Metacam/Meloxicam dose for 2.8 kg cat (UK)?

[jifi]

Hello from the UK,

My 2-year-old cat has been prescribed Metacam for 4 days, a single dose per day, after spay surgery. I was at the post-op check today and mentioned she has been nauseous upon giving Metacam (swallowing, licking lips and in a posture that suggested being close to vomiting). The vet said to continue giving it unless she would vomit. Her appetite and litter box habits are ok so far, but a bit less than usual (peed twice and pooed once the past 2 days).

So, after returning from the vet today, I gave her another dose of oral suspension, but again had the feeling it didn't agree with her; swallowing, crouched posture and a bit lethargic, or at least sleepy. She's also more attached since the surgery, which is very cute, but quite unusual for her. I've hence decided to read the manual -- as no information sheet came with the meds, so I looked for it online (here's my source: https://www.evanspharmacy.com/downloads/1527596419Metacam_For_cats.pdf). I'm also well aware that Metacam is considered risky for cats in the US. It seems the manufacturer recommends dosing 0.05mg per kg of cat daily -- to make maths simpler that would be ~0.15mg for a ~3kg cat (she's a bit lighter). The syringes I was given contain 3ml of 0.5mg/ml suspension -- so, if my math is right, I've administered her 1.5mg/day. That's 10 times more than the manufacturer's recommendation?! Could this be too much? Unfortunately, the vet is now closed for the rest of the weekend; I would have asked them otherwise.

I've read and understood that the forum should not give medical advice, but I'd be happy if someone could shed light on my (mis)calculations and maybe disperse (or confirm) my worries about overdosing. Should I decide to not stick to my vet's prescribed dose, I'll take full responsibility for any issues arising from this.

Many thanks

 

[Antonio65]

I have a 5-ml bottle of Meloxidyl here at home. I bought it in November when one of my yard cats needed it post op.
You are right, the dosage is 0.05 mg/kg, so for a 3 kg cat the dosage is 0.15 ml.
The bottle that I have comes with a syringe that is graduated in kg.
It is possible you were given too a high dosage for your cat.

The information sheet that comes with my bottle says that in case of an overdose, the cat might show lack of appetite, vomit, diarrhea, blood in feces, apathy and kidney failure. It also says that these adverse effects are reversible when the med is discontinued.

 

[jifi]

Hi Antonio,

Thanks for your kind reply! I think I finally figured out where I went wrong, not with math but with interpreting the labels. The label the vet stuck on the meds is a bit confusing; it reads 'Susp 0.5mg/ml 3ml (each)' -- I believe that there's far less than 3ml in the syringes' 'loads' from the vet, and that the 3ml is probably referring to the source of the med (apparently it's sold wee bottles of 3ml). The labels on the syringes pre-filled with the Metacam are probably not what I thought they were (there's also air in them, so the plunger shows 4.5 and 5, but about half of it is air -- probably a bit more than 0.15ml, but not a dose 10 times above what is considered safe). I compared what I got from the vet to pictures of other syringes, and also eyeballed from other measures how much 3ml of liquid actually is (quite a lot, at least more than what I got in each syringe from the vet). Ooft, all good!

I didn't like the approach of waiting to see if my cat showed signs of internal bleeding or renal failure (reversible, who knows..?), so I had to find out to be sure. I also guess she would have been in a lot of trouble already if I had given her that much the past two days. It's hard to believe she seems to like my company after all the spaying trouble, including shoving a cone over her head and the dreaded trip to the vet today. But there she is, leaving her heated pad to just sit next to me again. Good cat! <3

Thanks again, and have a lovely evening.

 

[Antonio65]

Hi J jifi ,
Glad to be of help.

Yes, the little bottle I have is labeled with 0.5 mg/ml - 5 ml.
So, your vet gave you the syringes correctly preloaded, but still your cat seems to be unwell, showing lethargy and signs of nausea (lip smacking), etc, so it is wise to understand whether these are related to the pain of the surgery.

This is what I have at home

As you can see, the syringe included in the package is graduated in kg, and 3 kg seem a very small amount of fluid.

 

[jifi]

Good morning,

Thanks for the picture.
Yes, your syringe looks like about the size of what I've got. Of course, the nausea could be related to pain or dealing with the aftermath of the narcosis, however, she showed this in the afternoon after the meds.

I'll give her the prescribed dose today when it's time, aiming for the end of the meal so it's not too hard on her stomach. She's a fussy eater but she's not noticed her food has been spiked with Metacam so far and her appetite is normal.