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Long Term Metacam Question

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Amba

Amba

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My guinea is on metacam long term. The vet wants me to bring her in every six months. I've read this is because it can cause kidney and organ damage? Will the vet have to take her blood or anything? She has been very nervous lately, I'm afraid her having a needle for the first time will make her worse. She has tried tramal as a pain killer, which didn't work
 
Sorry to hear she is poorly. If it helps, I had a gorgeous little girl who was on pain meds (Rimadyl so similar) for 3 years. She had a whole host of health issues and in the vets words, 'was a walking guinea pig medical journal!' She was on so many drugs it was ridiculous and I questioned this too. However, we decided quality of life was far more important than quantity.

She was a very very happy guinea pig who lived to just over 7 years old. She was the only guinea pig we ever had who had humans as pets LOL! In the end she got a huge tumour suddenly in her stomach so we decided to say good bye, but I can honestly say she had the best years of her life when on drugs to keep her happy and well and you could not have found a more happy piggy. when she was PTS I was gutted to lose my best guinea friend but I look back with fondness and not sadness as she went when the time was right which would not have happened without medication.

I hope that helps?x
 
it sounds more because of reviewing her and adjusting the dose if necessary, although bloods can be requested by you aswell regularly if you want them. but they're not completely necessary for long term metacam. the warning about metacam have to be given because of the group of medicines it belongs to although in guinea pigs and rabbits, it is very well tolerated as they metabolize it so quickly (compared to cats and dogs who it may have the potential in to cause some issues.they have a much lower dose than guinea pigs and rabbits even though they're much larger). in those who already have kidney issues, it could make things worse, but there hasn't ever been a case where metacam has caused any damage by itself (according to my very experienced exotics vet). my rabbit matt was on metacam from 2009 until his passing in 2013, and my other rabbit bisc is still on it now (since 2009 aswell), it's better to make them comfortable in the present rather than worry about the what if's down the line. but if your vet wanted to be very thorough then bloods could be taken every 6-12 months to check organ function, although taking bloods in itself means a very light sedation at least. again, not 100% risk free, but very very low risks in the hands of an experienced exotics vets.

i think sometimes certain medications require a follow up by law aswell so this could be the reason for the follow up also and it may just involve having a thorough check over and discussion about how your piggy is doing on the dose and whether it needs adjusting. what dose is your piggy on, and why? :)

i remember worrying about the same things and having alot of discussions with my vet about it at the time both my rabbits had to go on it long term. so hope some of this helps. :)
 
Since they are mainly looking at kidney function, they may be able to assess her through urine sampling rather than blood (much easier on her!) One of my pigs is on long-term suppressive antibiotic therapy and is tested annually for creatinine and kidney function. In her case, her quality of life is better on the antibiotics than it would be off (she has chronic UTIs and takes a continual low dose to reduce the bacterial load in the bladder to head off as many infections as possible.) I was concerned about the effects, but she has been on antibiotics for about 3 years and is still doing fine at age 4.5 years. I believe it's more of a precaution than anything else, and of course you have to weigh quality of life against the potential of side effects from the meds. I know for Sundae my feeling is that it's better that she have fewer years with good quality of life than more years with chronic infection and discomfort. Of course, I would prefer more years with good quality, and so far it's working well for her!
 
Thank you all very much for your reassurance, I really needed it. I often worry I'm not doing the right thing by her. 'Freela' your guineas reminded me of the first guineas I had 'Hazel' and 'Albi.'
 
Amba said:
Thank you all very much for your reassurance, I really needed it. I often worry I'm not doing the right thing by her. 'Freela' your guineas reminded me of the first guineas I had 'Hazel' and 'Albi.'
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Has anyone any experience of Loxicom which I believe is the new generic form of metacam.
 
Meloxicam (Loxicom, Metacam etc) can cause kidney issues if used long term. In cats and dogs using it long term we do usually take samples to check the kidneys. Unfortunately taking a urine sample will only tell half the story if there are issues with the kidneys and guinea pig urine is often quite sedimenty so can change readings. If you have a good exotics vet then taking blood is quite a quick procedure.

I would discuss it with your vet, if your worried about it. You can discuss all the pros and cons of it and come to a discision.

x

Ps. Ive seen good results with tramadol, shame it didnt work for you.
 
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