can you buy metacam anywhere?

hi all
was just wondering if you can buy metacam online or anywhere?

was just thinking that it would be useful to have some in the house

I would guess yes, but with a veterinary prescription.

It's only available via prescription, not available "over the counter"

You can but you have to get a prescription for it from your Vet

ah okies.
thanks guys
seems silly that you can buy baytril without a prescription but not metacam lol

xx-snowball-xx said:

ah okies.
thanks guys
seems silly that you can buy baytril without a prescription but not metacam lol

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Legally you cant :?

Some vets will prescribe a bottle to allow the owner to have a bottle on hand just in case it is necessary, so it might be worth asking.

oh right, thought it must be legal coz i know lots of people that have bought baytril online!

cheers sky-o, will ask my vet and see what they say

Sky-O said:

Some vets will prescribe a bottle to allow the owner to have a bottle on hand just in case it is necessary, so it might be worth asking.

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I don't think they're legally allowed to, I thought a prescription/dispensation had to be for a specific animal for a specific condition, with the exception of multi-animal households where a larger bottle can be given to cover several.

I'm personally not a huge fan of getting vets to give random medications to people just in case, as I take the view that if an animal needs painkiller,/antibiotic/other drugs it needs to see a vet to work out what the problem is and to solve it rather than mask it with pain relief or try stuff out without a proper diagnosis. I totally appreciate that it can be handy as a short-term fix but I think there's as much danger that in many cases, especially with inexperienced owners, it would do more harm than good having medications like pain relief and antibiotics at home. For instance if the animal then goes to the vet in severe pain but the vet can't prescribe a stronger painkiller because of drug interactions with medication already given by the owner.

Santa said:

I don't think they're legally allowed to, I thought a prescription/dispensation had to be for a specific animal for a specific condition, with the exception of multi-animal households where a larger bottle can be given to cover several.

I'm personally not a huge fan of getting vets to give random medications to people just in case, as I take the view that if an animal needs painkiller,/antibiotic/other drugs it needs to see a vet to work out what the problem is and to solve it rather than mask it with pain relief or try stuff out without a proper diagnosis. I totally appreciate that it can be handy as a short-term fix but I think there's as much danger that in many cases, especially with inexperienced owners, it would do more harm than good having medications like pain relief and antibiotics at home. For instance if the animal then goes to the vet in severe pain but the vet can't prescribe a stronger painkiller because of drug interactions with medication already given by the owner.

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This is true, and very fair. I suspect a lot is going to depend on the owner and the vet and the working relationship they have with each other.

For example, my vet used to let me have a bottle here for if I needed it, but he did that knowing me, and knowing how I treat my animals, he would know the situations I used it, and he would also know I would bring the animal in. He doesn't need to do that now because we always have some bunny on Metacam, so its always here.

Completely agree with you though Santa. Was a half thought out post, so not the best in any way shape or form.

I would like to have some Metacam at home just in case Smudge went into stasis. Least that way I would be able to at least try that first and give it an hour or two and then take him in if it didn't work. With Smudge I do try to limit car trips and strange people as he does react badly to them.

Last time Blackie needed a dental it was a Saturday evening, and he was just staring to show signs of slowing down in eating, so I called the vet and asked if I could have metacam for over the weekend so that he could eat comfortably and book him in on Monday for the dental. They were happy with this as they know his history and know that I take him in for regular treatment.

They gave me a biggish bottle in case it happened again.

This weekend I think his mouth is uncomfortable, so I'm giving him metacam and taking him in for a check up and possible dental on Monday.

I think vets like to know you/your pet and know that you will be responsible in using it and wouldn't just hand it out without cause.

Blackberry & Co said:

I think vets like to know you/your pet and know that you will be responsible in using it and wouldn't just hand it out without cause.

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Yes this. I doubt my vet would've let me do penicillin injections if he hadn't seen the rabbits and I many times previous.

i only wanted it because when snowball had part of his ear bitten off, i had nothing to give him for the pain

wanted it for that type of situation.

i would never give it to him if i didn't know what was wrong with him or a "I'll give him metacam rather than take him to the vet" type thing.

You can buy online from places like Vet UK, but you have to send them a copy of your prescription.

I've bought things from Vet UK before, because it tend to be a bit cheaper, but I've not ordered any prescription stuff from there before (it seems a bit of a long process ), but if they sold medication that one of my animals was on long term, i would probably do it.

xx-snowball-xx said:

i only wanted it because when snowball had part of his ear bitten off, i had nothing to give him for the pain

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But that's exactly the sort of thing I mean and is exactly the reason I don't think vets should give out drugs for general 'just in case' use. If you had something to give him for the pain, there might be a delay in getting him to the vets, and if part of his ear has been bitten off, there's a good chance that a bun will require antibiotics, and/or stronger pain relief, or even surgery, and the vet might not be able to do that if metacam has already been given.

With exactly that sort of example, the bun should see a vet anyway so I still don't think it's appropriate for people to have it at home 'just in case', unless it's to assist with the management of an ongoing chronic problem which flares up and can be managed at home under the supervision of a vet.

Santa said:

But that's exactly the sort of thing I mean and is exactly the reason I don't think vets should give out drugs for general 'just in case' use. If you had something to give him for the pain, there might be a delay in getting him to the vets, and if part of his ear has been bitten off, there's a good chance that a bun will require antibiotics, and/or stronger pain relief, or even surgery, and the vet might not be able to do that if metacam has already been given.

With exactly that sort of example, the bun should see a vet anyway so I still don't think it's appropriate for people to have it at home 'just in case', unless it's to assist with the management of an ongoing chronic problem which flares up and can be managed at home under the supervision of a vet.

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yes, but on the evening that that happened, i rang the out of hours vet twice and then a second out of hours vet for a second opinion. both told me to keep him comfortable at home and take him for a check up in the morning.

i did what i was advised by 2 vets and kept him home. i took him to the vets in the morning and he was given baytril. i even asked the vet if i should have ignored advice and taken him in the night before and she said it's a personal decision to make but she wouldn't have taken him the night before either because it wasn't that big an injury.

do you not think that in that instance it would have been good for me to have metacam at home to give him, since i was told not to take him in til the morning???? because i do! i would have rathered have something to give him that night to make sure he wasn't in pain, even though he didn't seem to be in pain, it would have been good to be able to give him something to make sure that he wasn't.

(and i do definitely feel that i made the right decision not to take him that night)