Today I took Nutkin (the little golden feral kitten) back to the shelter and to their vet as his mouth ulcer was not healing properly and he still had a fever after 8 days on Doxyval.
The vet, whom I had not seen before, gave him some more doxval and then produced a bottle of Metacam and told me to give him a daily dose to reduce the inflammation. When I said I didn't like Metacam for cats as there were side effects and possible kidney damage, he just looked at me and said 'Well, I like it very much' and refused any alternative. He also said it was safe for cats for up to a month of use. As I had the shelter director and general manager there with me, I couldn't really argue more. They were all looking at me as if I were too big for my boots.
I have checked the websites and they all say metacam should definitely not be used for cats under 10 pounds. This is a 3 month old kitten who is small anyway! I don't know what to do, apart from take him to my vet tomorrow, who knows I don't use Metacam and ask for a different anti-inflammatory. But that will cost me and I just feel so annoyed. I am printing out some stuff to take to the shelter next week so at least they will understand my concerns.
The vet, whom I had not seen before, gave him some more doxval and then produced a bottle of Metacam and told me to give him a daily dose to reduce the inflammation. When I said I didn't like Metacam for cats as there were side effects and possible kidney damage, he just looked at me and said 'Well, I like it very much' and refused any alternative. He also said it was safe for cats for up to a month of use. As I had the shelter director and general manager there with me, I couldn't really argue more. They were all looking at me as if I were too big for my boots.
I have checked the websites and they all say metacam should definitely not be used for cats under 10 pounds. This is a 3 month old kitten who is small anyway! I don't know what to do, apart from take him to my vet tomorrow, who knows I don't use Metacam and ask for a different anti-inflammatory. But that will cost me and I just feel so annoyed. I am printing out some stuff to take to the shelter next week so at least they will understand my concerns.