Metacam post dental surgery

[oyster]

So, I came across several articles and threads that warn against Metacam but our vets prescribe only this medication for post surgery. Our senior cat just had 5 teeth pulled out and the vet at the hospital said that this was the only pain medication she prescribed for cats. So now, I don't know what to do. He has been prescribed 0.25 ml once per 24 hours. The box we have does say for cats and guinea pigs.
Obviously, the anesthesia will wear out soon as he came back about 4 hours ago. I will have to give him the metacam for his first dose but don't see how to avoid it for the next few days. I am ssuming he is going to need pain management for 3-4 days.

 

[LTS3]

Buprenex (buprenorphine) is the most common pain medicine given to cats post-dental surgery. Can you ask your vet about this pain medicine and why she doesn't prescribe it? One dose of Metacam isn't likely to cause any harm until you can get a hold of the vet.

 

[stephanietx]

I have metacam on my do not give list unless I give permission with my vet. I'd call and ask for another medication. It's just too risky for me, especially with senior kitties.

 

[neely]

I agree with both of the above members. Having had several cats with a total of five dental surgeries all were given Buprenex post-surgery. They had absolutely no problem with this medication. Can you ask your vet why they will only prescribe Metacam?

 

[oyster]

I will call the vet later. However, after some research, I found out that Metacam is not only recommended but administered commonly to cats and small animals for pain management all over Europe and Australia. We are in Europe so
I understand why she prescribed this medicine.

 

[LTS3]

It won't hurt to ask about Burprenex as an alternative to Metacam. I'm not sure if there are any sort of veterinary rule or guidelines in your country that doesn't allow a vet to give Buprenex or alternative medicine.

 

[oyster]

Update: Biscuit is on day two post surgery and doesn't seem to need pain medication today. So, he has only had one dose of metacam. I am monitoring him closely but he seems playful and is interacting with us all as opposed to curling up somewhere and hiding. He is also eating normally. I will give him another dose if he seems to need it.
As for the vet, she said we would need to bring him in (1 1/2 hours away) to administer the pain medication (as they don't prescribe stronger drugs) and inject them at the hospital. We could take him to our local vet and she would examine him and may administer the shot if she thinks he needs it. In other words, it would be difficult to get. Metacam has side effects but she told us to stick closely to the dosage and only give it once a day. She also informed us that Metacam is widely used and recommended in all vet practices in Europe.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi oyster !

I suspected you were in the Europe/UK, where Metacam has long now been safely used with cats.

I do have a recommendation, though, over your last update.

In pain management, it's important on several levels to stay ahead of the pain.....to prevent it/its return. First, prevention is a much easier task than eliminating/reducing it. That was extensive surgery, and I wouldn't expect the resulting inflammation and tissue 'damage' to have fully healed or resolved this quickly. If he appears to be returning to 'normal', I wouldn't want to allow for any 'bumps in the road'.

Now, you just wrote that he "doesn't seem to need pain medication today"...........but, let me suggest this to you: he doesn't seem to need it because the pain is under control at the moment. The pain control time frame with Metacam is ~24 hours. After that, it will almost assuredly return. Should this happen, he will feel miserable, his eating will be retarded, and his recovery itself will be slowed.

In your first post you said you expected that "he is going to need pain management for 3-4 days". That would be my own expectation as well - at the very least.

I'm going to stop here for now, so you'll pick up this much - and, hopefully reconsider medicating him.

I'll return later with some comments on why you've been reading and receiving negative commentary about the dangers of Metacam ......from folks 'on the other side of the pond'.

(just a quick btw: in North America, buprenorphine is most often given, not by injection, but by its application in tiny quantities to the gums/oral mucuous membranes - it's absorbed through these and is easily administered at home.....the injectible, only administered in-hospital, is often observed to cause undesirable side effects)
.

 

[oyster]

Thank you, white shadow. That is very helpful advice and I didn't think about that. I was trying to avoid having to give him Metacam and since he seemed all right, I was overjoyed at not having to medicate him. He is receiving antibiotics for inflammation and infection, of course. I will keep on top of this now.

 

[neely]

white shadow was spot-on with their advice. Although I've used Buprenex, not Metacam, for our cat(s) post-dental surgery the vet has always told me to give the full amount of medication to minimize the pain and keep it under control. I hope Biscuit continues to do well and keeps up his appetite. Please continue to keep us updated on his progress.