# Metacam



## Nickipickles

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.


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## LousKoonz

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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## Taylorbaby

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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## gesic

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


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## dinkyd

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!


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## animalia

dinkyd said:


> Hi yea agree that some cats and dogs it doesnt agree with however it shouldnt be used with animals with bad ####neys.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.


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## Stargazer

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!


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## gesic

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.


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## animalia

Stargazer said:


> 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!


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.


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## animalia

gesic said:


> 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 ####ney function.


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.


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## mistique57

my 4yr old rotty is on metacam it work's wonder's 4 her artritis,but cat's r delicate and u have 2 b careful what u give cat's but if your vet has precribed it then it must be safe.


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## glasfryn

animalia said:


> 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.





mistique57 said:


> my 4yr old rotty is on metacam it work's wonder's 4 her artritis,but cat's r delicate and u have 2 b careful what u give cat's but if your vet has precribed it then it must be safe.


We used it for one of our cats for arthritis it started at 9 drops decreasing daily until down to one drop,and I was told that it was originally meant for dogs so all of the posts say be careful are right.
always best to go by what your vet says and if you are unsure double check.
Green lipped muscle caused my other half problems with her kidneys needless to say we don't use it for our animals ....but I am sure some pets are perfectly OK with it.

G


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## Stargazer

Hi everyone, thanks for your advice. I spent many hours researching Metacam on the internet last night and although some of the evidence is alarming, some of it is very positive. 

I have decided to keep a diary of Louis, what he is eating, what I am dosing him and how he is behaving, for at least two weeks. Louis has chronic Stomatitis and is also taking Interferon. 

Yesterday we administered 3.5 on the syringe and a few hours later he perked up a LOT! So I am wondering if his behaviour was because he hadn't had any pain relief. He actually ate 2.5 sachets of food, one after the other! This morning he was a little grumpy but has eaten some watered down food. I have only given him 1 mark on the syringe. Luckily I work from home so I will keep an eye on him. 

Thanks again for your advice.


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## Jennicat

Keeping a diary is a really good idea 

I have been umming and aahing over metacam, i'm doing lots of reading up about it at the moment. 

I hope Louis feels better soon x


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## Marielle

Hello there,

I have found this thread and unfortunately I see it is over a year old so not sure how many people will read my reply but I will post a new thread as well to warn people of the danger of Metacam in cats.

*NEVER USE METACAM on cats - NEVER EVER*.
Metacam (Meloxicam) is toxic to the cat kidneys.
I belong to a CRF Yahoo Group (Chronic Renal Failure) and can tell you that quite a few people in this Group have had their cats on Metacam resulting in Acute Renal Failure (ARF) or Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), effectively having their cats'kidneys destroyed. 1 in 3 cats will develop either disease if given METACAM. Yet UK vets carry on giving this deadly drug to cats and it makes me mad. Please refer to Metacam Kills Cats. Some people suggested that short-term treatment is OK, it is NOT. Some cats crash after 5 days of using Metacam, resulting in ARF or CRF.

The manufacturer knows about this problem and it is in their medication insert.


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## Marielle

_The manufacturer knows about this problem and it is in their medication insert._

Forgot to mention that it is in the US medication insert, not the UK one. Probably why the UK vet know nothing about its toxicity, although hard to understand why... they should learn about this at vet school...


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## JOANNEJ1655

My cat was given metacam and interferon for Calici. I read all these bad things on the net and stopped the Metacam last December. He is still on the Interferon and seems to be fine without the metacam.


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## Dally Banjo

Our old fella had it a few months back as was realy strugling with his back legs  I only gave him 1/4 of the dose & got him some glucosomine thats kicked in now & he's great :thumbup: 

I did ask the vet at the time & as Simba had recently had bloods done he said he should be fine its usually a problem for cats who have an underlying problem already but Im still very wary of it. Banjo was on it for months & had to have a blood test done in December just to check all was ok he's on different stuff now I think the dog metacam is slightly different though.


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## Marielle

There is no such thing as dog or cat Metacam.

Metacam is a drug used primarily to treat arthritis in dogs and it is safe for *dogs*. However, UK vets tend to use it for cats as well, not realising how dangerous it can be.

In the US, the FDA has stated that Metacam is safe in cats ONLY if given as ONE injection, NOT orally. That is why Metacam manufacturer now has a warning in the medication insert, but unfortunately only in the US.

I think you have been lucky so far that your cat has not developed Acute Renal Failure or Chronic Renal Failure. I would not push your luck too far if I were you because there is no going back.


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## Dally Banjo

Thats why I only gave him the low dose & not for very long he's 16 & much better on the glucosomine :thumbup:


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## Daisyandchlo

Marielle said:


> There is no such thing as dog or cat Metacam.
> 
> Metacam is a drug used primarily to treat arthritis in dogs and it is safe for *dogs*. However, UK vets tend to use it for cats as well, not realising how dangerous it can be.


Not quite sure what you mean here. As far as I'm aware, there are two versions of Metacam available in the UK. One for dogs, and one for cats. The dog one being a higher strength than the cat.


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## Dally Banjo

The dog one contains alot more meloxicam I think.


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## dinks

Marielle said:


> There is no such thing as dog or cat Metacam.
> 
> Metacam is a drug used primarily to treat arthritis in dogs and it is safe for *dogs*. However, UK vets tend to use it for cats as well, not realising how dangerous it can be.
> 
> In the US, the FDA has stated that Metacam is safe in cats ONLY if given as ONE injection, NOT orally. That is why Metacam manufacturer now has a warning in the medication insert, but unfortunately only in the US.
> 
> I think you have been lucky so far that your cat has not developed Acute Renal Failure or Chronic Renal Failure. I would not push your luck too far if I were you because there is no going back.


You are very wrong and have no idea where you have got your information from.There is now dog formulation and cat formulation of metacam.Yes this drug comes with side affects as do ALL drugs.ALL vets are aware when not to prescibe it and I find it very alarming you are posting this on a forum which you could potentially be doing harm in doing so.Theses pets have been prescribed it for a reason - without it they will be in pain - I hope owners are sensible and discuss this further with their Vet rather than stopping medication and causing the pet pain without having an alternative in place.


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## Marielle

Apologies I did not know there was a version of Metacam for dogs and another one for cats.

However, I have checked with someone who is very knowledgeable about veterinary drugs and she confirmed that there are still risks associated with Metacam for cats, even if it is lower in Meloxicam.

As I said previously, not all cats will develop Acute Renal Failure or Chronic Renal Failure but the number of cats developing it following usage of Metacam is worrying.

There are other drugs that work just as well as Metacam, so why not choose one with fewer problems?

I am not advocating to stop taking any medication for pain, just change that particular medication, that's all.

Believe me, posting my warning here will not cause any harm, but using Metacam could do a lot more.

As an owner of a Chronic Renal Failure cat (fortunately not caused by Metacam), I can tell you that it is not an easy disease to manage and it is very hard to deal with as it is a progressive and terminal disease.

In the end, you, as a pet owner make your mind up as to what to do with the information.

Kind regards,

Marielle


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## Dally Banjo

Out of interest what other drugs are there as when our vet said Metacam I asked if there was anything else because of problems with Metacam & some cats & was told nothing for arthritus :confused1:


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## dinks

Marielle said:


> Apologies I did not know there was a version of Metacam for dogs and another one for cats.
> 
> However, I have checked with someone who is very knowledgeable about veterinary drugs and she confirmed that there are still risks associated with Metacam for cats, even if it is lower in Meloxicam.
> 
> As I said previously, not all cats will develop Acute Renal Failure or Chronic Renal Failure but the number of cats developing it following usage of Metacam is worrying.
> 
> There are other drugs that work just as well as Metacam, so why not choose one with fewer problems?
> 
> I am not advocating to stop taking any medication for pain, just change that particular medication, that's all.
> 
> Believe me, posting my warning here will not cause any harm, but using Metacam could do a lot more.
> 
> As an owner of a Chronic Renal Failure cat (fortunately not caused by Metacam), I can tell you that it is not an easy disease to manage and it is very hard to deal with as it is a progressive and terminal disease.
> 
> In the end, you, as a pet owner make your mind up as to what to do with the information.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Marielle


Marielle.
There is no other NSAID liscensed for cats.
NO vet would prescribe a cat with metacam that has known CRF or if they suspect to have ARF or showing signs.Also elderly cats.....any good vet would do routine bloods if the cat was to be on this medication long term.It is very effective at relieving chronic pain in cats with ostoearthritis giving them a fantastic quality of life - personally i would rather have a happy cat than a painful cat with no quality of life that just wants to sit miserable in the corner all day.
I disagree with you - I believe your post could do a lot of harm.There are a lot of misguided owners on this forum- I just hope they speak to their vet before terminating any treatment prescribed to them.
Cat and dog metacam are worked out at completely different dosages- hence Cat formulation and Dog formulation!


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## Marielle

Here are a couple of links  one to a site about Chronic Renal Failure that gives information about arthritis too since CRF cats (the ones who develop CRF naturally) tend to be older and therefore are more prone to arthritis than younger cats.
You will see, this site is wonderful and the lady running it has an extensive knowledge about veterinary drugs in the UK and in the US although she is not a vet herself but works closely with them.
She has detailed information about Metacam but unfortunately most of her links are broken.

The other one is from the same person and is actually included in the first link but I thought I would post both of them separately as it might be easier to refer to them that way.

Tanya's Feline CRF Info Centre - Treatments

Harpsie's website - arthritis and acupuncture

All the best,

Marielle


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## hobbs2004

Marielle, I don't think people are arguing against the possible side effects of Metacam. 

As far as I know, the issue though is that, as already pointed out by another poster, there is no other NSAID drug for arthritis use on the market for cats. Yes, there are other treatment options but they either include steroids, aspirin or acupuncture, for example. 

I think you are right in raising awareness of the possible side effects of the drug but anyone concerned should really discuss their concerns with a vet, don't you think?


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## Marielle

Dinks,

With all due respect I am standing by what I said.

There might be no other NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug) licensed for cats but cats tend not to metabolise NSAIDs very well, hence this whole situation with Metacam.

The dosage might be different for a cat than for a dog but it is still pretty much unsafe.

Look at what is happening in the US. Vets over there prescribe Metacam at a lower dosage for cats than for dogs (hence making it more or less the same dosage as Metacam for cats in the UK) but there are testimonies of cats suffering from kidney disease after using Metacam. And that is happening despite the warning from the manufacturers themselves!!

The links that I posted earlier on today are excellent and you will see there are other treatments apart from Metacam. Please read them. Read the passage on Metacam.

More information can be found here (at the bottom of page, called Metacam risks in cats - PDF file) http://www.persiancats.org/Medical_Alerts_News_PHCR.html

I never said that people should just stop using Metacam and then use something else instead without their vets consent. Of course they will need to go to their vets and ask for something else.

Vets mean well and will never prescribe something they THINK is unsafe for a particular animal. Vets opinions are very important but sometimes they may not have the updated information or may not have come across this problem themselves.

I never said that people should not treat their cats either! There are other treatments which will not cause those serious problems. I agree that all medications have side-effects, but some are considerably more dangerous than others.

There are several people on the CRF Group who have had their cats develop Acute or Chronic Renal Failure after using Metacam prescribed by their vets. The same vets later diagnosed Metacam-induced Acute or Chronic Renal Failure.

You mentioned there a lot of misguided pet owners on this site: my only concern is in informing them of the risks involved with Metacam and advise them not to use it.

With information, people can make an informed decision as to what they want to do.


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## Marielle

Hi Hobbs2004,

Yes, I agree to some extent.

If the vet is really aware of the problems with Metacam then absolutely!! Fortunately some are aware, but seeing the number of problems arising because of this shows that information is not reaching the whole vet community.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I never said to change medication without speaking to your vet.

Again, as I previously said, I am trying to warn people, the rest is up to them.


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## Cherrybomb84

Metacam is not the only NSAID available to treat arthritis in cats.
Loxicom is also available in the same format as Metacam but offers a more accurate syringe to ensure your cat gets an accurate dose. 

All NSAIDs have side effects but this is the risk we take in both human and animal medicine to see results. Nutraceutical alternatives are available but may not offer the benefits of more severe cases of arthritis or inflammation.

There are also slightly different NSAID products available for cats from vets, such as Onsior tablets.


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## dinks

Meloxicam is the only NSAID liscensed for cats.The drug you mentioned is exactly the same drug its just made by a different company.
There are a few different trade names for meloxicam but the generic name of them is all the same.
Many different drug companies have their own version out in the veterinary market but it is exactly the same drug.
The reason the cat version of metacam was brought out was for more accurate dosing as there is a syringe which attaches to the bottle which can be measured for their exact weight - same as the dog syringe.


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## LisaJJ

Hi my cat was 10 not that old he had reoccurring liver and pancreatic problems. But his blood results the end of May confirmed that he was doing great. He developed a limp a week later so took him to vets and they put him on metacam. Two weeks later he developed kidney failure they told me I could not bring him home, he had no quality of life. I made the hardest decision of my life, I felt I had no option. He has had raised liver counts in the past and usually a drip and antibiotics have him sorted within a couple of weeks. He's buried in my garden anyway. A few days later I decided that it was just so sudden, from getting excellent blood results to kidney failure within such a short space of time. I looked up the side effects and there was no way my cat should have been given this with his current liver problems. In some cases it can cause kidney failure. I felt the medicine had done this, I felt that I had unknowingly poisoned my cat. I made a complaint to the vet and this is what she said. Did your cat go out? I said yes but only to next door he was always in at a night time. Oh she said that will be it then. He must have ate some antifreeze! Em no I said or next doors cats would also be ill. Well I bet he's had Lily's, now I was confused. Yes she said just a tiny bit of pollen or a bit of a petal could do this. Me: no one has lilies where I live. She then said well I'm sorry but you have no proof, and I think it was highly unlikely it would have been the medicine. In fact she said, I have several cats in the hospital now with kidney problems who have been put in this medicine for their arthritis and they are all completely fine!! In my heart of hearts I know this medicine contributed hugely to my cats death. So please please, do not use if your cat has kidney or liver problems, consult with your vet in depth


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## claire8234

Our cat has an allergy marker against his vet file saying he cannot have metacam. It made him extremely ill after dental surgery. 

THankfully we have a superb vet who dealt with it really well but it was touch and go for a bit. I would be very reluctant to use it again


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## jjk308

I've been using Ostilox, a meloxicam suspension for dogs, for my 15 year old cat Spot for 5 months *with zero side effects.* The dose is less than 1/4 of the recommended canine dose, *only .01 mg. of Meloxicam per lb.*, about the dose recommended for cats in other countries, and Spot is doing very well on it. She was completely crippled by arthritis, simply refused to walk or even get up, and is now more limber and active than she's been in years.
Apparently cats kidneys can't tolerate anything near the amount a dog can tolerate, the reason Meloxicam got a bad press for cats, but these tiny doses are both easily tolerated and effective.


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