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Metacam/Loxicom help

MildredMaudeandEnid

MildredMaudeandEnid

Junior Guinea Pig
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I'm hoping someone (maybe @Wiebke ) could help me with this.

One of my piggies has chronic respiratory disease and has been on Loxicom (1.5mg/ml) 0.2ml twice a day since I got her in March. I've recently changed vets as I was travelling miles for repeat prescriptions and I assumed they'd just keep giving me the same.

However, I've picked up her meds today and I've been given Metacam (0.5mg/ml) at 0.26ml once daily. This seems like a massive drop in dosage seeing as it's 1/3 of the strength. I've queried with the vet but he's sure this is right.

Can anyone offer any help?

Also, the metacam bottle can't be drawn up with a 1ml syringe so not sure how to measure it out and it has an awful smell so not sure she'll even take it. Help!
 
Sadly in the UK only cat metacam is officially licensed for use in guinea pigs.
Which is a pain if you have a piggy who needs it regularly or long term, because it is much less concentrated so ends up costing a lot more.
Your new dosages is a massive drop - would it be possible to show your vet what you have been giving and explain you would prefer dog metacam and to keep the dosage the same.
Maybe your previous vet could send a note verifying the previous treatment.
 
Swissgreys said:
Sadly in the UK only cat metacam is officially licensed for use in guinea pigs.
Which is a pain if you have a piggy who needs it regularly or long term, because it is much less concentrated so ends up costing a lot more.
Your new dosages is a massive drop - would it be possible to show your vet what you have been giving and explain you would prefer dog metacam and to keep the dosage the same.
Maybe your previous vet could send a note verifying the previous treatment.
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I've called my old vet for advice but they won't speak to me without the notes from my new vet. The new vet will only send the notes if I want to go back to my old vet and won't listen to my concerns about the sudden dosage change. Don't know what to do!
 
You can take lid off the loxicam bottle to help you draw up.
I would personally be switching back to a vet that understands piggies need a decent dose of pain killer.
We have had our fair share of vets with limited knowledge.
Their lack of listening would ring alarm bells for me. I understand travelling to get meds is a ball ache but at some point you may need the vet to be cavy savy and dosing with a high metabolism animal is the first things I’d be wanting them to think of.
sending healing vibes to your little one
 
I only go local for emergencies nowadays . I’ve had too many experiences of local vets prescribing Metacam in quite frankly homeopathic doses . … Anything that can wait for a day or 2 , I go to a vet with a specialist interest in guinea pigs . It’s an 80 mile round trip …but worth the additional time and distance to make sure my Guineas are prescribed the right amount of painkillers.
 
sport_billy said:
You can take lid off the loxicam bottle to help you draw up.
I would personally be switching back to a vet that understands piggies need a decent dose of pain killer.
We have had our fair share of vets with limited knowledge.
Their lack of listening would ring alarm bells for me. I understand travelling to get meds is a ball ache but at some point you may need the vet to be cavy savy and dosing with a high metabolism animal is the first things I’d be wanting them to think of.
sending healing vibes to your little one
Click to expand...
It was the metacam I'm struggling with. It's a molded plastic bottle so you can't get into it to draw up and the syringe you get with it is for cats (to draw up per kilo of weight).

I'm going to ring my old vets in the morning and eat a slice of humble pie (and the cost of another prescription). Tried talking to the new vet again but I'm not confident he understands guinea pigs at all. He's even claiming he's prescribed me the same as before (he has not!) and I'm not happy chancing my girl's health. She's been so well lately and don't want to risk another infection.
 
Veggies Galore said:
I only go local for emergencies nowadays . I’ve had too many experiences of local vets prescribing Metacam in quite frankly homeopathic doses . … Anything that can wait for a day or 2 , I go to a vet with a specialist interest in guinea pigs . It’s an 80 mile round trip …but worth the additional time and distance to make sure my Guineas are prescribed the right amount of painkillers.
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I honestly thought it would be simple since all they have to do is prescribe me what she's already on but he's claiming its too high a dose and she was never on that anyway. I'm going to go grovelling back to my old vets tomorrow and get the right prescription. I've been so stressed trying to get the two to talk to each other (they won't!) I've almost been in tears. I'll be out of pocket for another prescription but I'd rather that than risk Enid's health.
 
I am sorry, finding a knowledgeable vet is tricky and they are worth their weight in gold. Your old vets will understand
 
MildredMaudeandEnid said:
It was the metacam I'm struggling with. It's a molded plastic bottle so you can't get into it to draw up and the syringe you get with it is for cats (to draw up per kilo of weight).
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Do you still have the Metacam syringe?
Normal syringes fit the Metacam syringe.
93F4B222-2D01-4421-AD8D-E03F39333A49.jpeg

What I do is keep the Metacam syringe on the Metacam bottle .
 
that is a top tip :) and one i'd forgotten about. I use pillars to pull the top off occasionally
 
I have also used a 1ml syringe with an actual hypodermic needle on the end, but not sure how easy the needle part is to get hold of in the UK?
Then the needle goes into the narrow top of the bottle and pulls the metacam into the syringe.
 
sport_billy said:
that is a top tip :) and one i'd forgotten about. I use pillars to pull the top off occasionally
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The vets use pliers to pull the moulded top out of the Metacam bottle, and then you can put a 1ml syringe into the bottle. Me - I have found my teeth do the trick just as well as pliers :lol!:
 
VickiA said:
The vets use pliers to pull the moulded top out of the Metacam bottle, and then you can put a 1ml syringe into the bottle. Me - I have found my teeth do the trick just as well as pliers :lol!:
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I was literally here to say the same thing. My teeth work every time! Haha
 
Brilliant tip with the Metacam syringe, my vet has never given me one of those, it's always a 1ml. I lever the top of the bottle off with a thin veg knife, don't think my teeth would stay intact!
I wish they hadn't licensed cat metacam for piggies, I didn't have a problem getting dog when they were both off license . I have a problem getting the dog one with different vets in the same practise, I always try to book a vet I know will give me dog Metacam. That's not always possible, it must be a nightmare if you have to travel long distances.
 
piggieminder said:
Brilliant tip with the Metacam syringe, my vet has never given me one of those, it's always a 1ml. I lever the top of the bottle off with a thin veg knife, don't think my teeth would stay intact!
I wish they hadn't licensed cat metacam for piggies, I didn't have a problem getting dog when they were both off license . I have a problem getting the dog one with different vets in the same practise, I always try to book a vet I know will give me dog Metacam. That's not always possible, it must be a nightmare if you have to travel long distances.
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I'm going to try my luck with my original vet tomorrow. I only tried to move because I don't drive and don't want to keep asking my mum to drive me miles away.
 
MildredMaudeandEnid said:
I'm going to try my luck with my original vet tomorrow. I only tried to move because I don't drive and don't want to keep asking my mum to drive me miles away.
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Maybe ask vet to give you two bottles a time save on trips?
 
We've had exactly this problem with prescriptions from the SAME practice and even some of the SAME vets as gave me dog metacam in the past! Still haven't quite clarified why but hopefully will on our trip tomorrow. It's something to do with the licensing... not sure what though. Tomorrow I see a 'piggy' vet.

We got a 5ml bottle of cat loxicom (£17 ish) a few weeks back which lasted long enough for Zara's eye injury but ended up having to drive over on Sunday and this time got 15ml cat metacam (£22 ish) which despite the stink goes down exactly the same. I think the smell is the preservative. I had to squirt some into the empty loxicom bottle which had already had the end plucked off! So ask about different sizes of bottle too!
 
Free Ranger said:
We've had exactly this problem with prescriptions from the SAME practice and even some of the SAME vets as gave me dog metacam in the past! Still haven't quite clarified why but hopefully will on our trip tomorrow. It's something to do with the licensing... not sure what though. Tomorrow I see a 'piggy' vet.

We got a 5ml bottle of cat loxicom (£17 ish) a few weeks back which lasted long enough for Zara's eye injury but ended up having to drive over on Sunday and this time got 15ml cat metacam (£22 ish) which despite the stink goes down exactly the same. I think the smell is the preservative. I had to squirt some into the empty loxicom bottle which had already had the end plucked off! So ask about different sizes of bottle too!
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I noticed the metacam smelled pungent compared to the loxicom. Not sure if that would put my piggy off. She can be fussy.

Someone above mentioned that the cat metacam is now licensed for guinea pigs so some vets are reluctant to prescribed anything else off-label.
 
Oh no .. what a mess going back and forth and no one listening properly! I hope you get sorted.

My experienced vet is a 2 hour round trip.. I needed some loxicom and luckily they gave me a prescription over their App for £15 & I ordered the drugs from Animed direct.. saves a few pounds and a 2 hour round trip.
 
artcasper said:
Oh no .. what a mess going back and forth and no one listening properly! I hope you get sorted.

My experienced vet is a 2 hour round trip.. I needed some loxicom and luckily they gave me a prescription over their App for £15 & I ordered the drugs from Animed direct.. saves a few pounds and a 2 hour round trip.
Click to expand...
I've managed to speak to my original vet this morning and get the correct prescription.

The new vet did call this morning to say he'd done some reading and that I was right about the higher dose but he wouldn't prescribe it since it's off-label and Enid was "fine" when he saw her. I just told him the reason she seemed "fine" is because she's on a medication that's working so I'll be sticking with my original vet.

What a carry on!
 
It annoys me so much that good news and useful methods can't spread between practices. When I worked in science we were always visiting/hosting other labs to learn/teach new techniques using new materials etc. Even between countries! And the only thing at stake there was getting an experiment to work - this is so much more for piggies in discomfort. I nearly put a cross emoji there but restrained myself!
 
Free Ranger said:
It annoys me so much that good news and useful methods can't spread between practices. When I worked in science we were always visiting/hosting other labs to learn/teach new techniques using new materials etc. Even between countries! And the only thing at stake there was getting an experiment to work - this is so much more for piggies in discomfort. I nearly put a cross emoji there but restrained myself!
Click to expand...
I've been so annoyed I barely slept last night so cross emoji away! 😡😡
 
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