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p_anda · 03-23-2012, 06:46 AM

Even though hamsters have very similar immune systems and central nervous system to us humans, giving your hamster medication in doses intended for human use is not a good idea. Basically a standard dose of something a person can take is far too large for a ham, and you can't just break up tablets to give to them as that would not be accurate in terms of a dose. Metacam [meloxicam is the chemical name] is what your vet has given you so stick to that. It's an NSAID, [non-steroidal anti-inflammatory] which is a class of drugs which ibuprofen also belongs to. Metacam has fewer gastrointestinal side effects [stomach related side effects] compared to other NSAIDs and that's important for an animal with a sensitive digestive system such as a hamster. There isn't a lot of difference between NSAIDs on a whole, most of them vary in terms how well they reduce fever and how bad the stomach upsetting effect is.

If you have reason to believe your hamster is not getting enough pain relief from the Metacam, you need to book another appointment ASAP. Your vet will then prescribe her an opiate, probably Tramadol, Buprenorphine or Morphine. All opiates that humans can take are suitable for rodents, however, in much smaller doses. Your vet will probably pre-measure each single dose for you.

An example of the difference between effective doses for humans and hamsters:
a 40g hamster [Princess] needed 0.25mcg of Diazepam as a sedative for a long trip
a 48kg human [me] needs 5mg of Diazepam tostop a panic attack

So I need ten and and a half times more medicine than my hamster did. When working out a dose, your vet uses body weight for reference alongside other factors. That's impossible to do without medical scales and the right knowledge.

03-23-2012, 06:46 AM
p_anda Senior Hamster Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Essex Posts: 603	Re: Hamster pain relief Even though hamsters have very similar immune systems and central nervous system to us humans, giving your hamster medication in doses intended for human use is not a good idea. Basically a standard dose of something a person can take is far too large for a ham, and you can't just break up tablets to give to them as that would not be accurate in terms of a dose. Metacam [meloxicam is the chemical name] is what your vet has given you so stick to that. It's an NSAID, [non-steroidal anti-inflammatory] which is a class of drugs which ibuprofen also belongs to. Metacam has fewer gastrointestinal side effects [stomach related side effects] compared to other NSAIDs and that's important for an animal with a sensitive digestive system such as a hamster. There isn't a lot of difference between NSAIDs on a whole, most of them vary in terms how well they reduce fever and how bad the stomach upsetting effect is. If you have reason to believe your hamster is not getting enough pain relief from the Metacam, you need to book another appointment ASAP. Your vet will then prescribe her an opiate, probably Tramadol, Buprenorphine or Morphine. All opiates that humans can take are suitable for rodents, however, in much smaller doses. Your vet will probably pre-measure each single dose for you. An example of the difference between effective doses for humans and hamsters: a 40g hamster [Princess] needed 0.25mcg of Diazepam as a sedative for a long trip a 48kg human [me] needs 5mg of Diazepam tostop a panic attack So I need ten and and a half times more medicine than my hamster did. When working out a dose, your vet uses body weight for reference alongside other factors. That's impossible to do without medical scales and the right knowledge.