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Metacam long term?

L

LionheadLuver

Warren Veteran
Hi

My 6 year old rabbit, Milly is currently on a course of metacam to see if she's suffering from joint pain. If the metacam helps and she needs to be on it for the rest of her life, what are the side effects of this? Is there any other alternative joint pain medication she could have? Should she be on joint supplements? At the moment, she's on digestive supplements to help her gut. Of course, this is all theoretical until we know what's wrong with her.
 
Is it joint pain from arthritis I assume?

If so, I think Glucosamine is the thing to think about? Someone like Jane will know more.

Metacam does have some long term effects, kidneys are one of the big ones, although I have a bun in chronic renal failure who has been on metacam for over 2 years and although it doesn't have visible side effects in her it has likely made things go a bit quicker...if that makes sense.
 
My Inca had bad arthritis and spondylitis.....she was a poor wee soul as she was born deformed with no tail and messed up lady bits.

I gave her glucosamine but to be honest I am now not sure how much it really did help. She was on long term daily metacam, without i she would have been in agony. I personally think that even if there was any long term damage being caused, then that was worth it for the quality of life for her on Metacam.

Inca also had Acupuncture, initially it was weekly but went to monthly.
 
My dog has arthritis & was on metacam for about a year & a half, unfortunately - out of the blue, it started making him unwell (being sick & whatnot), so the Vet took him off it. We now manage it for him with seroquin (glucosamine & chondroitin supplement) & tramadol (painkiller). He's doing really well on this combination :) In fact, I am looking at giving him a food with the supplements in, so he will just be on the tramadol as a tablet then.

I would definitely talk through your options with your Vet with regards to supplements :)
 
I don't think metacam has the same side effects in rabbits as it does in other animals. Their body metabolises it a lot quicker (meaning they need a higher dose for their weight than dogs and need it more frequently), however there has been no conclusive research as far as I'm aware.

My rabbit Grimlock has been on long term metacam for at about five years, if not longer. He had no pre-existing organ failure or issues and so far it has had no side effects at all.

Rabbits hide their pain very well as they're prey animals. If they're showing signs of a little bit of pain, I can guarantee it's one hundred times worse than what we think it is. I think pain relief is so important in rabbits (all animals really) and something that vets often disregard. Personally I have no problems putting a rabbit on daily or even twice daily metacam long term. It makes such a difference to their life.

If their are side effects later, they are likely to come when your rabbit is in old age anyway, after a good quality life. :)
 
Jenova said:
I don't think metacam has the same side effects in rabbits as it does in other animals. Their body metabolises it a lot quicker (meaning they need a higher dose for their weight than dogs and need it more frequently), however there has been no conclusive research as far as I'm aware.
Click to expand...

Ditto this. Artie was on Metacam for about 4.5 years and although he did die of kidney failure (at the age of nearly 9) his vet (FHB) consistently told me as above, that there was no evidence of kidney damage in rabbits from long-term use. Artie had lost a kidney due to EC and was still kept on Metacam for his bladder condition despite having only one kidney.
 
Twinkle had a spell on metacam for joint pain earlier in the year. I was really concerned about dropping the dosage incase she suddenly went back to being stiff and lethargic.

I ended up dropping the dose back down really slowly over the course of a couple of weeks or more and watching her. Shes completely off it now and hopping round like a loon so in our case maybe it wasn't joint pain or maybe she had sprained something.

If only they could tell us what hurt it would make life soooo much easier
 
My Daisy is on daily metacam for spondylitis. Two of the vertebrae in her spine are fusing together and this is affecting the mobility in her hind legs. Her blood tests showed that kidneys etc are all functioning well and we will repeat the blood tests every so often, just to keep a check on everything.

Daisy is also on Cartrophen injections to help with her problems. It helps to maintain joint health and preserve cartilage. Daisy had one injection per week for 4 weeks and then it is just one injection per month. The metacam and cartrophen do seem to be helping and her mobility has definitely improved. :D
 
My Ruby has arthritis and is on daily metacam. She's only been on it for 6 months so prob not long enough for side effects to appear, but to me the risk is worth it if it keeps her comfortable. The alternative is her weeing over herself as she couldn't manage the litter tray and couldn't wash her bum, going into stasis from pain and possibly living like that for years. I'd rather she was comfortable and lived a slightly shorter (but very happy) life :)
 
My head tilt bunny, Mimzy, has been on metacam almost all of his 6-7 years for early onset arthritis and spondylosis/hip spurs and he does quite well with it. If anything, his vet has wanted to add gabapentin or tramadol to make him more comfortable. Bunnies metabolise painkillers quickly, so they can handle higher doses than other animals.
I always give a bit of fresh greens with it to reduce the chance of tummy upset. But this is one med Mimzy enjoys taking, to the point he'll run off with the syringe! :)
 
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