Opinion's or experiences with Metacam drops 0.5mg?

Hi,

My cat has just been prescribed Metacam 0.5mg drops for a week. I always have a quick look online to see what I am giving him and found a site with lots of testimonials from owners of cats who have been given Metacam and it is suggested that it has caused acute renal failure in cats and quickly. Anyone else heard of anything like this? I'm not sure if I want to give it to him now, he has also been given Noroclav 50mg as he is running a fever. I have put this is other post but just wanted to hear about Metacam so have put in title.

Many thanks

I don't like the sound of it at all. I said to the vet that he seemed unsteady on his feet, but as he has a fever, that could be why. He has jumped up on the bed and window sills with no problem. This stuff is for arthritis which he hasn't got and he is only 3 and a half years old. I will give him his antibiotics but I won't give him the metacam. Loads of cats have gone into acute renal failure, and its not like he has bad joints at all. If he shows any sign of discomfort then I will go back to vet but he hasn't, he has a fever.

It's a general pain medicine with multiple uses, not just for arthritis. I've had cats get it after surgeries, vaccinations, and most recently a kitten had to have a couple doses after he'd eaten something he shouldn't have (the burns hurt a lot, and the medicine helped).

That said, your vet doesn't know what is wrong with your cat - it could even be a renal problem. Blood work probably should be done before, not after, the metacam in this case. If you want the blood work done, you'll have to ask for it. Most vets will put that off at first if nothing serious seems wrong in order to save you some money.

I am completely against the use of metacam in cats and will never allow it to be used on my cats. Ever. Metacam is know to cause acute kidney failure in cats.

It should NEVER be prescribed unless a cat has had blood work to evaluate the kidneys. It should never be given more often than every other day.

In my opinion, it should never be given. to cats. ever.

I can't imagine why the vet would have given him Metacam since it is a strong pain med.

Personally I would not give it to him. I suggest you call your regular vet asap and explain things and see what he says. Also, I would think they would have done blood tests at least to see why kitty has a fever. Definitely call your regular vet and check with him before you do anything else.

Fudge was prescribed this when she had her leg amputated, she had no problems with it but I can see why they would give it for an amputation as its a big op and she must have been in alot of pain. x

I just read through your other thread and I don't think I'd give my cat the metacam. I'd go back and ask for something else to help the fever....maybe flucort (I think that's what my Zoey got when she had a fever) or something similar.

How high was his temperature? The stress of going to the vet can cause temperature to rise to a slight fever, I believe.

I am not totally against the use of metacam, but I have "no metacam" in my girls' file and ask that the vet speak to me first. My Zoey had a broken tail (and infection?)and one drop with food everyday made a world of difference. My girl was only 3 lbs at that point, however. Belle and Delilah were given it when they were spayed and I barely gave them any of it, as they seemed to be fine. I get it - metacam = pain med = OK if the cat is in pain and it is used in minimal amounts. However, the vet tried to give it to Delilah before a shot because I mentioned that she got a lump after her previous shots, and the vet pulled out this HUGE bottle of metacam and started dropping it directly into her mouth. I was not OK with that and asked her to stop.

Similarly, in your case, I don't understand why metacam was the best option. Yes, it can help reduce a fever, but so can many other things. See if you can get something else...the antibiotics might be enough!

Originally Posted by Ruthyb

Fudge was prescribed this when she had her leg amputated, she had no problems with it but I can see why they would give it for an amputation as its a big op and she must have been in alot of pain. x

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metacam is approved for use in cats in Europe. It is not, in the USA, with the exception of a one time injection used after certain surgeries. it is used off label. many things ARE used off label in cats, and mostly I don't have any objections.

But unless there is nothing to lose, for instance in an end of life quality of comfort life situation, I will never approve metacam use in my cats, or any other cats I hear about.

Yes it is an effective pain med, and yes it is "easy" as it should not be given more often than every other day, but it is more potentially deadly than many other pain meds.

Buprenex, tramadol, or even torbogesic, can be used for pain in cats, much more safely.

No offense but this Vet sounds like a total doofus. You don't go prescribing someone's cat a pain medication if you have NO idea what is wrong with the cat, let alone something like Metacam. I certainly wouldn't be returning to this Vet for any reason.

It's possible your cat contracted some type of viral infection while at the cattery.

All of the Vets in my area of Canada prescribe Metacam like it's going out of style. They see nothing wrong with it. I've tried to educate them about it but they look at me like I have a 3rd eye. I've told them about the website re: many owners whose cats who've been given Metacam developed acute kidney failure but I don't think they believe me. My own Vet said something along the lines of "well, perhaps these cats had underlying health issues." That IS true.....it's possible that some of the cats WERE exhibiting symptoms related to, say, kidney failure to begin with......but likely not in all cases.

I didn't even know about the dangers of Metacam until joining this site. One of my old Vets (and a very good one) used to prescribe Metacam to my very old CRF cat for her arthritic pain; now if that's not a situation to use it in (already impaired kidneys), I don't know what is. I didn't know any better at the time, I'm sure she got it for 2 weeks straight but I stopped because she started having severe bruising all over.

Here, it's what they prescribe for a cat following dental extractions, to be given at home for 3 days.

Metacam does cause kidney failure and I never give it to my cats.
I know so many people who have cats that have kidney failure from Metacam.
My Coco has CRF.
Ak for the other pain meds.
I have in all my cats files no metacam allowed also.

As you are seeing by now, Metacam is very controversial. It works as both an anti-inflamatory and pain medicine, therefore vets often prescribe it for a host of conditions. The alternative is not just a pain medication, but also an anti-inflamatory such as a steroid. Many folks don't like using steroids either. It is used in both Europe and the U.S. and from what I understand, it's no different between those sites.

There have been some instances where the use of Metacam has been linked to Acute Renal Failure (ARF) in cats. My vet prescribes it as a regular procedure and claims to have never had a case of ARF with any of her patients. But she and I fight over this topic, and I do refuse to use it for anything other than a single injectible dose during surgeries. Those single dose shots have not had controversy that I'm aware of.

The odds are that you won't have issues using Metacam. But it does seem that some cats that are predisposed to renal issues can contract ARF, which is very often fatal. I refuse Metacam for mine because all of mine had very hard starts in life (born feral) and I don't know how strong their kidneys are.

I refuse to allow Metacam to be used on any of my cats. I have had several arguments with vets here about it, as it is licensed for use in Europe, but I have also done a lot of research on it and most academics agree it it is mostly contra-indicated for use in cats. In dogs it is a different matter. There are almost always good alternatives for pain relief, though most of these drugs are strong, and should not be used for more than a very short time post-operatively.

I wish I had known this when my 7 month old kitten was extremely ill (no diagnosis after $400 worth of tests) a couple weeks ago. I was supposed to give it to him twice a day for 5 days and after only 2 days on it he worsened and turns out it probably caused an ulcer in his mouth. They could not get any urine out of him while doing a renal so I don't know if it caused renal failure as well.

Originally Posted by KeKe

I wish I had known this when my 7 month old kitten was extremely ill (no diagnosis after $400 worth of tests) a couple weeks ago. I was supposed to give it to him twice a day for 5 days and after only 2 days on it he worsened and turns out it probably caused an ulcer in his mouth. They could not get any urine out of him while doing a renal so I don't know if it caused renal failure as well.

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If he had acute renal (kidney) failure you would know it, as it is not a curable condition. Acute kidney failure is almost always fatal rather quickly. Make sure it is put in your kitten's file that he has had a bad reaction to metacam.

Metacam should never be given even two days in a row, and twice a day is...well I don't know what your vet was thinking. A cat should never have metacam twice a day. Every other day is pushing it.

Kidney failure is diagnosed with blood work, not a urinalysis.

A kidney infection, which is not the same thing as kidney failure (or kidney disease) could possibly be diagnosed with a urinalysis, I think, but don't know for sure.

A kidney infection is curable with antibiotics. Kidney disease (kidney failure) is not curable, but can, if not acute, be maintained for a long time if caught early enough.

Thank goodness I look his medications up first, I would be mortified if anything happened to him. Thanks for all the support as well as it really helps to have the benefit of all your experiences
I am definately not giving it to him. I don't think he needs it, he is not showing any signs of discomfort. In fact he has eaten more tonight and had water, he was even playing a little earlier. He has now had his second antibiotic and seems to be getting back to his old self.
I have to say that I have always found the vets to be quite good but now I have my doubts. I don't like not having faith in my vet surgery. All she knew was that he had a fever, 40.1 and that was it. The one I go to is not the cheapest either, its one of the more expensive not that that ever says a huge amount anyway but I will be looking to take him somewhere else I think. I wonder why we allow such widespread use of it in Europe when it is so much more controlled in America? It's worrying to be honest.
Thank you all again

I've used it in the past with my cat Sneakers and had no problems. We did make sure to do regular bloodwork to be sure everything was running fine (she was already getting bloodwork done often for other reasons.) I also used it for my dogs for severe arthritis.

Metacam does not have the same devastating affect on dogs as it can on cats.

Metacam is approved for and labeled for use in cats in Europe. It is not here in the USA, and I hope it will not ever be.

Part of the problem is dosage issues. Even a tiny drop too much can have a catastrophic affect on a cat's kidneys. That's why I don't get it, posters saying their cats were on it every day, even twice a day, in some posts. Scary.

I haven't used the drops, but Callie's been given it in shot form ONCE. NEVER AGAIN! I am almost 100% sure this is what caused her kidney problems, but I can't prove it. It's on her records that she is NEVER, EVER, EVER (!!!) to be given Metacam. I also have it on my other cat's records eventho she's never been given it. I put it on their label on their carriers as well. When I authorize any kind of procedure, I write on the form "NO METACAM" and initial. The vet's office doesn't like me very much, but that's just too darn bad for them.