Metacam Warning

[Phoenix]

I found this and thought it was something you all need to read!!!

http://vetmedicine.about.com/b/2010/...s-on-label.htm

Please pass this link on to anyone who has a cat.

[lynz85]

thanks for that info! makes me wonder, when my mondo was ill, the week before he had blood tests that found out he was in renal failure, he'd had a steroid and anti-inflamm inj-i'm assuming it was metacam. however, it could just be a total coincedence he maybe did have renal failure at that time of inj, does make me think though.
so best to avoid this altogether in the future then

[angieh]

Yes, thanks for bringing that to our attention RCR. Merlin had "off label" use of Metacam for long periods and always seemed to be better on it than off it. He lived until he was a very old cat and so I will not blame it for his passing. He was really quite elderly when it started being prescribed for him - actually before it was licensed for use in cats, although it was used for dogs.

[Velvet]

I have had experience of it and not pleasant either, I would always question the need for it and other alternatives - which there is. I had a dog that had really terrible reactions to it

[Kobster]

Still not labeled for use in cats here, too many cases of renal failure pursuant to Metacam use. The manufacturer just issued a letter to vets in the US that metacam oral is not for use in cats, period.

[Velvet]

When i asked about pain relief following Amber's spay i was told not to worry as she'd been given a long lasting injection of Metacalm. It would last several days by which time she would cope

I have no faith in oral Metacalm & have seen first hand the devastating effects. Always always question your vet re pain relief in any form. There are other drugs available

A large percentage of people cannot tolerate oral anti inflammatories so why should our pets be any different.

[wilbar]

This thread brings back very sad memories for me as one of my cats died of renal failure caused by metacam. I thought that the manufacturers had brought out a type that could be prescribed for cats, but obviously not.

I had a burmese X called Fintan about 5 years ago. He was a very territorial cat, very athletic & always out & about in the quiet close where I live. One day he came home severely limping on a rear leg & barely putting any weight on it. I took him to the vet & after examining Fintan, she said there were no other signs of injury so it seemed unlikely he was hit by a car. Later on I found a collapsed sunlounger in the garden & I suspect that Fintan had used the sunlounger to try to jump on a wall & his leg may have been crushed, or he slipped & injured his leg.

It turned out, after x-rays, that Fintan had ruptured his cruciate ligaments & they were beyond repair. Being a very fit & active 10 year old cat, the vet was prepared to fashion new ligaments out of wire ~ a tricky operation for which she required specialist help. So after a week of cage rest to reduce the swelling, the operation was carried out very successfully (at a cost of over £1500 for which we had no insurance!).

I brought Fintan home for more cage rest & was given a bottle of metacam as analagesia & as an anti-infammatory. At no stage was I told that metacam was not licensed for use on cats in the UK & at no stage was I warned about the risks of kidney damage. I was given instructions on dosage ~ that was all.

At first Fintan seemed fine, wanting to do more with his leg that he was supposed to, but eating well & generally happy. About 5 days later, I noticed that he seemed unusually quiet, more sleepy, his eating more or less stopped. I was worried & phoned the vet but they said it was probably just the after effects of the anaesthetic & post-operative pain. The next day I noticed Fintan drinking more water than usual, he was sick, droopy & listless & hadn't toiletted. I took him straight into the vet & they took one look at took him into intensive care.

It turned out that his kidneys had packed up. Overnight he deteriorated further, his lungs started to fill with fluid & I had a phone call from the emergency vet at 4.00 a.m. to say that Fintan was extremely ill, unlikely to last the night & would I agree to euthanasia as he wouldn't get any better & was suffering. Obviously I had to agree but was distraught.

The next day I spoke to a vet friend to try to find out why Fintan's kidneys had failed out of the blue with no warning signs. (t the time I had an elderly cat with chronic renal failure so I knew a bit about the signs.) She thought it was likely to be the metacam & explained that it was not licensed for use on cats in the UK. Normally vets ask clients to sign a disclaimer before prescribing it for cats ~ I don't remember doing this but maybe it was part of the operation consent form.

My vet friend said that Fintan's kidney function would have ben tested before prescribing metacam (& I remember paying for this test) but cats can function more or less normally with only 30% kidney function, so unless it is quite a severe loss of function, it may not show up in the tests. She thought that this might have been the case with Fintan & the metacam just tipped it over the top.

She also said that veterinary pharmaceutical companies often only test their drugs on dogs as clinical trials are very expensive, so they don't bother testing on cats as well. Unfortunately, with metacam, this has proved a very sad decision and has cost some cats their lives.

However, she also said that Fintan would have been in considerable pain afterwards without some form of analgesia. The only choice the vet would have had was opiate pain relief (i.e. morphine) or NSAIDs in the form of metacam. No vet would want to do such an operation if it meant the animal was left in such pain afterwards so metacam was probably the best option ~ plus the vet had covered herself by doing the kidney test beforehand.

I found various sites on the internet afterwards discussing the use of metacam on cats & found that these problems had been known for several years ~ I'm amazed that the manufacturers have only now decided to put out a warning

[Velvet]

Wlbar: I cant quote re cats but i do know its not the only available drug out there. Its the most cost effective, the others you pay a lot more for. IF given the choice, how many would not agree to pay more for a less dangerous drug .

Our eldest Boxer that we lost in June this year had spinal stenosis & HD (hips). She had other problems as well, you may have seen my posts in Dogsey

One of the partners prescribed oral Metacalm only it was under another name which is why i didnt query it. This is despite warnings on her records about her many allergies & health issues - typed in block capitals in red

He gave her the first dose that day, by following morning she was panting
excessively continuously dragging herself to her feet - no mean feat with her back & hips to pace the floor, was sick, her body was hot & her skin all over her body was turning deep pinky red

We stopped the drug immediately & rang vet & waited all day for him to
phone back, which he didnt! Nice......

Eventually & only because I complained another vet phoned, apologised & said Mr X was on holiday & admitted the dog had been prescribed Metacalm. This was
a dog in liver failure.....

In other words he didnt like his decision questioned re drug use nor could he be narked phoning back as he was going off in holidays!

Yes the other drugs she was then prescribed were a lot more expensive & yes they covered her with Cimetidine but why did he choose to ignore the warnings on her records & not do that in the first place. I no longer use them but not for that reason. The vet we usually used was not available that day & i
would recommend her to anyone. I changed as we moved house

I think it boils down to the fact that we need to question more when our pets are prescribed drugs. As Wilbur says we sign consent forms & entrust our pets
into their professional care. Like medical people who treat us, they are not gods & know everything however we can question & sadly its usually only when something happens like in Wilburs case
& ours that you then begin to question

Think of it another way, when you visit a vet you are paying private fees. You have a right to ask & question.

[wilbar]

Velvet ~ I'm so sorry to hear about your dog.It doesn't sound like that vet cared much or was prepared to take responsibility for the decisions he made or took the care to read your dog's notes.

I have to say, in the vet's defence in Fintan's circumstances, she was gutted too & didn't expect this to happen. And, of course, in the back of my mind is always the fear that maybe I gave the wrong dose on occasion, or did I not notice Fintan's health going down quickly enough, and if I had noticed, could he have been saved? I can't really cast blame on anyone other thn the metacam manufacturers who allowed (& seem to have continued to allow) the drug to be used on cats despite knowing the dangers.

I suspect vets may continue to prescribe metacam for cats too, in the knowledge that it can harm the kidneys, but that alternatives are inferior & that the chances of renal failure are not huge. It's a sad state of affairs, particularly when the pharmaceutical companies are so hugely profitable

If there are other NSAIDs that have been trialled on cats then I would definitely have been prepared to pay more. But i'm not sure that there are.

For me, it's a lesson learned &, as you say, we're paying for the consultation so I won't be rushed or hurried in any consultation & I feel entitled to a proper explanation on my pet's health. If necessary, especially if I think the prognosis may not be good, I write down all my questions beforehand, so even if I'm feeling upset, at least I don't forget to ask.

I'm generally very happy with the vet practice I use, in particular one of the locum's handling of my dogs, one of which is very nervous of being handled by men she doesn't know. And I remember having to wait while he was attending to another client, an elderly man with a scruffy looking mongrel. The man's hygiene left something to be desired & the waiting room & consulting room stank of B.O.. The receptionist & vet nurse were moaning about him, & they apologised for me being kept waiting because this old man was just chatting to the vet.

When I eventually got in to see the vet, he also apologised but said that this poor man lived on his own, he'd lost his wife recently & let himsef go a bit. His dog was all had left to live for & he didn't have friends or family to talk to. He sometimes just took the dog to the vet so he had someone to talk too. And this lovely kind vet made time for him & listened (& treated the dog for free!). How could I be cross after that? And what a kind & caring vet to take the touble with this particular client. The vet certainly went up in my estimation after that.

[Phoenix]

Dylan was on metacam in the aftermath of him fighting with the rat (when he had his stitches in his leg)

I'm pretty sure he had a reaction to it (admittedly a slight reaction) so I took him off it and told the vet.