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Post by catnut on Mar 1, 2012 17:15:38 GMT -8
I had to take my 3 year old gerbil to the vet due to a swollen prepuce and he gave me metacam and told me to give him .1ml for 7 days(which is mixed with the methycellulose),do you think this is too large a dose? Has anyone else been given this exact medication? Pacey is 95 grams. I also found out he has a heart murmur(but is acting himself other than abit of discomfort due to the swollen foreskin). He has his brother Spencer for comfort but has been off on his own when resting abit more than normal.
Thank you for any information,
Tammy
Pacey is almost 100% healed and has been leaving it alone so I would guess the metacam really helped him. It was definately important I took him to the vets and worth the $.
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Post by haylo on Mar 2, 2012 6:32:40 GMT -8
I don't know anything about the methycellulose you mention, I've never heard of it but I have given the metacam CAT version (which is not as strong as the dog version, so the dosage is more precise) and the dose was 0.01ml per day. I think you should double check the dosage.. it should be less than a drop of metacam. :/
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Post by banditcuster on Mar 2, 2012 8:42:52 GMT -8
I for get what medicine I had to give Warrick when he was sick but it was about .1mL and it was told that it was fine if he didn't take all of it, but it is harder to measure and give a smaller dose
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Post by catnut on Mar 2, 2012 16:29:54 GMT -8
thank you for the replies,I am hoping someone has given this exact medication to their gerbils but until then,i am only giving him a drop and will see how he is,he seems to be okay and it does not seem to be bothering him as much since yesterday.  |
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Post by flibbletigibbet on Mar 3, 2012 0:27:19 GMT -8
As far as I know, there is no "Metacam CAT version". When meloxicam is used in cats, it is off-label and with extreme caution, because meloxicam is known to be toxic to cats. I work at a vet hospital and when we prescribe Metacam for cats in need of pain relief, the dosage is unbelievably small- on the order of one drop by mouth every three days. However, cats metabolize things differently from gerbils.  There are two available concentrations of Metacam on the market right now that I am aware of- 1.5 mg/mL and 0.5 mg/mL. I have had gerbils on the 0.5 mg/mL concentration, and 0.1 mL sounds like an awful lot if that is the concentration your vet has you giving him. I'm not sure what this methylcellulose is, but if the metacam is diluted properly with methylcellulose, it should be okay. Ask your vet for clarification regarding the actual concentration of meloxicam in the medication if you are concerned. It should be labeled on the vial your vet gave you. The dosage could also be a typo. Better to be safe than sorry! |
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Post by haylo on Mar 3, 2012 1:14:33 GMT -8
Where are you from flibbetigibbet? Metacam cat does exist in the UK I assure you, I work in a vets too It's a much lower concentration and so supposed to be safer as doses are more exact. catnut, I would phone your vets to double check the dose as it does sound very high. But it may be that it is diluted in methylcellulose (whatever that is!) in which case this may explain the large dose, does it say what concentration the solution is on the bottle? Give them a ring, they should be able to clarify for you what the dosage should be. Giving such a small dose is definately safer than giving a large dose but if it is diluted it may be too small a dose to be effective. |
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Post by haylo on Mar 3, 2012 1:21:14 GMT -8
p.s. just in case you're interested flibbetigibbet, metacam cat is 0.5mg/ml and metacam dog comes in only 1.5mg/ml, so seems they are the same and just the name is different in the UK (plus it comes with a syringe for measuring doses according to kg of cat weight, it's a lot more than 1 drop every three days!). I had a 100g gerbil on 0.01ml (less than a drop!) of 0.5mg/ml metacam.
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Post by flibbletigibbet on Mar 3, 2012 13:55:01 GMT -8
Ah... here in the U.S., both doses are for dogs. The lower concentration is for smaller dogs.  In fact, it says on the box that the medication is not for use in cats. Also, I looked up methylcellulose, and near as I can tell, it is used as a stool softener. I'm assuming your vet had a good reason to prescribe it for your gerbil. |
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Post by catnut on Mar 3, 2012 16:00:46 GMT -8
Thank you for all the information. The vet said he did calculations and I have given metacam to another gerbil I had in the past,i can't remember if it was the same dose but basically it was a drop of metacam I gave her. I looked up on the Rat guide medication guide and it says .05ml is a drop while .1ml is two drops. My vet is off this weekend but will call next week,for now I have decided to give about .05ml to see if it helps him,seems to be helping as he isn't bothering his problem area and haven't noticed any side effects. He said if it doesn't help,he can give me antibiotics but when he looked,he didn't think it was an infection,only inflammation. He is a very experienced vet who treats mainly small animals,is about 60 years old and keeps up to date on new procedures. Dr. Upjohn is the only vet I would trust to give me the right medications for my gerbils. What size syringe did your vet give you that had .01ml on it? My vet gave me a 1ml syringe that begins with .1ml with dashs for each .01ml. I will ask why he mixes it with the methycellulose but I would guess to mix the metacam or make it weaker for rodents. Pacey seems to be improving and I will definately not give up until he is cured of this issue as I had to pay $87 for the visit and metacam. I will pay more for meds and take him back if itis necessary,hopefully not as he charges $46 for a recheck. thank you, Tammy |
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Post by flibbletigibbet on Mar 4, 2012 1:42:37 GMT -8
Sounds like we used similar sized syringes- I too have only used the 1 mL dosing syringes on my gerbils for giving medication. 0.01 mL is such a tiny amount it's hard to tell whether they are getting any of it, especially since they kick up such a fuss... perhaps that's why your vet dilutes it with methylcellulose. It's easier to measure out 0.1 mL. And you're lucky your vet bill was so low! My vet charges $74 just for the exam... medications are extra. I remember when my gerbil Hoot injured her leg during the exam, they prescribed Tramadol for pain relief. It was basically a 50 mg tablet crushed up and suspended in liquid. That suspension cost me $35 alone! If I ever need Tramadol for one of my gerbils again, I'll get a pill from the vet where I work and suspend it myself. |
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Post by catnut on Mar 4, 2012 15:48:30 GMT -8
I thought my vet was very expensive compared to some. Sorry your vet charges soo much,it does make you think before taking in a pet but I know when things aren't looking good and can't help them,I do need to take my boys to see Dr. Upjohn. Have your gerbils had sores? My vet says the manuka honey is good for them,which i've been using for afew years but he also gave me some soother plus for my last girl (i bought,not cheap) and said that to try that on Pacey(he has acouple tiny sores around the area that aren't healed up yet. Not sure if the metacam is helping,he does seem to be leaving it alone but it still doesn't look much different(he will have his 4th dose today).
Thank you for the info., flibbletigibbet
Tammy
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Post by eclipse on Mar 4, 2012 20:31:09 GMT -8
I have a book on veterinary care for rodents, rabbits and ferrets, and for lagomorphs, caviomorphs and myomorphs, the Metacam dosage is listed as 0.2mg/kg, oraly, twice a day. In liquid Metacam, 1 drop = 0.05mg.
Not sure if this helps, but I thought I'd put it out there. It's a booklet destined to vets and aspiring vets.
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Post by flibbletigibbet on Mar 5, 2012 8:26:36 GMT -8
I've never used Manuka honey personally, but I have heard good things about it. It has antimicrobial properties, which will help control bacterial infections in the sores. It's worth a try if you can find it.
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In fact, it says on the box that the medication is not for use in cats.