When our pets are in pain, often times we are desperate to relieve them of it and do not ask questions; however, we absolutely must, because this drug is so toxic, causing renal failure and death, the FDA mandated a warning label be added in 2010. Unfortunately, your vet may not even be aware!!!
If your kitty is being prescribed pain meds, PLEASE ASK YOUR VET BEFORE ANY MEDICATION IS ADMINISTERED... AND MAKE SURE IT IS NOT METACAM… ALSO KNOWN AS MELOXICAM!!!
I first learned of this warning from Dr. Neely, when a reader posed a question about her one-year old kitty dying:
http://www.askthecatdoctor.com/my-1-year-old-cat-passed-away-after-being-sick-for-1-day.html
Dr. Neely also shared this site: http://www.metacamkills.com
Below is an alert from the Health Sciences Institute on 1/21/2014:
A veterinary drug used on cats in pain can put your feline in kidney failure
Black box warnings aren’t just on drugs for people. And this veterinary drug has a whopper of a warning.
The drug is called meloxicam — Metacam for short — and it’s used to treat pain in cats. Only this drug is so dangerous for cats that the second dose can send them into kidney failure! That’s right, the second dose! And that warning comes right from the drug maker’s website.
This warning isn’t brand new, it was added in 2010, but your vet may not have seen it. And since it probably would be administered by your vet during an office visit, you’ll never see it either.
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Another reason you need to be on the alert for this drug is that the manufacturer, BIVI, is pushing to get more vets to start using it.
BIVI sponsored a study after the FDA warning was added saying that daily use of the drug will help arthritic cats. Another recent study, this one by veterinarians with close financial ties to BIVI, said it can actually benefit cats who have kidney disease!
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Remember, this is the same drug that can put a cat into kidney failure on the second dose! Talk about researchers with a conflict of interest.
Fortunately, there are other drugs available if your cat needs medication for pain. It’s simply outrageous that Metacam is still on the market.
So if your cat needs a pain reliever, ask if it’s Metacam. — and if it is, ask for a different drug. Or better yet, have them mark on your pet’s chart in big bold letters, NO METACAM!
Sources:
Boehringer Ingelheim web site, bi-vetmedica.com
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Helping to keep beloved furry babies healthy and safe... and pet parents informed!
Lori
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