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metacam dose *UPDATE*

right, i've spoken to the vets and it's the dog metacam matts on and it is 0.8ml twice daily for 5 days. they said it's fine and aidan normally prescribes doses a little higher than this at times also, and it's this much because it's only for a very short time - 5 days. apparantly he has never had a rabbit have any problems with this dosage.
i'm still worried but they said go with the expert and what he recommends for the actual rabbit being treated.
what does everyone think?
 
i think i'm going to trust the vet on this one. i just don't think he would put him on this if he even thought for one min it would be a risk.
what is the most your buns have been on then?
 
I have 1kg bunny on 0.4ml twice a day and has been on it for months as he is badly disabled. This is a very high dose for long term use and I wouldn't recommend it normally, but it is a good example of a bunny on a high dose with no bad side effects. :)

Thinking back I had a 3kg bun on 1ml twice a day for a week for a very bad infection that was causing her a lot of pain
 
I think the dose is absolutely fine and I would have no problem accepting the advice of your Vet :)
If Matt is to stay on Metacam for more than 5 days I'd ask your Vet about him prescribing an anti-GI Ulcer med, Ranitidine AKA Zantac, just to protect Matts tum :)
 
Well i'm certainly not going to tell you not to trust your vet, he does sound like a good vet and it sounds like other people are giving these doses as well. Maybe the reference books need updating. Hopefully then, everything will be fine:)
 
lilbun said:
Well i'm certainly not going to tell you not to trust your vet, he does sound like a good vet and it sounds like other people are giving these doses as well. Maybe the reference books need updating. Hopefully then, everything will be fine:)
Click to expand...


Yep, the reference doses for Metacam have gone up significantly since many of the Books mentioned were published. Thats the thing about both Animal and Human Medicine, it is forever evolving. A Book can be out-dated almost as soon as its published !!
 
i guess all rabbits are different, but there seems to me to be more successful treatments with metacam than not. i know this is bad if you happen to have the one bun that reacts badly, but i guess all buns could have a bad reaction to any medication. you just don't know and i think sometimes they have to be treated when they have a condition, otherwise that gets worse. it is soooooooo worrying though. and i'm exhausted! i haven't slept at all! and the whole time i've been having a nervous breakdown...matt and bisc have been running and hopping round, chasing each other, and generally being cheeky! :)
mind you, i was on the net all night and couldn't resist buying them a new carrier... with our food shopping money...! ooops! but hey, buns are more important than food!
 
lilbun said:
But if he's giving it every 12 hours that's TWICE the maximum dose in't it? The vet does sound very knowledgeable but I would still doublecheck. Better safe than sorry. It's not unheard of for mistakes to happen.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make it twice the dose as the bunny weighs 2kgs :) So you have to double the 0.3-0.5ml, hope that helps
 
Jack's-Jane said:
If Matt weighs about 2kg 0.8mls of DOG METACAM is perfectly safe

The maximum dose my Vet prescribes is 0.6mg/kg/24 hours (0.4ml/kg) Some Vets are prescribing even higher.

This works out at 0.4ml/kg hence a 2kg Rabbit could have 0.8ml (1.2mg) every 24 hours. Or it can be given in two divided doses of 0.4ml every 12 hours.
ETA- here is a post from rodneyvet on another thread. RV is an Exotics Specilaist...........
The dose for metacam I give to rabbits is 0.3-0.5mg/kg twice daily. I would consider gastric protectants also (anti ulcer drugs).
Click to expand...

Jack's Jane does say 0.8ml every 24hrs for a 2kg rabbit, not 12hrs:)
 
sorry got my mls and mgs mixed up :oops:

Either way I have used the higher doses numerous times on my buns with no problems at all :D
 
It very reassuring to hear that:D It does raise the question as to whether most vets are massively underdosing bunnies though!:roll: I'll be pestering the poor vets at work tomorrow:lol:
 
I think all this arose from the RWAF conference last year, which my vet attended. It seems there has been recent research which showed high levels of metacam doesn't appear to do the damage to bunnies that they originally thought. My vets now frequently dose at a rate of 0.6mls per kg routinely and sometimes higher if necessary :D
 
lilbun said:
Jack's Jane does say 0.8ml every 24hrs for a 2kg rabbit, not 12hrs:)
Click to expand...

That is what my Vet prescribes but I have also said that some Vets prescribe higher doses.
Given that rodneyvet is an extremely well qualified Exotics Specialist Vet I personally believe he knows what he's talking about :D
 
biscandmatt1, please let us know how your bunny gets on. I hope he makes a full recovery soon:D
 
Jack's-Jane said:
That is what my Vet prescribes but I have also said that some Vets prescribe higher doses.
Given that rodneyvet is an extremely well qualified Exotics Specialist Vet I personally believe he knows what he's talking about :D
Click to expand...

I'm sure he does too :D
 
Well, I have to agree with everyone here.. it is all very confusing.. when I asked my vet how much metacam they were giving him in an injection.. they said 0.1ml for a bun that was shivering and grinding his teeth in pain and then told me it would last 48hours:evil:... needless to say, he was still in pain..

I'm so glad this issue has been raised now and these new figures have come out at least now we know we can modify the dose to achieve an effective dose to relieve our buns from pain..

Thanks everyone.. and Glad Matt is doing ok biscuit.. in fact better than ok, sounds like your all having a great time:)

M

ps.. does anybody know roughly how long it takes to kick in?...
 
Last edited:
thanks marty! :)
all is perfectly normal here - two very naughty bunnies! :)
thanks for your help and advice last night. i too am glad there is more information about higher doses of metacam.
matt had his next dose on some spring greens and loved it! :D
 
Hugo's There said:
sorry got my mls and mgs mixed up :oops:

Either way I have used the higher doses numerous times on my buns with no problems at all :D
Click to expand...

but this bun is not in pain though, the metacam was meant to treat inflammation, there is no need to overdose metacam to treat inflammation.
 
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