metacam

[Mr Roo]

JR has had his tail amputated and has finished his anti biotics we were also given metacam by Jen at the kennels,
his tail has given him no bother ,how long should the metacam be given as i think it is this which has given him a runny bottom,or could it be stress in a new home.Any advice please.
paulx

[allthehounds]

We've been prescribed Metacam when our dogs had bone cancer and although it can be a really good pain reliever we've found that it doesn't suit every dog and some can have various reactions to it. It made one of our dogs pant excessively and as soon as we stopped the Metacam he was much better. If JR isn't in any pain with his amputation it might be worth stopping the Metacam especially if he's finished his course of antibiotics and there's no risk of infection. His runny bottom could well be due to a new environment but the Metacam might be to blame too or even the antibiotics so if you stop it hopefully you'll see an improvement!

[Mr Roo]

That is reassuring,he does seem to be drinking excessively too,compared to the others.
paulx

[andywillow]

I'm sure he should be fine now Paul, I'd not give him anymore. Its been over a week now hasn't it since he had his op.

[Nettie]

Paul, Metacam is an anti-inflammatory/painkiller so if his tail is all nicely healing I doubt it will be giving him any problems now so I'd stop it. Handy to have in the cupboard in case of little accidents or hurty joints - a bit like taking an ibuprofen when you have a headache.

[Mr Roo]

thank you all , he should be fine without it now, we shall see how things go.
paulx

[Cath]

I'd have thought that the ABs might be the cause of a runny bum, or change in food/water- but it won't do him any harm to stop the Metacam if he doesn't need it anymore.

[jackie]

Some of the dogs are obsessed by drinking water, especially if they've been in kennels a long time. I don't know if it's stress or just the novelty but Harvey did it for months before drinking normally and a few other people have also mentioned that their dogs have done the same. I'd monitor the drinking but hopefully it will settle down as he relaxes.

[vickyb]

Gracie used to empty her bowl every time she had a drink when she first arrived as if she had to drink while she had the chance   Sapphy still drinks a lot.

You can reduce the metacam if you think he might be feeling a bit sore rather than stop it altogether. It's good for that as often after a few days of the full dose a smaller amount still works - assuming you've got the liquid not tablets.

[julies]

You just need to be aware that it's a Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory drug like Rymadyl often called NSAIDs .. they can have side effects like any drug and can kill as an ultimate 'side effect'so it's worth checking out the side effects thro the internet if it didn't come with a fact sheet .. like most of us I have a bottle of Metacam for non-vet injuries

Hope his tail is getting better and healing well

J x

[Mr Roo]

)he has been free of drugs for 36 hours now not showing any signs of distress or discomfort, and he is slowing down on the drinking so maybe we will get a full nights sleep soon but he has been very good and at least is letting us know he needs to go out.
paulx