Long term metacam

[beki]

Bertie went to the vets for his vacs yesterday. All is good with Bertie. Vet asked how he was moving about. He is over 10 (not sure of his exact age but I’ve had him 9.5 years and I was told he was 1 when I got him). He moved about fine but is a bit slow to get going on colder mornings. Vet said over winter it might be best to give him metacam, but not yet if he seems ok at the moment, which he does.

But! Betsy (previously posted about Betsy, she has abbesses and I suspect almost definitely a tumour as there is a large lump on her stomach and the abscesses have drained out - unless there are more that haven’t popped! ), vet said to wean her off metacam from once a day to once every 2 days and then spread further apart until stopping if she seems ok (which she does at the moment, she has been doing binkies and a bunny in pain wouldn’t be doing binkies would it?)

So Bertie could have it long term but it’s not good for Betsy?

My husband took her to the vets last and he doesn’t ask questions. I’m taking her for a check up on Monday. Im not looking forward to that appointment as the lump on her lower stomach is quite large! I haven’t pressed it as I don’t want to hurt her and wouldn’t know what I’m feeling anyway, but I can see it from the outside

 

[InspectorMorse]

As with ALL drugs there are side effects/risks with the use of Metacam. The Vet will weigh up the risks v benefits before prescribing any drug.This ratio will vary according to the individual Rabbit’s specific situation. The long term use of Metacam can sometimes be essential to enable the rabbit to have an acceptable quality of life. Having a young Rabbit needing life long Metacam will be very different to having an elderly Rabbit needing ongoing daily Metacam.

You will need to ask the Vet why he/she considers that the risks of Betsy being on longterm Metacam are greater than any benefits. I don’t think any vet would feel that it was OK for any Rabbit who has a chronic painful condition to not have analgesic cover. But there would be no point in giving Metacam daily if it’s not needed.

So in short, only the vet can answer your question

 

[beki]

Thanks for your reply.
They are both fairly old as Betsy will be 9 in august.
Maybe long term dosage is a lower dose?
I’ll definitely be questioning the vet more on Monday.

 

[InspectorMorse]

Thanks for your reply.
They are both fairly old as Betsy will be 9 in august.
Maybe long term dosage is a lower dose?
I’ll definitely be questioning the vet more on Monday.

When a NSAID is being used longterm then kidney and liver function should be monitored by blood testing. The Vet will prescribe the lowest dose possible to give analgesic cover. Older Rabbits might have a somewhat compromised kidney function, so a lower dose would be prescribed. If Liver function were found to be compromised then a different type of analgesia at the lowest possible dose might be what the Vet considers to be safer.

 

[bunny momma]

Thanks for your reply.
They are both fairly old as Betsy will be 9 in august.
Maybe long term dosage is a lower dose?
I’ll definitely be questioning the vet more on Monday.

Long term usage should be the lowest effective dose to minimize risk of organ damage, though cases of severe pain may require a high dose to ensure quality of life and accepting the risk as Inspector Morse said.

Sending vibes for your bunnies and your vet visit.