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Metacam Dose Rates- NB Do Not Alter Dose Without CONSULTING YOUR OWN VET !!

Today my vet gave me some metacam for me to have at home, in case I feel Barney needs it before he goes back in 2 weeks.

It is dog metacam, and she told me that he should have a 20kg dog dose as he is 3.4kg. Anyone know how many mls this is?

This is MUCH higher than my old non-rabbit-savvy vets used to prescribe, they used to say 2 times the cat dose with the ability to up it to 3x cat dose if needed - well 3 times the cat dose is only 1x the dog dose! A 20kg dog dose is much higher than a 3.4kg dog dose! Have to say though, the old dosage still had a big effect.
 
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nessar said:
Today my vet gave me some metacam for me to have at home, in case I feel Barney needs it before he goes back in 2 weeks.

It is dog metacam, and she told me that he should have a 20kg dog dose as he is 3.4kg. Anyone know how many mls this is?

This is MUCH higher than my old non-rabbit-savvy vets used to prescribe, they used to say 2 times the cat dose with the ability to up it to 3x cat dose if needed - well 3 times the cat dose is only 1x the dog dose! A 20kg dog dose is much higher than a 3.4kg dog dose! Have to say though, the old dosage still had a big effect.
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Our vets told me to dose Ori at 5 times his weight using the dog scale, i.e. for a 2 k rabbit dose as if for a 10 kg dog so that's not far off what you've been told.

We always buy a full bottle now so we get the proper syringe with the weight scale on.
 
Can I just ask, how do I know the dose that's being given when my vet gives injections?

ETA: Also, what dosages would apply for injections?

:wave:
 
Maurice is on the 18kg dog dose...which is about 1.25ml of the dog strength. I can't work out the maths at the moment :lol:
 
nessar said:
Today my vet gave me some metacam for me to have at home, in case I feel Barney needs it before he goes back in 2 weeks.

It is dog metacam, and she told me that he should have a 20kg dog dose as he is 3.4kg. Anyone know how many mls this is?

This is MUCH higher than my old non-rabbit-savvy vets used to prescribe, they used to say 2 times the cat dose with the ability to up it to 3x cat dose if needed - well 3 times the cat dose is only 1x the dog dose! A 20kg dog dose is much higher than a 3.4kg dog dose! Have to say though, the old dosage still had a big effect.
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It would be 1.36 ml.

My vet's done the 0.4ml per kg of bunny with the dog metacam for a wee while now.
(1.5mg per ml of dog metacam)

Having read about the drop syringe thingy I'd be poping back to the vet and asking for a 1ml syringe they are much easier to measure.

And yeah Jane It would make a hell of a lot more sense if it was all prescribed in ml's :s
 
We are going to Richard Saunders clinic as a referal on Monday.Im glad you posted about this Jane as i will be sure to talk to him about my rabbits Metacam dose as he seems uncomfortable.Hes 3kgs and is on 1 ml every 24 hours.(dog Metacam)
 
hoppetylop said:
We are going to Richard Saunders clinic as a referal on Monday.Im glad you posted about this Jane as i will be sure to talk to him about my rabbits Metacam dose as he seems uncomfortable.Hes 3kgs and is on 1 ml every 24 hours.(dog Metacam)
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From what C told me I suspect Richard would say he could have 1.2mls every TWELVE HOURS. So more than double the dose he is currently on.

Dont do that til you consult him though !!
 
This is interesting, thank you Jane.

I don't know if this helps but I have this pinned to my noticeboard so I can easily check on doses for metacam. I always forget and get confused. As mentioned both dog and cat metacam can be prescribed for rabbits and the doseage amounts are different by volume. To add to the confusion metacam can be prescribed for rabbits by drops, by mls or by the graduations on the syringes provided by the manufacturer which are graduated by dog and cat weight.

As a guide a rabbit can be given 0.2-0.6mg of metacam per kg per 24 hours but higher doses can be administered under veterinary supervision.

Dog metacam contains 1.5mg/ml therefore a rabbit can have 0.133-0.4ml per kg per 24 hours. One drop contains 0.05 mg therefore if dosing by drops this means a rabbit can have 4 – 12 drops per kg per 24 hours.

Cat metacam contains 0.5mg/ml therefore a rabbit can have 0.4–1.2ml per kg per 24 hours.

NB. The graduations on the syringes provided with the metacam by the manufacturer are in kg – intended for the weight of either the cat or the dog.

For dog metacam the 1kg dose is equal to 0.1 mg metacam. A rabbit can therefore have 2 – 6 times the dog weight dose per kg per 24 hours.

For cat metacam the 1kg dose is equal to 0.05mg metacam. A rabbit can therefore have 4 – 12 times the cat weight dose per kg per 24 hours.
 
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Jack's-Jane said:
I really dont know why all Vets dont prescribe Metacam in MLs, it would be so much easier.
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Funnily enough, I saw a different vet to my usual one recently (vets shouldn't be allowed holidays! :lol:) and she prescribed it in ml and I spent ages grumbling that she should have just prescribed it in the dog dose as it's so much easier :lol::lol:

I always get it with the bottle and the dog syringe, and get told to give the 'xxx dog dose' which is waaaaay easier than having the dosage in ml. A standard syringe doesn't fit on top of the bottle so you just end up making a sticky mess and losing half the metacam over your hands and table, but the dog syringe is designed to fit so it's far easier.

I guess many vets don't expect their clients to be sat at home calculating what their prescribed dosage works out at in mg/kg, they just expect them to give it is instructed and hence do it in the easiest way - which might be in ml if the product is decanted, or in the equivalent dog dose if it's given in the original packaging and syringe.

Thanks for the updated info, I will make sure I tell my vet when she's back from hols...she'll no doubt want to check it out for herself but it's all helpful to know. I don't think it necessarily suggests that the sort of doses our vets routinely give are completely useless, more that it is like giving a couple of ibuprofen, which may be fine for mid-range pain but not sufficient for more severe pain.
 
My vets prescribe it in ml. I just prise the stopper off the bottle and the syringe fits in nicely then.
 
Vanessa.B said:
This is interesting, thank you Jane.

I don't know if this helps but I have this pinned to my noticeboard so I can easily check on doses for metacam. I always forget and get confused. As mentioned both dog and cat metacam can be prescribed for rabbits and the doseage amounts are different by volume. To add to the confusion metacam can be prescribed for rabbits by drops, by mls or by the graduations on the syringes provided by the manufacturer which are graduated by dog and cat weight.

As a guide a rabbit can be given 0.2-0.6mg of metacam per kg per 24 hours but higher doses can be administered under veterinary supervision.

Dog metacam contains 1.5mg/ml therefore a rabbit can have 0.133-0.4ml per kg per 24 hours. One drop contains 0.05 mg therefore if dosing by drops this means a rabbit can have 4 – 12 drops per kg per 24 hours.

Cat metacam contains 0.5mg/ml therefore a rabbit can have 0.4–1.2ml per kg per 24 hours.

NB. The graduations on the syringes provided with the metacam by the manufacturer are in kg – intended for the weight of either the cat or the dog.

For dog metacam the 1kg dose is equal to 0.1 mg metacam. A rabbit can therefore have 2 – 6 times the dog weight dose per kg per 24 hours.

For cat metacam the 1kg dose is equal to 0.05mg metacam. A rabbit can therefore have 4 – 12 times the cat weight dose per kg per 24 hours.
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I think this info has been revised though, as per Jane's original post. The maximum dosage rates are now more than double what is quoted here (for dog Metacam anyway).

I was told by my vet of the maximum dose in Jane's post maybe a year ago (she always consults the vets at the D1ck Vet in Edinburgh for the latest advice on doses).

Although obviously, as has been said, the maximum dosage is just that - maximum, not to be used without a vet's approval!

Santa said:
I always get it with the bottle and the dog syringe, and get told to give the 'xxx dog dose' which is waaaaay easier than having the dosage in ml. A standard syringe doesn't fit on top of the bottle so you just end up making a sticky mess and losing half the metacam over your hands and table, but the dog syringe is designed to fit so it's far easier.

I guess many vets don't expect their clients to be sat at home calculating what their prescribed dosage works out at in mg/kg, they just expect them to give it is instructed and hence do it in the easiest way - which might be in ml if the product is decanted, or in the equivalent dog dose if it's given in the original packaging and syringe.
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My vet always prescribes Metacam in millilitres but I use the large dog syringe to get the Metacam out of the bottle and then fit a small 1ml syringe onto it and draw the Metacam into it, which works a treat. :)
 
Rosie Rabbit said:
My vet always prescribes Metacam in millilitres but I use the large dog syringe to get the Metacam out of the bottle and then fit a small 1ml syringe onto it and draw the Metacam into it, which works a treat. :)
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But my point is why bother with that additional step? If there is a perfectly fitting syringe which fits into the bottle and allows you to measure the right amount of product to give, why bother then decanting it from that into yet another syringe? It's just a completely pointless additional step IMO!
 
Santa said:
But my point is why bother with that additional step? If there is a perfectly fitting syringe which fits into the bottle and allows you to measure the right amount of product to give, why bother then decanting it from that into yet another syringe? It's just a completely pointless additional step IMO!
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Because some of us prefer to administer it via a 1ml syringe as it is sometimes less of an ordeal for the Bunny :)
 
Fair enough if you find that - but I honestly don't see why it would be any more or less of an ordeal, the small dog syringe nozzle is a very slightly different size so that it fits over the top of the bottle, but the difference between that and a normal 1ml syringe is so minute that I really can't for one minute see why one would be more of an ordeal than the other :? Each to his own I suppose!
 
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