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Loxicom/metacam Dose

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claire2281

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Just taken Fred to the vets mostly to get more gut motility drugs as he's been on antibiotics and hasn't got his appetite back. I believe he's gassy and under eating and his gut is all out of sorts. The vet agreed and prescribed metoclopramide (1ml twice a day) for 10 days. He was also happy to prescribe a pain killer (as Fred is in clear discomfort when massaged) and said he'll refer him to a more experienced expert if he doesn't improve in 10 days.

I've decided to remove all veggies and I've been syringe feeding CC to maintain his weight.

I'm concerned about the dose of loxicom (which I believe is just metcam) I've been given though. He's said 0.7ml once a day. It's the dogs version of the drug. This seems a very large dose to me. For reference he weighs 1.1kg

For now I've given him 0.1ml. Has anyone been advised to give such a high dose before or has the vet made a mistake?

If so does 0.2ml sound more normal to relieve tummy pain? Would it be better to give him that in 2 0.1ml doses? I can't check with the vet until after work tomorrow.
 
Can you just confirm what it says on the box please? The one mine get prescribed is Dog Meloxidyl 1.5mg/ml in the purple box, is that what you have? Please do not use the syringe provided in the box, you need to use a 1 ml syringe to give it & if it is the same one I described then 0.7ml is fine, but I would split the dose into 2 lots, so 0.35ml twice a day :) I would also add it would help if the vet would also prescribe Zantac (Ranatidine) along with the Emeprid. Hve you got a massage pad at all? If you can sit him on a massage pad or use an electric toothbrush handle to gently massage his tummy that would also help :)
 
It's been dispensed into a bottle so no box. I've got 1ml syringes, yes.

The label says 'Loxicom Oral Susp (DOGS) 10mls. Give 0.7mls ONCE daily'.

I've had him on a massage pad, yes.

I have zantac tablets (human version obviously). Can these be given? (I have given him buscopan before which he was fine on).
 
I'll tag @Pebble regarding Zantac tabs, she will know what doseage. I'm not sure about the Loxicom then, although it is the same thing, the strength may be different, but with mine that wouldn't be a large dose for that size piggy if split twice a day. I'll tag @helen105281 @Wiebke @sport_billy I'm sure one of them will know :)
 
the dose is fine and safe. but use a 1ml syringe as someone else said, not the syringe you get in the metacam box. :)
 
I'm not sure about the dosage of zantac tablets. I am using dentinox colic drops for infants from the supermarket, which have been recommended by my vet. It is zantac in syringeable form.
 
biscandmatt said:
the dose is fine and safe. but use a 1ml syringe as someone else said, not the syringe you get in the metacam box. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah I didn't get it in a box. It was dispensed into a bottle by the vet so they gave me 1ml syringes :) Is it better to split the dose into 2 x 0.35ml? 24hrs between doses seems a long time!

Wiebke said:
I'm not sure about the dosage of zantac tablets. I am using dentinox colic drops for infants from the supermarket, which have been recommended by my vet. It is zantac in syringeable form.
Click to expand...

I saw these but the active ingredient was listed as dimeticone and I didn't know what it was so left it well enough alone. Would it be safe to give alongside metoclopramide?
 
you could ring the vets and ask for zantac if you would feel better giving that alongside the other meds, but sometimes we haven't and it's been fine. :)
 
claire2281 said:
I saw these but the active ingredient was listed as dimeticone and I didn't know what it was so left it well enough alone. Would it be safe to give alongside metoclopramide?
Click to expand...
Zantac is activated dimeticone and it can be given alongside metoclopramide or emeprid; you do so with a bloated piggy.

You can split your dose of painkiller and give it twice daily instead of once daily.
 
Rodney was prescribed 1.5ml a day of the dog dosage.

But I have since learnt on here, and from
A more pig savvy vet that smaller doses twice a day are more successful x
 
Dentinox colic drops are NOT the same thing as zantac at all. Dentinox (and Infacol) contain dimeticone which helps little air bubbles to gather together into bigger air bubbles which make them easier to pass. Zantac is the brand name for the drug ranitidine which is a H2 antagonist, in humans it reduces the amount of histamine the body produces, histamine production trigger the proton pump cells in the stomach to produce acid, therefor less acid is produced.

I am assuming guinea pig digestion is similar enough to ours for the drugs to work in a similar way - dimeticone will help get rid of wind, zanatc will ease heartburn/ indigestion type symptoms.
 
Metacam has as dose range. Splitting the 0.7ml into 2 doses will take it way under the threshold of the lowest end of the dose
 
Dimeticone is NOT Zantac. Zantac is Ranitidine, it is a gut motility drug too but works on a different part of the gut to Emeprid (Metachlopromide) Please see if your vet is first of all happy to add this drug to the regime and see if they will prescribe the liquid. If they are and they do not have access to liquid you can indeed crush human tablets we did this under the guidance of our vet @Pebble Will have more details on this treatment as she was the one who suggested it to us to talk to our vet about.

Loxicom is indeed Metacam, is it the Dog strength 1.5kg/ml?
 
Brown box? Does it have 1.5kg/ml as strength. That is the usual dogs strength
 
On the Loxicom/Metacam front, I was led to believe that Dog Strength 1.5mg/ml at 0.2ml twice a day equating to 0.4ml overall is the higher end of dose range for piggies. Although I have heard of some vets going higher with it in short term because of piggies higher metabolism. I would err on the side of caution until confirming with your vet tomorrow the dosage and explain your concerns to them.
 
Will do.

As an aside, Fred really isn't that keen on Critical Care. I know some people add a tiny bit of Ella's Kitchen baby food to it to make it more palatable. Is this safe to do when he's been suffering from mild gas? I don't want to make his issues worse but if it encourages him to eat better...

Good news is he's no longer whimpering when I gently massage so the drugs seem to have started to help.
 
Unsure on baby food in with it. However @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary recommended we try Cookie with mashed up pellets instead of Critical Care as Cookie didn't like it and it was a battle. She much preferred the pellets, we mashed harringtons but I think other people do it with Burgess. Are you using a 1ml syringe with the end cut off? It's so much easier that way just make sure that there are no rough edges and the plunger doesn't come out. This thread gives you info on that http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/

Lots of healing vibes to Fred
 
Yup. Been doing it for about a week now with the cut off syringe etc. Not massive amounts because he is still eating on his own as well. He's just getting a bit grumpy (keeps turning his back on me like that'll stop me!) and turns his nose up at pieces of his fav hay with CC on it even though he wolfs down ones without it. He's obviously not impressed!

I have given him mashed pellets before but thought the CC was better nutritionally hence why I switched to it. Perhaps I can at least alternate feedings so he's not always getting something he doesn't like.
 
First of all, I would like to make it clear that self-medication of over-the-counter drugs is illegal if given without veterinary approval

Zantac is ranitidine.
As stated, in humans zantac is MARKETED as an acid-reducing, anti-ulcer agent for the stomach because of its mode of action.
However, in the veterinary world, in dogs it is ALSO used to aid stomach emptying in gastric dilation volvulus and help with gastritis. It is also used to treat mast cell tumours
According to my exotcis vet (who was the first to start prescribing zantac for guinea pigs with gut motility problems on this forum), it has also been shown to have a beneficial effect on herbivore hind gut motility in guinea pigs and rabbits. As an extra plus, it's acid-reducing action might also help reduce the risk of ulceration/irritation to the stomach lining from other drugs e.g. metacam.
.
Infacol/simeticone and similar agents that coalesce tiny gas bubbles into bigger ones are not recommended by my vet for guinea pig bloat because of the risk of creating a gastric torsion (volvulus) as seen in dogs above.

Far better to talk to the vet on the phone to gain their permission to give zantac.Small furry dose prescribed by my vet is anything from 2-10mg/kg which depends upon the current gut condition of the piggy concerned and vet's comfort zone for prescribing off licence meds.

HTH
x
 
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