Metacam question (re-dosing)

Fasb's Owner

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So Fasb is on Metacam for arthritis. Generally, we give it to him every three days. Vet suggested he take it with food to hopefully avoid stomach problems. so we usually let him eat half his breakfast, pick up his bowl, squirt the Metacam over the remaining food (it's the liquid form of the drug; we use a syringe to measure the dose and administer), then give him back the bowl.

This morning, Fasb wasn't particularly hungry. He ate fairly well until we added the Metacam to the bowl, then he mostly quit eating. Ate a little after that, but not a lot. This isn't really a big deal. He's gotten a little picky in his old age. Sometimes, he's not hungry and doesn't eat much. Usually eats normally the next meal (we've had him looked at a few times by the vet. Doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him. Vet thinks he's just a bit spoiled -holding out for treats - and doesn't usually need a lot of calories at his age and activity level).

Anyway, normally, this isn't a big deal, but he probably didn't get much of the Metacam in his system. Since he didn't clean the bowl, it's hard to tell how much he actually got in his system and how much is still in the bowl somewhere. My question is: what's the best thing to do now? I generally give him a dose every three days. Don't want to overdose him, so should I wait until Tuesday to give him a dose (next scheduled day) or should I give him a dose tomorrow or Monday? Maybe give him a smaller dose tomorrow or Monday?

He doesn't seem particularly creaky this morning, so hopefully he's not feeling too bad. Would it be safe to give him a smaller dose tomorrow or Monday? I assume he got a partial dose in him this morning. I picked up his bowl and will offer it to him again later, but I have a feeling I'll end up dumping it out and giving him fresh (he's very spoiled, lol).

Thought?
 
I would tend towards not re-dosing since you really don't know how much he ingested. My collie boy, who is a very fussy eater and often leaves part of his meal uneaten, is on Metacam and to make sure I know he has gotten the full dosage I make a sandwich with one slice of bread onto which I have squirted the Metacam (let it soak in) and then added a thin slice of cheese or turkey or salmon flavored cream cheese...the I fold it over and hand feed in small pieces. He loves this...extra attention and a special treat and this way I know he has ingested all the medication. Interesting note: if I just hand him the folded half sandwich he will take it in his mouth and then spit it out...I have to break it into bite size pieces for him to eat it...don't know why.

Trini
 
Yeah, that's the rub. I don't know how much of the metacam he actually ingested. It mostly soaked onto a couple morsels of dry food. For all I know, he ate all those nuggets and the food still in the bowl wasn't touched by Metacam. He may have gotten his full dose or maybe very little.

I guess I'll hold off and give him another dose only if he seems stiff or in discomfort. I'm still hoping to get him to eat the rest of the food in the bowl, but history suggests he may want me to start fresh, My guess is he'll be fine for a couple days. I don't really like the way we do a dose for this very reason - if he doesn't clean his bowl, you can't be sure how much Metacam actually got into his system - so I'll probably find an alternate method for administering. The bread trick sounds like a good idea.

I kinda wish the vet would just give us a pill, but the liquid form of the drug allows you to be more precise with the dosage.
 
Maybe you could try spraying the Metacam on the food before you set Fasb's bowl down, he will still be getting the dosage with his meal, that way you won't break his attention to eating by picking up his bowl half way through his meal.
 
Metacam has a daily dosing amount. Even if he got the full amount from his food that meal it isn't a problem dosing him the next day. If he is on the full dose you can even just give him a half dose the next day. Deska manages pretty well on daily half doses of his NSAIDs.

I kinda wish the vet would just give us a pill, but the liquid form of the drug allows you to be more precise with the dosage.

From a long term NSAID user - liquid is also less like to cause ulcerations as it doesn't sit in one spot in the stomach.
 
He ate normally in the evening, so I fed him the food he didn't eat from breakfast - which had absorbed whatever Metacam he hadn't ingested in the morning - then. I feel like some of the dose probably didn't get into his system, but he probably ingested most of it. Best I could do under the circumstances.

Metacam has a daily dosing amount. Even if he got the full amount from his food that meal it isn't a problem dosing him the next day. If he is on the full dose you can even just give him a half dose the next day. Deska manages pretty well on daily half doses of his NSAIDs.

From a long term NSAID user - liquid is also less like to cause ulcerations as it doesn't sit in one spot in the stomach.

Yeah, i know there's no great risk, but I really don't want to give him more of the medicine than I have to. The more conservative we are with it, the better we feel. If he had seemed creaky this morning, or given me some sign he was hurting, he absolutely would have gotten at least a partial dose.
 
Gave Fasb a dose today. Gave him breakfast, then we went for a walk. When we came in from the walk, I hand-fed him a few bites of bagel (he loves bagels) that I had squirted the Metacam onto before we went out.

Seemed like a good way to get it in him and he regarded the bagel as another treat.
 
:wink2: I agree with Fasb...bagels are good treats. Glad this worked and hope he continues to like his Metacam soaked bagel bites. My Kinnon loves his metacam sandwiches bites and so far he hasn't gotten tired of them.

Trini
 
Make sure you get blood work done on a regular basis when on Metacam. I lost my setter to renal failure from longterm Metacam use :(
 
Make sure you get blood work done on a regular basis when on Metacam. I lost my setter to renal failure from longterm Metacam use :(

Good reminder, Dani. Longterm Medacam use does carry the definite possibility of very serious side effects.

Trini
 
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