Metacam and Duchas back leg

[Liz]

Gill Puma is one of my small boys at 4kgs unlike his brother Cougar who is 7kgs of solid muscle and is a woos!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Thank you both 

The bloomin little man has come down stairs again to tell me I hadnt put the light on  grrrrrrrrrrr and he has gone back upstairs and back onto the bed......sigh

He seems to be walking better as long as nobody touches him cos then he falls over. I guess the hoping around will help strengthen the muscles again as long as he is using his leg right.......oh boy such a worry.

[sheryl]

I didnt have any problems with Charlie when he had his recent abcess and I had to use the syringe - the only thing the vet stressed was to give it at meal times so that it didnt make him feel sick.

I hope that Ducha is feeling better soon 

[bunglycat]

Sending lots of these  for Ducha and hope he is soon better.
These are for you too 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

The only thing he will sometimes eat is cheese lol so will hold that in reserve cos it tends to make him stop eating his cat food..........sigh,

Thanks Liz and looks like overdosing is possibly harder although of course Puma may be a much bigger cat that little Ducha...Richard said that the number two equals about 5 drops and he only has it once a day.

All advice is gratefully received 

[Millys Mum]

Gill he will be fine on a short dose, longterm it can have an effect but its benefits far outweigh the negatives. See no reason to go for bloods for a few days treatment. Gooey had it daily all winter and hes still here, theres a lot of scaremongering with metacam usage, yes be informed but dont panic! 
Its difficult to overdose with the supplied syringe, its a very simple thing to use  its honey flavoured for palatablity, many cats wil lick from the syringe as they have a sweet tooth same as we do 

Desley im not sure i can see how metacam can be blamed for zi after so few doses sorry  we know only too well how elderly cats can get clusters of problems within days of each other 

Dont know how much 3ml is against number 2 on syringe though

Each kg graduation is 0.1ml so by my maths you have 15 days in that bottle

[Liz]

Gill if he eats any sort of human food put it on that 0- when Puma had his Metal work for 9 weeks he was on 10 drops in those days twice a day for 10 weeks - he did of course on that dose thinjk he was supercat with nothing wrong with him!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Juszt to say I didnt know about the ease of overdosing so will be very careful as obviously less is better than too much, 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Thank ypu Rosella you are very kind 

Thanks Desley was hoping you would see this cos know you have used a lot. Yes he was weighed but I dont get bloods for them unless for a real reason cos the birmans get very stressed and thats not good for them. Richard is very good and knows Ducha so think he would have insisted if he thought it was going to be a problem. The leaflet says what you have about CFR so am watching him carefully as know Franta was not given metacam cos of only having one kidney. Is there anything else I should watch for as a sign for CRF? Thanks for your input and everyome else too 

I cant open his mouth so that method is gone and think he does like the taste lol, tomorrow and gonna try mixing it with food on my finger so I know he eats it and not another cat  Havent tried smelling it but its definately like a syrup.

He has just come all the way down stairs got up on a stool and onto sofa, had lots of strokes while he was lying down, got fed up and got back down to floor level, used scratching post and gone back up stairs and got onto the bed.......................sigh

I am hoping that as long as another cat doesnt push him then going slowly in his own time he is OK.

Yesterday Franta rushed up the stairs and knocked him and I just got there in time to help him get back on track cos was right at top and nearly fell I think 

Yes the leaflet says if they stop eating and drinking then to stop the metacam.

Have only realized today that this is maybe something the insurance will not pay out for if he hurts his knee any worse, which is very worrying but hope that he stays careful.......not in his purrrsonality I think.................that we can stop it in 5 days although the vet says if not to continue with it and bottle only has a 14 day life. Dont know how much 3ml is against number 2 on syringe though.

So am hoping little Ducha will get better. He is not purring like he used to when he steals my pillow but have had a few purrs today so hope thats good.

[bunglycat]

That is interesting - I will pass the info on to my vet. I wonder how many other "old vets tales" there are. The one about stopping their food at pm the night before surgery is also duff advice that is also cruel and unnecessary.
[/quote]

I wondered about this as my vet always tell me to withold food from 6pm and they are not at the vets till 9am and he doesn''t start surgery till 10am .
It seems a long time to me .

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

My vet agrees with that Rosella. We only give it to Lexy in food as we know she'll eat it. If I tried any other method I'd never get it into her.

The main thing is that if they aren't eating to stop the metacam for the reason's Mark has stated. But if they are eating then it's ok to give as the food absorbs the irritant to their tummy lining.

[Mark]

A vet from manufacturers of Metacam just rang me to say it doesn't have to be given at meal times as long as cat has an appetite and is eating normally.  It's just generally easier to give in food.  There you go. 

She said that traditionally esp with older anti inflammatory drugs the advice has been to give with meals in case of irritation to stomach lining but this does not apply to Metacam.  She also said that you may find some vets still suggest giving with food as that has been traditional advice for anti inflammatory drugs generally.

That is interesting - I will pass the info on to my vet. I wonder how many other "old vets tales" there are. The one about stopping their food at pm the night before surgery is also duff advice that is also cruel and unnecessary.

[Rosella moggy]

A vet from manufacturers of Metacam just rang me to say it doesn't have to be given at meal times as long as cat has an appetite and is eating normally.  It's just generally easier to give in food.  There you go. 

She said that traditionally esp with older anti inflammatory drugs the advice has been to give with meals in case of irritation to stomach lining but this does not apply to Metacam.  She also said that you may find some vets still suggest giving with food as that has been traditional advice for anti inflammatory drugs generally.

[Rosella moggy]

Mebbeee to the hooman nose but it's da feeeeline nose wot counts 

[Mojo]

ergh that stuff reeks 

[Rosella moggy]

The NOAH link is very good Gill so I'm posting it again altho this time on the contra indications page which covers what Mark and Desley have mentioned.  If you click on the "previous" and "next" buttons you will get a more complete picture.  I imagine it covers what the leaflet says but I find NOAH easier to read tbh

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Boehringer_Ingelheim_Limited/Metacam_0_5_ACY-nbsp_ADs-mg_ml_Oral_Suspension_for_Cats/-40680.html

ETA to say

Gill mentioned on Alison's thread Desley that vet hopes Ducha's knee will be OK within 5 days or so so not expecting Metacam needed long term and

I've emailed the makers about whether to be given with or without food (it's an OCD thing and of course only want the best for Ducha  ) and

to send a few more  to our lovely lad and to whispa "slow down kid....."

[Desley (booktigger)]

How long does he have to have it for Gill? When was the last time he had bloods? I would be reluctant to give MEtacam to an oldie for more than a couple of days without knowing what their liver/kidneys are like - I thought Zi would be OK cos she had only had bloods done 8 months previously, but she showed signs of CRF within days of being on it. If he starts drinking or weeing excessively, ring the vet asap. Also, did they weigh him to make sure he was getting an accurate dose, as you can overdose on MEtacam at very small levels? You do have to give with/after food, and it is very sweet, like a honeyish smell. I thought they might have changed that when they brought out the cat version.

[Mark]

Cant remeber what that abbreviation means Mark?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug - ie most painkillers. They irritate the lining of the stomach unless given as an injection. I had a problem with my foot last year but because of my stomach problems, the doctor wouldn't give me painkillers as he said it will aggravate the condition. It was the same with Alice, the vet didn't want her on metacam for her arthritis as she has gastric issues.

They are also a problem for CRF cats. As well as causing kidney damage over time, they have the opposite effect to  CRF drugs which open up capillaries to increase blood flow -  NSAIDs shrink them to reduce blood flow (& inflammation)

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

No I didnt Rosella and I looked at leaflet and it does not say it has to be given with food,

Cant remeber what that abbreviation means Mark?

I know that  the leaflets always are over cautious a nd there is usually a lot of room for manouvre and the leaflet said stuff that I would be worried about but the vet obviously isnt.

I just wish I could stop him bloomin jumping around and going up and down stairs cos sure that would help.......sigh

I am sure moving around is probably good for him but not as much as he is doing.

[Mark]

My vet told me it must be given with food. It is the same for cats as humans. NSAIDS can cause haemorrhaging otherwise. Maybe it's OK to squirt in the mouth after food?

[Rosella moggy]

Did ya see my 2nd post Gill? 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

  Rosella

Richard said it was a syrup so maybe its sweet?

He didnt say anything about it being  a problem if not with food grrrrrrrrrr all I know is that he ate loads for him when we got home. I must look at the box to see if it has a leaflet in like in human medicines.

[Rosella moggy]

Ooo    I stand corrected.  Seems OK to give with or without food.  Funny I cudda sworn.... ah well

"To be administered orally either mixed with food or directly into the mouth".

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Boehringer_Ingelheim_Limited/Metacam_0_5_ACY-nbsp_ADs-mg_ml_Oral_Suspension_for_Cats/-40679.html

[Rosella moggy]

I had no problems at all with Tom taking his Metacam drops Gill.  Important to try and give with food though if I recall as can unsettle tummy otherwise.  I don't recall any other side effects.  I think it does have a taste but I think it's  a rather nice taste as initially Tom used to lick it off a large bit of dry cat food until I realised it really should be taken with more food than one piece of dry kibble   

Am sorry to hear about Ducha's swollen knee and hope vet is right that it should be fully better within 5 days or so.  Poor little lamb chop

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Thanks Ruth 

Ducha cant be pilled at all and on food would be ideal but he doesnt eat regularily enough for it to go on food so gonna have to be squirted into his mouth..........sigh

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Lexy's been on Metacam for 10 months, and she's fine. I pop the drops on her food, she doesn't even notice its there and this is a cat that can sniff a pill before you've unwrapped it!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

My littel 3 legged boy Ducha has hurt his only back leg and is on metacam from today.

I know many of you have used matecam..............does it make them hungry or sleepy please? Does it have a taste?