Metacam / Loxicom dosage

I know we have discussed Metacam dosages in the past but can't find the relevant threads at the moment.

Can anybody point me to the latest information?

Jack is a 3kg bun and has been prescribed 1ml once a day of Loxicom 1.5mg/ml. I'm just wondering whether this is a low, mid or high amount in the dosage range...






Just for the record - Loxicom and Metacam are apparently exactly the same thing.

Loxicam and Metacam are brand names for meloxicam.

The doseage is a bit of controversial subject really. I normally dose Bruce and Flo using the kg syringe that comes with metacam. Flo is about 1.9kg at the moment and she normally has a 15kg dose when her foot is looking really bad. 1ml of metacam 1.5kg/ml works out as a 12kg dose. Now, here is the tricky bit. My vet and I spent quite some time discussing options as we have had views from various different vets re Flos foot including from Richard Saunders and John Chitty. John recommends a high dose, he would probably happily give Flo a 12 kg dose twice a day. Other vets would give less. We have compromised that if Flo appears in a lots of pain or if her foot is really inflamed I can give her up to a 20kg dose across 24hours. So I would say that if Jack appears to be in a lot of discomfort you can either give him a bigger dose or give the 1ml dose twice a day. I am in the process of uploading a rough video of a quick way to convert mls to kgs for metacam doses (honestly if you don't know it you wil kick yourselves!) I will post it here once it is uploaded. I don't know if it will work for the Loxicam.

Ok it has already uploaded, here it is -



So if you missed the important bit, you normal syringe will fit snuggly inside the metacam syringe which means you can suck liquid from one into the other. So if you vet has given you a mls doseage you can suck it out of the bottle with the kgs syringe and then draw up the right amount of mls with this method. Or you can draw up the right mount of water and then transfer it into the metacam syringe to find out what kg doseage you need and therefore reduce wastage.

[quote="Sparky"]I know we have discussed Metacam dosages in the past but can't find the relevant threads at the moment.

Can anybody point me to the latest information?



Jack is a 3kg bun and has been prescribed 1ml once a day of Loxicom 1.5mg/ml. I'm just wondering whether this is a low, mid or high amount in the dosage range...

For a 3kg bun we would give 1ml once a day and we just take the stopper off the metacam bottle and stick a 1 ml syringe in and draw the metacam into it. Simples

That is the correct dosage.

You can give them it twice a day but every 12 hours.

Ok. so I found this - http://www.rabbit.org/vets/RabbitCare.pdf

So the dose is 0.3-0.5mg per kg. So Jack could have up to 1.5mls if he is still in pain. If in doubt phone the OoHs vet and have a conversation.

I would also add that the benefits of using the kg syringes if you can is that you are less likely to have any accidental spills, you don't waste any on the outside of the syringe because you aren't dipping it in, and you can get almost every last drop out of the bottle because you turn it upside down so it drains to the bottom and then the syringe draws almost everything out making it a more cost efficient way of dispensing the medicine, and unless you are right at the end of the bottle using the kg syringe means you are less prone to getting annoying air bubbles in the syringe and so will be able to dose more accurately.

Most importantly it reduces the risk of contamination because you are not dipping anything into the medicine.

Thanks both  

We'll give him his morning dose and at least we know that if he appears to be uncomfortable later in the day there is leeway to give him a second dose. He had it by injection this morning and seems quite bright now so it does not seem to be wearing off yet.

Cheryl - the video is very helpful, thanks. Humum hasn't even looked at the syringes which came in the box except to see there's one big one and one little one but it's possible the vet nurse put a ml one in for us. It's the first time we've actually had it in the original packaging, it's usually been dispensed into a smaller sterile bottle at the vets.

John said a bun needs 5X as much twice as often.

So if Jack weighs 3 kg he needs a 15kg dose.....(normally no9 on the special metacam syringe) twice a day.

Sounds like a lot I know, but daisy has been on a 5X as much dose for 3 years and is still doing ok. charlie is on a 12kg dose twice a day.

Katieb wrote:John said a bun needs 5X as much twice as often.

So if Jack weighs 3 kg he needs a 15kg dose.....(normally no9 on the special metacam syringe) twice a day.

Sounds like a lot I know, but daisy has been on a 5X as much dose for 3 years and is still doing ok.  charlie is on a 12kg dose twice a day.

We don't use those syringes ( think they are the proper dog metacam ones ) we just use the 1ml.

Speedy that shouldn't say no 9 is should say no 15!! Sorry !

We've given him up to the 12kg mark twice a day. He seems quite bright, not so keen on hard foods but eating veg, fresh grass and can manage a mini shredded wheat if it is crumbled up for him (and if Layla is distracted long enough for him to eat it in peace  )

Glad he's doing ok.... Poor Layla - I think he gets a bad rap.