2 year old Syrian struggling to use lower back legs

[LunaTheHamster1]

Originally Posted by Ria P

The 1ml dosage is probably the 0.5mg/ml metacam for cats and the 0.1ml dosage the 1.5mg/ml metacam for dogs.

Either way still quite high for a little hamster though.
GreyKnight I really would check with your vet as Metacam is a good painkiller but sadly one of the side effects is that it can/does damage the kidneys/liver, so although you don't see a high dosage doing much externally to your hamster, I would hate for it to be damaging your hamsters organs.

[Pebbles82]

I also think it should be 0.1ml which is a tenth of 1ml! They always give you a 1 ml syringe and the 1 marker is actually a tenth of 1ml which would be 0.1ml. Some doses are even tinier - 0.03ml for one of mine.

I would definitely ring the vet and ask them to clarify it is 1ml or 0.1ml. And which marker on the syringe. The usual dose for a syrian works out at approximately a couple of drops from the bottle - which is about 0.1ml. Better to measure from the syringe though as drops from the bottle can vary in size.

I had the same issue once and checked on here then checked again with the vet and it had been a communication issue.

Unless the vet has diluted it and mixed it up with something so its a bigger dose, but they don't usually. What does it say on the bottle? Dog metacam? I have always been given dog metacam and the bottle is very small - like an eye drops bottle - maybe slightly bigger. If you have a large bottle, it's possible they have diluted it but I think important to check at this stage.

Vectis had a very good photo showing the different doses on a 1ml syringe. It's here - part way down the page.

Giving your Hamster Medication - Vectis Hamstery

[GreyKnight]

Well the vet won't be open now until Monday, but there's no metacam left in the bottle now anyway.

I'll phone on Monday and raise the question of dose and whether she should be on it going forward anyway.

The bottle doesn't have any official printed info on it to say what's in it, it's just a hand written label.

Thanks.

[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by GreyKnight

Well, the bottle has hand written instructions that say "Give 1ml once daily for 3 days" and the syringe is a 1ml syringe. The nurse explained it to me at the counter and said "The dose is 1ml, so you will need to draw the plunger all the way back to the 1.0 mark".

So yeah, they said 1ml.

She's had exactly that and she's still alive and bumbling about so either she's not suffering much, or she's on a massive high.

It maybe sounds like miscommunication like I had The 1 mark on a 1ml syringe will be 0.1ml. So if you've been drawing it back to the 1 mark then it will have been the correct dose.

A 1ml syringe should be marked 1 to 10, so 10 would be 1ml and 1 would be 0.1ml. Did my head in working it out previously lol!

Maybe the vet wanted to see if there was any improvement after 3 days because Metacam is an anti inflammatory as well as a pain relief medicine. I also think it could be worth asking about having Metacam long term (and if so, double check the dose) because they often do have pain of some sorts by this age, whether it's arthritis or toothache. And it can help soothe old age. But it may depend on the vet's opinion. I had one hamster where the vet wouldn't give metacam anywhere due to weight loss with cancer as she said it would affect his kidneys too much in his condition. But usually it is a very safe medicine for hamsters and as you say, they like it. It may gradually help unstiffen the back legs as well, but I think what can also help is plenty of exercise, so a run round in a playpen or hamster safe area of a room eg every couple of days will help.

Just to add if the vet did prescribe 1ml (and confirms that on Monday) then I am sure that is a mistake and I would find another vet. If you google exotic vets in your area there is bound to be one. They are a lot more experienced with hamsters and don't cost any more. I had to change vets twice before I found a good one for hamsters. It is surprising how many vets know very little about hamsters and some even see them as not really worth treating etc.