Metacam can be a very effective drug when prescribed by a vet. I've used it for my girl under vet direction but some dogs do not tolerate metacam well and my vet prefers to only prescribe for short term use. What's the problem with your dog that needs help? What does your vet say would help?
I have also used it when instructed by my Vet, mainly as a pain killer post spay . Another dog I had used to occasionally have Metacam to aid his arthritis, but only ever under Vets supervision , it can be a very useful drug indeed .
I use it for Euan as his painkiller for herniated disk and arthritis. It is a prescription needed anti inflammatory. So only under vets prescriptions. It is rather expensive. I pay €100,- for 100 pills.....
What's up with your Lab? Certainly in the uk you can't get Metacam except on prescription from the vet. My Lab has problems with her elbows and I have a continuous supply of Metacam from the vet as she tolerates it well and I can use it if she strains an elbow. It works well but I only use it very occasionally. It has a shelf life of six months once opened. I think if you are considering something like this your vet needs to be involved though.
I have used it for Scooby post-op (fatty lump excision) - under vet direction. It didn't agree with him - it could have been the antibiotics, but something put him off his food completely, and made him very down. And the stinkiest wind I have ever smelled. I'm not even sure he was any more comfortable. It is used to treat pain and inflammation.
Yes and it certainly helped. In my experience there are stronger meds around, hope you don't need to go to them. Metacam is not cheap. Meant for humans meloxicam is the generic. If your Vet will write you a Rx it's a substitute. Some Vets will charge for writing a script. Cartrophen Vet was not cheap either but it did the same thing for Jet's arthritis and was easier to dose being an injection I could do at home and it did not need to be given as often. Dogs vary in the booster time that will be best for them. For Jet it was 6 months, for our cat it was two weeks. Still, much, much, much cheaper for me to do at home. My Vet sold me pre-loaded syringes. More time effective at home too, the Vet is a half hour drive one way, AND for the cat, less stress. Depends why you need pain meds if the Cartrophen VEt will help.
It was very effective for my last Lab in old age (prescribed by vet) from about age 13 to the end of his life, which meant he had a daily dose for 18 months. He experienced no side effects and it meant he could move easily, without pain. He had blood tests while on Metacam, which I think were to check liver function.
Helped my old dog no end who had a spinal injury and occasional severe muscle spasms. We basically always had it on hand in our fridge for when he needed it. He never had any side effects from it (eg no wooziness, drowsiness etc that you can get with some other kinds of anti-inflamm).
My boy was on metacam for a while after cruciate operations, he didn't tolerate it well, and we ended up swapping to other anti-inflammatories - it's really important for you to be in contact with your vet about how a dog is doing. It's a very useful drug if your dog tolerates it though. My dog ended up on rimadyl, which he tolerated better, but still not very well.
Doug couldn't tolerate metacam or rimadyl or previcox so he's now on Onsior an tramadol. The physio and vet came up with this after a bit of chat. We tried it not sure if it would help but it did and he was pain free and clearly felt much better. Its not something i'd want to do with a young dog but its helped Doug and he is tolerating it well. We monitor him closely.
