Overdose given to dog by vet

snowman2_2

It depends on the drug but most are safety tested to 5- 6 x normal dose for 1 month or more. Double dose for a week is unlikely to cause any harm in 95% of drugs but it really does depend on the drug.

Myrtle77

I think Sagz has given good advice here in recommending you contact the drug company. I'd still write a letter of complaint though - contact the RCVS here, who have a legal duty to investigate.

Whether the drug had the potential to cause harm or not, they clearly are not following correct procedures with regards to dosage and issue of drugs. I'm afraid I wouldn't trust them again, and would be switching vets pronto.

Croatoan

As for switching practices, you are currently at one where a mistake was made and which owned up to it as well as telling you not to worry. It is of course your right to ignore that advice, but being that mistakes are made at all practices you may well end up somewhere mistakes are covered up - and more numerous - and you would never know. For most of us there are a finite number of vets in the area we can go to, and there can be no guarantee that the vet we switch to is better than the one we left, and certainly there is no such thing as an error-free practice.
It would be useful to know exactly how the error occurred, and if it's troubling you then an apology would be nice if you haven't been given one, but in the end GettingReady has it right: we should all check prescriptions and medication leaflets. We would do it for a child, we should be doing it for our pets.

Sezzler

the drug is Metacan (meloxicam) produced by boehringer ingelheim.. not just got to find the side effects

Croatoan

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1752

The most common side effects of meloxicam are nausea, appetite loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If any of the above are noted, meloxicam should be discontinued and the pet brought in for a liver enzyme and renal parameter blood test.

Sagz_2

Did your dog have pre-op bloods taken OP? If so I'd ask for a re-test to see if there was any significant difference. But, in my opinion, if no side effects were seen at the time then I would not worry too much (I know easier said than don OP x). When I've seen an adverse reaction to Metacam / Meloxicam it's been after just 2 or 3 doses, whereas your little dog was double-dosed for 2 weeks with no obvious ill effects.

albacookie

My mum accidently gave her dog 50kg worth of metacam rather than 5kg worth for 10 days! Pup was fine - checked liver/kidney function with blood tests but everything was ok.

Toothfairy4

albacookie wrote: »

My mum accidently gave her dog 50kg worth of metacam rather than 5kg worth for 10 days! Pup was fine - checked liver/kidney function with blood tests but everything was ok.

Do you mean 50mg?

atrixblue.-MFR-.

very unlikely that damage has been done but as the dog is of a small veriety it has small organs, the vet should have apologised and adjusted the vet notes accordingly to report there was an overdose given by mistaken weight to mg ratio taken at the vets.

as a matter of course the vet should have retaken post op bloods if pre op blood had been taken, and check listed the liver function box and enzym check box to test for any abnormalities or side effect the drug may have caused.

every animal is different just because its a dog doesnt mean because your dog was fine this dog WILL be fine. best to check rather than be unhappy and worry about it.

snowman2_2

You are very unlikely to have any problems from 11kg dose of metacam in a 6kg dog for 1 week. Side effects are rare but will happen at standard doses and in my experience are usually gut related. Metacam will have been tested at multiple overdoses and like albacookie said, will have been used accidently at 10 x overdose. We will regularly use it in rabbits at 6 - 10 x the dog dose. Any worries, see your vet but it is unlikely

Toothfairy4 - it will be 50kg as it is measured in weight on the measuring syringe.