Won't take Metacam

Hiro and Sylar have just been neutered and they've got Metacam for a few days. Sylar loves it but Hiro won't take it at all. It's like he is scared of the syringe We've tried putting it on a spinach leaf, a slice of celery, a chunk of apple but he just doesn't like it! He's a skittish bun that hates being picked up and he's impossible to catch when he decides that he doesn't want to be caught! He seems ok in himself, he's eating, pooing, urinating and drinking fine, would he be ok without it? Or can anyone suggest any ways of getting it in him?

I always give Benji his metacam in a bit of mashed up banana, it never fails, leave it on a saucer and see if he goes for it, try not to let him see you 'watching' him!! Good luck :wave:

Ooooh! They have never tried banana Hopefully this will work! Thanks

Or try soaking pellets, mushing up and mixing the metacam in. Or baby food too (the fruit and veg ones).

Otherwise, I would just confidently hold him and syringe it in. No he won't like it but the quicker it is over with the better and it's best you do that than he be in pain IMO

The banana didn't work at all! I was feeling optimistic about that one as well! I'll try the pellets

Try soaking the pellets, making them into a mash, and adding some baby food (banana or strawberry)

I have used a tiny bit of wholemeal bread once? Have you tried holding him in a towel when syringing? Like a burrito sort of way, as I've had to do this with my bunny?

roxyroller88 said:

Hiro and Sylar have just been neutered and they've got Metacam for a few days. Sylar loves it but Hiro won't take it at all. It's like he is scared of the syringe We've tried putting it on a spinach leaf, a slice of celery, a chunk of apple but he just doesn't like it! He's a skittish bun that hates being picked up and he's impossible to catch when he decides that he doesn't want to be caught! He seems ok in himself, he's eating, pooing, urinating and drinking fine, would he be ok without it? Or can anyone suggest any ways of getting it in him?

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Depending on how many days ago he was neutered, if he's back to his 'old self' after the op, I would say don't worry too much about trying to get it into him. You would probably know by now if he was in pain .....

My Bentley wouldn't take metacam, he despised the smell and taste of it. I think when they hate the smell too, it becomes impossible to hide it in food. Bentley was a continental giant and even with the help of my OH, we couldn't hold him still enough to get the syringe into his mouth, he was strong and very stubborn.

We ended up having the tablet version of metacam. The tablets don't have the same smell as the suspension. I would crush the tablet, mix it into a stiff paste with water and hide it inside summer fruit mini shredded wheats (an idea given to me by Julia123 on here). It was really easy to split the shredded wheat open, put the metacam paste inside and then sandwich it back together. Bentley went wild for these, even with the metacam inside, he got very excited at medication time.

It sounds like Hiro is doing OK without it now, but if you do need to give metacam in the future, it might be worth giving the tablet version a go.

Thank you for all the ideas! He seems excellent in himself so I'm not too worried but I'm a little bit concerned about what will happen if we need to give it to him in the future! He definitely doesn't like the smell, if we put it anywhere near him and he runs a mile! We didn't realise that y
Metacam came in tablet form but that seems like the best idea for him right now. Thanks again for all the advice

My girls don't like Metacam and refuse even their favourite treats if said treats have metacam (or any medicine in fact) soaked in it. I therefore have no choice but to catch rabbit, wrap head/paws up in a towel, hold head, kinda hold bunny body in my legs (my legs are folded at the knees; calves and thighs touch, feet pointing out) and trapping bunny in that gap, and have to force syringe. Rabbit no likey but it's soon over and they forgive very quickly.