it does more harm than good sometimes.


----------



## AnxiousMommy (Dec 3, 2017)

Hi all,

I accidentally gave my kitten a 4.5KG dose instead of a 3.1KG dose (of Metacam), having misread the marker and have been panicking the last 3 hours. He is 5 months old and has just been neutered and had a tooth extracted last Friday. I called the emergency vet who said 'he should be okay but if you are worried take him to your regular vet tomorrow'. My kitten doesn't show any signs of decreased appetite, he has eaten loads more the last couple of hours. He just seems a bit quiet but that could just be him wanting a snooze. 

I am really concerned and wondered if anyone out there could tell me if a one time overdose of the said dose could be very dangerous? 

I am really very upset. Very grateful for anyone out there who can help me with some information.

Many thanks,


----------



## vivien (Jul 20, 2009)

Hi and welcome. If the vet you rang said he will be ok but if worried take him to the vet tomorrow. Then I would believe him. I have to give my Yogi metacam when he shows signs of extreme pain. He has inflammation of the spine and although in pain all the time you can plainly see when he needs medication. I have always given him less than the vet says like when he was 4+ kilos I would give him 0.35 mls now he is 5+ kilos I give him 0.4 mils. It still does the trick. It also makes him sleepy. So when he needs it I always make sure he eats as he will usually sleep the rest of the day. My vet knows I under dose him as he has to have it more in the winter than in the summer. Just keep an eye on him and if you are at all worried take him to out of hours vet.

Viv xx


----------



## AnxiousMommy (Dec 3, 2017)

Thank you so much for replying and for the information, very kind of you. I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow, he seems okay but I just need to be a 100% sure. 

Thank you again.


----------



## ewelsh (Jan 26, 2011)

Hello and welcome..
I can understand your concern, you acted promptly and called the vet who would give you correct information. Any issues I think you would know by now, if he concerns you at all tonight, pop him along to the out of hours Vets tonight, but I think you’ll find he will be fine. 
Those syringes are difficult to read. 

X


----------



## vivien (Jul 20, 2009)

When you gave him the metacam. Did you shake the bottle first then make sure there were no air bubbles in the syringe? It’s possible that if there were air bubbles he hasn’t had quite as much as you first thought. It takes me ages to get the air bubbles out when I give it to Yogi. I am sure he will be ok. How long has it been since you gave it to him? Yogi also has to have Zodon (Clindamicyne) I have to give him 2 1/4s twice a day. Sometimes it won’t break evenly. (It’s a huge tablet) so some days he has 1 big bit and later 1 small bit it’s very hard to get it even. He used to had Antirobe but for some reason Kevin changed us to Zodon. Yogi is as fine as he can be. Again Kevin knows we have trouble with the tablets. He did say he would try and order us some Antirobe if we really could cope. I think we are getting better at breaking them though. 

Viv xx


----------



## AnxiousMommy (Dec 3, 2017)

Thank you for the reassurance and giving me some consolation. He does seem fine, however, don't think I will sleep tonight.


----------



## vivien (Jul 20, 2009)

ewelsh said:


> Hello and welcome..
> I can understand your concern, you acted promptly and called the vet who would give you correct information. Any issues I think you would know by now, if he concerns you at all tonight, pop him along to the out of hours Vets tonight, but I think you'll find he will be fine.
> Those syringes are difficult to read.
> 
> X


Great advise. And you are so right those syringes are hard to read.

Viv xx


----------



## vivien (Jul 20, 2009)

AnxiousMommy said:


> Thank you for the reassurance and giving me some consolation. He does seem fine, however, don't think I will sleep tonight.


If he seems fine, then I am sure he will be ok. I can't tell you not to worry because I would be exactly the same. But please don't be too hard on yourself. I am sure it would have shown up on him if it was going to affect him.

Viv xx


----------



## bluecordelia (Jan 5, 2014)

I gave my cat metacam for pain relief and yes the syringe is a monkey to read. My cat had bloods done before starting him and on occasion if he was getting unsettled I would bring his dose forward a bit. Iv was on for about 3 weeks but I also brought him down as I could see the pain relief was not longer so needed. There have been no long lasting effects and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it again. 

Mark on your syringe the dosage level with pen. Pull up the liquid past the required level then push it back into the bottle so you loose most air and tap the syringe to get air out. Air is only really an issue when you are injecting. I put it in food at breakfast so it all went. It’s easier to read a syringe against a white wall tile. 

I doubt your cat will come to any harm


----------



## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

As a one-off, that's not an overdose. Your regular vet may want you to miss or reduce tomorrow's dose so call them in the morning but seriously, don't worry - you can sleep tonight.


----------



## ewelsh (Jan 26, 2011)

How’s your baby today?


----------



## AnxiousMommy (Dec 3, 2017)

Quick update. 

My little fur ball seems perfectly fine, none of the dreaded symptoms and he certainly hasn't lost his appetite. I couldn't help waking up throughout the night to check on him. 
I called our regular vet this morning and was told to stop the metacam and was assured that things should be fine given that there were none of the usual signs of an adverse reaction. 
I still feel tremendously guilty, just so thankful that my Frodo seems alright.

Thank you all so very much for taking the time to share your experiences with me, for the advise and information. Your words have been a massive source of comfort and I am very grateful.


----------

