Metacam dosage?!

[RolyRocks]

My dwarf hamster was prescribed Metacam today. He has unexplained weight loss (now weighing 50g) and is a little lethargic. He is nearly two years old so it could be symptoms of old age, but sadly the vet couldn't rule out possibly something else going on. She suggested trying Metacam for a week and if no change, I could try an anti inflammatory as well.
I have been given the 1.5mg dog Metacam solution and the vet worked out the dosage which was a little confusing but it works out to be literally a drop.
I was advised to give this once a day but my sister who is a vet nurse said to give this dose twice a day because they have such fast metabolisms.
What should I do.... I'm sure there are many of you on here who have given Metacam to their hamsters, can you please offer me any advice?
Thank you.

[Ria P]

My elderly dwarf has been on Metacam for quite a while now.
Once a day is the correct dosage and i would follow what the vet has prescribed.
My hamster has also lost weight due to age and underlying health issues and Metacam does help a lot.
Metacam is a painkiller and anti inflammatory.
Several of my hamsters have been on a permanent daily dose of Metacam towards the end of their lives.

[Ria P]

The dosage is worked out going by the hamster's weight.
Ozzy takes his 0.05ml of dog Metacam straight from the syringe and looks forward to it. It tastes sweet and they like taking it.
Our dwarf Edwina wouldn't take it from the syringe but took it on top of a small piece of Shreddie cereal. She got up to eat her daily piece of Metacam Shreddie.

[LunaTheHamster1]

Rolyrocks, your sister is not wrong, they do have fast metabolisms and depending on the vet and medicine it will be sometimes be prescribed to split the dosage across 2 times a day. So, either way can be right, I would normally discuss it with the vet though as they know all the circumstances.

[RolyRocks]

Thank you both so much for your replies.

Ria P, it is good to hear that Metacam has been helping your elderly dwarf, may I ask how old he/she is?
I have been prescribed the 1.5mg dog one, is that what you use? I find the syringe is slightly too big and it is hard to get the little amount I need out the end. I have a smaller syringe from his previous baytril medication and I wonder, if I attach a couple of photos, could you please confirm I have it positioned on the correct amount. Loki weights 50 grams.

Is there anything you do differently for an elderly hamster, like feed them things you know maybe aren't the best for them buy that you know they will enjoy. I know dwarfs suffer from diabetes, but when they are elderly do you let them have a few sweet treats and a few more sunflower/pumpkin seeds then they normally would have??

LunaTheHamster1, as my vet prescribed once daily, I guess like you both said I should really listen to them. It is hard though when my sister is telling me to trust her and give that amount but twice a day, that's double the amount he was prescribed! She said "all non savvy knowing hamster vets say once".

I will try and attach a couple of photos separately, one of the dog sized syringe and one of the smaller one, both with what I believe to be the correct dosage.

[RolyRocks]

The purple one is the dog sized syringe.

[Ria P]

I always use the smaller syringe because it's far easier to get the dosage right.

Sofar five of our hamsters have been on Metacam from the time they became ill or had surgery in Clarissa's case, until they died and Edwina especially became more active whereas before she had been hiding away and sleeping a lot.

Ozzy is 22 months and has had health issues for a few months. He really picked up for quite some time once he was put on Metacam but he has now reached the point where he is nearing the end of his life, either naturally or with help.

What i do differently for an eldery hamster is that i move them in a bungalow with everything low and easily accessible. Foodwise, i let them have what they enjoy including food i wouldn't normally give a dwarf. If Ozzy wants a sugary Cheerio he can have one.

[RolyRocks]

Thanks Ria P, it's really good to hear how it has helped your hamsters. I don't really know if Loki has any health issues, apart from the weight loss and being less active, he looks well. His coat is still glossy and the vet agreed he had nice bright eyes. But, I know from experience that weight loss in animals is never a good sign.
I'm glad you said that you give your elderly dwarfs foods that they wouldn't normally have. I have started to give Loki extra treats but then I started to worry that if he is a healthy older boy, I may end up making him poorly and giving him diabetes! I just worry so much about everything, at the end of the day I just want to do the best for my little man. I adore him SO much and it makes me so sad knowing he may not be around for much longer.

Thanks again for all your help, it is very much appreciated.

Thinking of you and little Ozzy.

[souffle]

that sounds way too much unless they have diluted it down already. I'd say the drop sounds more like it. Maybe they meant .3mls diluted in a 100ml water bottle? If it's full strength and you gave 0.3 I think it could kill him!

[Pebbles82]

It definitely would not be .3 mls of dog Metacam - that would be a massive overdose and far too big a quantity. You did right to query it with the vet and don’t hesitate to do so again if you’re not sure.

0.03 mls sounds about right. You should have been given a 1 ml syringe with the Metacam (the smaller one on the photo you posted). The end of this fits inside the larger syringe supplied with the dog metacam.

You draw up the Metacam in the larger syringe (about 1ml eg) then draw 0.03 into the smaller syringe from the larger one. Anything left in the larger one can be squirted back into the Metacam bottle. It stores well and doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

The 1ml syringe has 10 markings. Each of these is 0.1 ml. Each of those 0.1 markings has 10 small markings. Each of those is 0.01. So the dose is three of the tiny markings.

“A drop” is not exact enough - drops can vary in size a lot - it needs to be measured out in the small syringe.

Doubling the dose is not a good idea at all - too much can cause kidney failure.

Once a day is standard. The full dose will give the relief needed. The important thing is to give it at the same time each day because it will start to wear off after 24 hours. Giving half a dose twice a day won’t give full relief at each dose. So stick to once a day.

Metacam is an anti inflammatory - it’s the equivalent of ibuprofen for humans - so although it’s an anti inflammatory it also acts as pain relief.

The dosage is partly worked out by weight but not as per the instructions on the bottle because the vet has to factor in the hamster’s metabolism in the dose. As such the equivalent dose for a hamster is higher than for a cat (if you had a cat the same weight eg).

So metabolism has already been factored into the dose. I actually think 0.03 sounds quite a high dose for the weight of your hamster. It is probably the maximum within the range. There is some leeway in the range.