Metacam - Less In The Bottle Than Stated?!

[sazmatazz]

Hi everyone.
Our old lady piggy Mabel is now 7-8 years old and unfortunately the vets have identified a likely tumour in her womb.
At the moment she's doing great & is eating, pooping & generally pigging happily. She has surpassed all our expectations & is still her usual happy self.
She's being seen regularly by an exotic vet & is on metacam to make sure she is comfortable.
When we picked up her last prescription & booked a review for 4th Jan, we worked out that the 10ml bottle would last until the appointment.
Today, there isn't enough left for her second dose this evening.
We called the vet & they have been very accusatory, as if we are giving her too much or misusing the metacam, which is frankly insulting! We are very very careful with the dose and keep wastage to a minimum.
The bottle is short by almost 1ml, which seems ridiculous for a 10ml bottle & there is no way there has been so much wastage.

Has anyone else ever had this problem with metacam?

Thanks

Saz

P.s. Happy New Year from Mabel

 

[Wiebke]

I am very sorry. All you can do is log your complaints and ask your vet to hand them on to the provider. Have you been able to get more metacam for today and the holidays?

 

[Claire W]

Aw, Mable is adorable.

I'm sorry that your vet has accused you of misusing the metacam. That must be very hurtful

 

[4pigs&counting]

No experience of this however I have found that the syringe that comes with the metacam (for cats) is measured in numbers which correspond to weight e.g. 1,2,3,4,5 etc. and the dosage given is often given in ml. We were provided with a different syringe which had the measurements of ml on rather than numbers....however, the metacam bottle lid only fits the syringe it comes with - not conventional syringes - we therefore had to convert the ml amount to the equivalent number marking on the original syringe - not and easy task and we did waste a bit in the process! Probably not helpful in your situation, but something I will bear in mind in the future. Sorry your vet has been less than helpful, hope you get it sorted

 

[DM030819]

I've noticed that Metacam can be quite thick. When you shake the bottle some of it goes into the lid. And if you stick the syringe all of the way into the bottle then some clings to the outside of the syringe. So there will be a bit of wastage from each bottle.

Whenever I use it (and other medicines) I try to make sure I get a new bottle before the next one is due as it never seems to last quite as long as it should.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

You always get some wastage when administering with a syringe. Some coats the outside of the syringe and unless you use a syringe like the one on the left of the pic, you will waste about 0.1 ml each time you use it, as some stays in the top of the syringe.

 

[sport_billy]

Agree with all said above, it is always impossible not to waste a little metacam as it is very sticky and thick.. I understand that the vets saying that is very upsetting Jolly bad show on them...

Sending lots of love to your little lady, have you managed to get some more? That is most important and what the vets should be concerned about... Sending love

 

[sazmatazz]

Hi. Thanks everyone, we have managed to get some more.
We are given a small syringe with the metacam. It's the metacam for dogs so actually comes with a very large syringe and a weird little extra cap on the top of the bottle, which we remove to get the small syringe into the bottle. The syringe we've got is the same measurement scale as the one on the right of @furryfriends (TEAS) picture, but it has an extra bit on the plunger inside - almost like a little teat that's the size of the nozzle of the syringe so that the metacam doesn't get stuck inside the nozzle when you've dispensed it. The teat on the plunger pokes it out. I also always scrape the syringe on the neck of the bottle so I think the wastage is kept to a minimum. Mabel only has a 0.2ml dose so 0.1ml wastage each time would be terrible. The 10ml bottle doesn't last long but they seem reluctant to do anything or make any sort of adjustment for pets on the medicine longer term.
Last time we got the prescription we'd asked for a larger bottle to be provided, were told that we could only have the 10ml bottle because she's due a review with the vet (which is fair enough, although it was sold as a 3 monthly medication review which she definitely hasn't had previously) and that a 10ml bottle would last until the 4th Jan. A physically bigger bottle even with the same amount of metacam inside would also possibly help with reducing wastage as you could stick the syringe into the bottle without totally covering it in the liquid.
A bigger bottle or two smaller bottles at once would also save a lot of hassle as it's a 30min one way drive to the vet on very busy roads. (they also keep dispensing it at the wrong place, I've turned up twice to one branch when it's been at the other.)
I am just feeling very frustrated with them right now as they were so accusatory. I mean, do they think we are taking the metacam ourselves?!
Everyone's advice is much appreciated. Mabel's looking forward to seeing in the new year and we are really happy she's still with us as she's had lots of ups and downs this year