opinions on metacam - Page 1

hi guys asha had visit to vets today i thought she had a sore ear but turns out her ears were fine and it was just me worrying about nothing but i also wated to discuss ashas hd....i know she has hd as i had her hips x-rayed when she was 12 months old and had them sent to bva to be scored which they were quite bad..her total score was 68 37 on one side and 31 on the other.....i have spoken to vet previous about putting her on something and he said probably cosequin or glucosmine but at the time she had no symptoms....now she is very stiff in her back legs of a morning so thought i will take her cause dont want it getting worse and her being in any pain....but he put her on metacam he said he wanted to try her on something non-steroid first what are your opinions on this metacam my friend said her dog was put on it and it caused kidney problems saying that her dog was compleatly different breed to a gsd (jack russell) ....i know any medication you a person or animal can cause problems and side effects but do you think the pros outway the cons would really like to know your opinion on this thanks

 I have my eldest girl on it, she will be 12yrs in march. She has arthritis and has been on it for about 2yrs. She has regular check ups at the vets to make sure she's not suffering from any of the side effects that can happen........mainly kidneys, but she's fine, no problems at all. Every dog is different and can react differently to medications, but, touch wood, we have had no problems. Wouldn't touch Rimadyl tho, one of my dogs had a bad reaction to it!

thanks for that i just worry that i am not doing my best for her and think i am going to make her more ill .....i guess i have to put my trust in my vet ...he is a good vet but fortunately up to now only time she been vets are for her vaccinations and to be spayed oh and to have a wound stitched in her mouth...so nothing like this where if its suitable for her she will be on long term

My GSD bitch had her hips xrayed when she was 15 months old, and her hips were described as "Awful" - she was prescribed metacam as I only wanted to go down the conservative route.

She's been fine on the metacam.  She's coming up for nine, so she's been on it for over seven years now  and still fit and well.

Hi Lynne:  Sorry about your girl.  Reno had hd and was put on metacam when she was 12.  She did well on it and past away just shy of her 14 birthday.  I had good luck with this medication and would use it again if it becomes necessary for any of my dogs.

Good luck.

Cheryl

Our nearly 16 year old GSD mix has HD. We treated him with Metacam for about 7 months of one dose daily when we began to notice symptoms of kidney probelms: increased drinking and urination. Blood tests revealed that he was in Stage 1 of CKD. We immediately stopped the Metacam, which is cleared by the kidneys, and switched him to Tramadol. We also made some dietary changes which are decreasing some of the load on the kidneys. His blood test results now are all within normal range. That's not to say his kidneys have healed, just that they don't have to work so hard.

Given this dog's very advanced age it is highly possible that his kidney issue is age related. We like Metacam and much prefer it over Deramaxx or Rimadyl. It does a better job of pain relief than Tramadol; of course, they're different drugs entirely. I would not hesitate to use Metacam on a young dog but would test kidney function at least twice a year, and possibly develop a treatment protocol where you're not giving it on a daily basis.

Best of luck!

thanks for all your replys the vet has said he will do routine blood tests on her i will just have to wait and see  how she does....she doesnt seem in pain but wanted to start tretment now to hopefully stop it getting any worse for her..she still really active she lots of little walks and i am thinking of taking her to the local hydrotherapy pool just to strenthen her muscles without the pressure on her joints but thank you all for your info on metacam it has made me feel a bit better

 The MOST important thing you can do for your dog is to make sure she is lean....proper weight can make a huge difference for a dog with arthritis or dysplasia.

Metacam is used in humans too and I take it. For dogs,  most do well with it. But it is in a class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and, as in humans, some routine monitoring should be done. The most likely problem with such drugs is that, like with common aspirin, bleeding can occur in the stomach. So one wants to use the lowest effective dose and give with food. Many drugs have the potential to cause problems with the liver and/or kidneys. So if you put your dog on any medication, make sure you read up about it, but don't get freaked out by the negatives you read. They are there to inform you about POTENTIAL and usually rare problems. Make sure you know what to watch for in terms of adverse effects. Metacam and yes, even Rimadyl (which I have had great success with in many, many older dogs), are wonderful drugs and can add a lot of life to most dogs if used correctly. Hydrotherapy can be a big help as well to her as long as the pool is properly maintained.

Good luck.

Keeping her lean and exercised really is the best you can do. Focus  on exercises which build rear musculature, such as uphill pulling, to help her build a structure which can take over some of the work for the hip joints later in life. How old is she? Hydrotherapy is great, of course, as is swimming. In fact, swimming is the perfect exercise for ortho dogs.

Also consider increasing her fish oil consumption. There is a great deal of evidence showing measurable benefits of EPA/DHA  (omega 3 and 6). Here are a couple of links: www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm and findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_8_62/ai_65091578/ . The first link has some good info about dosage of fish oil.

A lot of people also give glucosamine/chondroitin and it's highly urged by veterinarians–Glycoflex and such products. We, too, have fed the supplement for years but have now stopped it. There just is no convincing evidence supporting its efficacy. But hey, it can't hurt.

Hi Lynne
I use Cosequin DS with a dog with ED, it is effective and backed up by clinical trials
www.nutramaxlabs.com/Vet/Research-References.aspx

Pam