Nurofen versus Metacam - side effects

[RachelW]

Hello, I am Rachel from Germany and I am new here. I have read some of the posts already while I have not been a member (I am member of several guinea pig forums in Germany), but today I registered because I wanted to give you some important information.

I have two guinea pigs: Ben, 3 years old, and Pauline, maybe 6 years old (nobody really knows, since she had several owners before I adopted her in October). Pauline is not very well and suffers from advanced arthrosis.
My vet gave her Metacam for dogs against her pain. As you will know, Metacam is normally for cats or dogs, since there is no real painkiller for guinea pigs at the moment. Pauline was ok when she took the Metacam. I did not see any side effects.

I heard, and it is mentioned in this forum as well several times, that guinea pigs can also have Nurofen for babies as painkiller, so I switched to that (Pauline preferred it because of the taste, I guess). The first couple of days, everything seemed normal. Then, after 10 days, Pauline started to have very frightening seizures, looked like epileptc seizures. They took only a couple of seconds, but they got more and more frequently, she had one seizure every 10 minutes. I got the idea that those seizures could be related to the Nurofen, but have not found anything in the forums about side effects, and on the leaflet, they only state diarrhoea and so on as side effects (well, it is for human babies, after all). I was suspicious anyway and stopped giving her Nurofen. She is on Metacam instead.
After 5 days without Nurofen, those seizures suddenly stopped as if nothing had happened. So now I am convinced that it was indeed a side effect, and I wanted to warn you about that.
I was afraid that the seizures were related to the arthritis, and that her nervous system got damaged, but now I am quite sure that this is not the case. Her general condition also seems a lot better now, she seems less tired and in less pain.

Just a good idea that I related her cramps to the painkiller, otherwise I would have gone to the vet this week to put her to sleep! (The vet, by the way, had no idea either).

Hope this helped you and your piggies when choosing the right painkiller.

Many greetings from Frankfurt, Rachel

 

[MemberX]

Hi Rachel,

Thanks for that. Personally I wouldn't give my pigs anything that was for us humans unless my vet told me it was safe, thats how I play it, forums are great for getting advice but you can't replace expert advice from a vet.

Hope you piggy gets well soon,

Louise
x

 

[RachelW]

Thank you, Sunshine and Twinkle. Well, Pauline won't really get well again, I am afraid, I just try to ease her pain and I want to make her last couple of months the most comfortable it can get. She is still alert, eating a lot (although she lost a lot of weight - she used to be around 1000 g and is now merely 800g), so I have been syringe feeding her for months now - obviously she needs more food than she can eat for herself), but, apart from the state she was in last week with the seizures - she is in a "ok" general condition.

Rachel

 

[maryh]

Where did you get the information about Nurafen?,it should NEVER be given to gps,neither should Calpol,Aspirin or any NSAID drug.Metacam is not ideal,but as you said,at the moment it is the best available analgesic for gps.
Nurofen in fact should not be given to any animal,I have known dogs to die from this drug.


Metacam does have a side affect of renal damage,but if only given for a short time it is o.k.The dose is one drop per day.

 

[RachelW]

Yes, Maryh, I would not give them Nurofen again, that's for sure, but first of all, it is recommended by the Cambridge Cavy Trust (first aid kit for gps), secondly, I found several threads in THIS forum where it is recommended (threads are "Nurofen vs. Metacam for arthritis", "tooth abcess", "piggie first aid kit", "what is in your medicine cabinet" etc., Ibuprofen painkillers and NSAIDs are recommended by the "Guinea Lynx" AND the vet said it won't do any harm). The fact that I found that liquid Nurofen for children is recommended here in this forum as well was the primary reason why I now registered here to disadvise!
I also wrote an e-mail to Vedra (CCT) to tell her about my experience with Nurofen and that she should not unscrupulously advise it to anyone.

Concerning Metacam: Pauline weighs around 800 g now, and my vet said I should give her 2 drops per day ( 1ml) - isn't that correct (you wrote just one drop?)

Good night, Rachel

 

[maryh]

Hi,


ONE drop per day is the correct dose of Metacam for any size pig.

I am aware that Nurafen has been recommended on this forum before and the info came from CCT.At the time I replied to say that these drugs should not be given to any animal,and I did check with my vet who agreed with me.The vet I use is an acknowledged gp expert and has clients from all over the country.,and adviszes vets in other countries.
There are no qualified vetinary staff at CCT which is not actually a hospital at all,it is just one woman working from home.There have been problems in the past with her recommending unsuitable and sometimes dangerous drugs for gps.
Guinea Lynx is an American website and the drug dosages they use are often too high. The website information is gathered from scientists who work in laboritories which test on animals.
If you feel you would like to talk to my vet,pm me for Email address.

 

[katiep]

RE Metacam, our vet has advised it for Jeremy's leg (torn ligament) which is causing him some discomfort. He says to give 1 drop every 3 days as the drug is actually for cats so the dose should be reduced for piggies, which seems sensible ... would it be OK to give 1 drop per day? Poor Jeremy had an injection of painkiller yesterday and was very unhappy and dopey afterwards.

 

[RachelW]

KatieP: Really - only 1 drop every 3 days? I think it is so strange that every vet tell us something different.
Maryh: Is there any difference between Metacam for cats and for dogs?
You are lucky to have such a good gp vet. Thanks for recommending your vet; but since I live in Germany, I won't be able to see your vet anyway. I am afraid your vet cannot give any advise without having seen my guinea pigs?

Rachel

 

[maryh]

It is quite safe to give 1 drop per day.Metacam for cats and dogs is the one for gps.

My vet will email owners and/or their vets who live to far to get to the surgery.,this includes overseas.A few months ago she helped a vet in Australia who needed to do surgery on a gp but was not sure of the proceedure.My vet was able to guide her through emails and the surgery was a sucess.

 

[rw3399]

When my piggie started showing signs of arthritis (in the spine and back legs) I gave her half a Potters Tabritis tablet crushed with water daily which helped with her stiffness. About two-three weeks before she passed away I increased the dosage to one per day. I believe these tablets are safe to give to piggies who have metacam also. MaryH would be the best person to check with.

 

[katiep]

Hi Rachel,
Yup, 1 drop every 3 days is what they said.. however Jeremy seems to be OK at the moment, so I am reluctant to give him any as he seemed so odd after the injection. He is hobbling about and eating, and I gave him a cuddle before, so unless he seems in pain i do not want to give him Metacam - is it wrong to go against the vet's advice?

 

[RachelW]

Maryh: Ah, your vet seems very helpful then. I contacted several vets abroad who did not want to give any information unless they see the pig.

rw3399: How old was your gp when the arthritis was diagnosed? How long did she live with the paralysis? Did you have problems to keep the behind clean? Pauline, since she cannot move properly any more, and just drags along her body, has problems with keeping herself clean, so I have to wash and bath her regularly. She has also lost all her fur around her buttom.

katiep: I personally have noticed that gps don't show their pain unless it is REALLY bad, this is also the reason why so many gp owners do not know that there is anything wrong with them for a long time. So I would give Jeremy the prescibed dose - it is not a lot anyway.

Have a nice weekend, everyone,

Rachel

 

[rw3399]

The arthritis was not diagnosed until she was 8 when she started to drag her back legs. Previously she showed no pain or discomfort. She was still eager to move around but a bit slower which I just put down to her age. I took her to one vet who wanted to put her down immediately and I refused. I kept her at home with me and she lived comfortably for another 6 months. She only showed pain in the last week of her life. I then took her to another vet who gave her 2 steroid injections which eased her discomfort and then she passed on a couple of days later. I used to wash 2-3 times daily. I fill the sink with warm water, hold her along my arm so just her back legs dangled in the water and her stomach lay along my arm. I manipulated the back legs in the water as well which I feel also helped her as her stiffness become less. I only washed her with shampoo once a week as most of the fur on her belly and left side fell out. It did actually start to re-grow which surprised me. Even though she only had 2 working legs she still used to pull herself around the room and when it was time for her to go back in her cage she would always hide in a small space so I couldn't reach her. That is how I knew that she still had fight and still enjoyed her life. If she didn't still move around the floor and just sat in a corner fluffed and stopped chattering then I knew the time was right to let her go but as it was she passed away at home which deep down is what I wanted. I can completely understand what is happening with you and your piggie and you know yourself what is best. If you are happy to give her extra care and she is still appears quite content then I would keep doing what you are. I hope this has helped and if you want any more help just pm me or post another message and I will help you and your piggie as much as I can.

 

[RachelW]

Your story is really similar to Pauline's story. She is also moving along with her arms (she seems to be quite strong, maybe this is why she needs so much energy - has your piggie also lost so much weight in the end?), although she is only lying to one side now, so I think the paraylsis concerns not only her hind legs, but also her back. She is still alert and eating and watching what I do, and she likes to be fed so I think I will give her more time before putting her to sleep. It was just 2 weeks ago when she had those seizures that I thought I cannot bear it any longer. Now the seizures are gone and she is the same as she was before I gave her the Nuroden - not well, but ok.
However, it is quite exhausting to care for her so much, I spend a lot of time with her and I am sad to see her state of health, of course.
She came from very bad families who would not do anything for her, so I try to give her the best time of her life just now, although I regret that she did not come to me sooner.
Yes, I use the shampoo only once a week, and I have the same washing method you used.
Other people keep telling me I should put her to sleep, but they don't know her (those people don't have gps and they just hear how stressful it is and they say I should end it), and I don't want to put her to sleep just because it is too much hassle for ME. I try to do what is best for her, and at the moment, I still think she wants to live.

Thank you for your long reply. Rachel