Post-dental surgery painkiller advice?

Hi, my cat had 3 teeth removed yesterday. The dentist gave me some Metacam to give him once a day for pain, but this is a tough cat to medicate and he flipped out when I tried to give it to him. I even tried putting it on my hand so he could lick it off if he wanted. He's only eating a bite of food, so putting it on his food won't work. I thought about putting it on his paw to lick off, but right now he runs away when he sees me coming.

He's grumpy (that's his normal state, anyway! now he's just grumpier) and I can tell he's very uncomfortable, but I feeling like "forcing" him to take the painkiller might be worse for him. Any ideas on what to do? Will he be okay without it; that is, will he be in discomfort versus agony? Thanks.

Originally Posted by mews2much

I would be careful with Metacam.
It can cause kidney problems in cats.
I know so many people that lost their cat because of metacam.
I would never give my cats that pain killer.
I hope your cat feels better.

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Yea, I thought it was weird that on the instructions it says, "Do not give to cats." ????

My Stripey had teeth out and the only way I could give it to him was mix it up in food. A smelly kind of food like mackrel or sardines. Good luck.

I will second the advice given by mews2much....this drug is potentially lethal to cats. It damages the kidneys, IMO no matter how little is given. That's precisely why "Do not give to cats" is on the instruction sheet - as mandated by the FDA.

This site was set up to warn and educate cat owners about the dangers of the drug.

It's really important to control pain after dental surgery - probably for 5-6 days...the easiest way will be with a "pain patch". If you opt for that, make sure the cat is given alternate oral/inj pain meds at the same time as the patch is applied (and have the Vet/tech administer it for you) - it will take several hours before the drug in the pain patch is absorbed through the skin and takes effect.

If you'd rather not "question" the Vet's judgement in prescribing Metacam, you can request the pain patch simply based on the fact that your cat is "impossible" to medicate orally.

Finally, you can expect the cat to be quite "stoned"/wobbly with the pain meds - it's probably best to seclude him in a safe place for a few days to prevent injury/aid recovery.

He seems to be in a decent-enough mood now that the anesthesia's worn totally off and the trauma of taking him back to the vet for painkiller injections or trying to give him anything orally seems like it would be more upsetting to him than any pain he's experiencing. He's been very affectionate (for him) and "requesting" belly rubs and rubbing the "good" side of his chin against me. Can the pain patch be used by itself? That way I could just pick it up and he wouldn't have to go anywhere.

The big problem seems to be he'd like to eat but when he gets to the food he realizes it's not the best idea.

So far, he has bowls out with these foods: 1) baby food 2) milk 3) ice cream (which he usually likes) 4) this very "soupy" cat food a friend recommended.
Are scrambled eggs a good idea? He's never eaten them before. Maybe I'll see if he'll lick some butter off my hand.


Thank you for all help and suggestions! And thanks for the Metacam warnings! I'm so glad now I couldn't even get near him with it.

As you can see from this link, there should be no doubt that he is/is going to be in pain after this procedure. It is suggested there that the dental work would put him in the mid-range - not just minor discomfort. The Vet was aware of this - a pain reliever was prescribed.

Without pain relief, IMO it will be very unlikely that he will eat.

Having dissuaded you from using the Metacam, I have to urge you to view the issue quite seriously. Far better that he experiences a little stress for a short time than risk several days of painful recovery - and, if he goes without eating, that itself can have serious consequences. (Any food needs to be wet and soft, not dry.)

No, you shouldn't try to apply the pain patch yourself - the area needs to be shaved closely and a protective covering applied. The pain patch is also a controlled drug.

I used the pain patch with Stumpy after his teeth extraction surgery (he had 1/2 of his teeth removed at 1 time). They tried to simply stick it on his back and he pulled it off immediately, so we had his arm shaved, stuck it to that and wrapped his arm so he couldn't remove it. The patch usually lasts about 3 days so it will get them over the hump post surgery. I would not try to put it on myself, and you would have to be really close to your vet to expect them to just give it to you. It is a controlled substance.

I agree with others about the Metacam. There are cats that cannot tolerate it and have died from it. But I've had an ongoing argument with my vet the last 3 years about how safe it is. She prescribes it all the time and claims she never had a cat get ill from it. I still refuse it from her and request alternative meds. Be prepared for an argument with your vet if you approach them this way.

And your cat may or may not eat post surgery. When the last of Stumpy's teeth were pulled, even with the pain meds my vet cautioned that he may not eat for a while. He was chowing dry kibble 4 hours post surgery (go figure) - he's a cat that is too stubborn to convert to wet food, even with no teeth.

Thanks to everyone for responding. He started eating his wet food today, which made me ridiculously goofily happy.

And thank you so much for letting me know about the pain patch. If either of my cats have to have surgery in the future, I'm going to request that. Hopefully, it'll be YEARS, if ever, before one of them needs it again.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

...She prescribes it all the time and claims she never had a cat get ill from it...

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Of course..."bloodwork" will ONLY show kidney damage WHEN 60-75% of the kidney function HAS BEEN LOST. So, Metacam can destroy up to 75% of a cat's kidney function and, no one (including the esteemed Vet) is the wiser! Or, to put it in a more sinister tone, Vets have that 75% to "play with".

Metacam use in cats is in epidemic proportions.....so is Chronic Kidney Disease - in younger and younger cats. Tell me there's no correlation!

... And he's eating crunchies!

Thanks to all for the Metacam warning.

I've heard about the dangers of metacam although with every drug, it's going to affect your liver or kidneys regardless. The clinic where I work gives Metacam to both dogs and cats - I'll have to read the insert because I've never seen the 'Don't feed to cats' warning. I know that metacam and either clavamox or prednisone should not be prescribed together. I'll have to ask the vets at work and see what they have to say.

This drug is so regularly prescribed and some animals are on it for a long time. I guess it doesn't dope the animal as much as buprenorphine or tramadol.