metacam stopped working

zaksmum

My dog Lucy, a 40kg Golden Retriever cross, started on Metacam in October and the results were amazing. At the age of 12, she was like a young dog again.

However, in the last four weeks or so, she's struggling again. She's not too bad once she's up from a lying down position but it's painful to watch her actually trying to get up.

Is it usual for Metacam to quite suddenly stop being of any use to the dog? If so...what next?

We love Lucy to bits and we will do anything we can to give her the best chance of quality time. She's happy with a good appetite and a waggy tail so no other issues apart from the mobility. She's fully insured so no financial implications around her treatment.

I'll try anything for her.:(

Azmataz

Awww, poor girl Has she put on any significant amount of weight recently? Metacam is dosed in a quite accurate ratio to weight.
Does she have hip dysplasia?

rising_from_the_ashes

Sorry to hear that

Ben was on Metacam for 2/3 years and it worked great for him - Mum's dog is on a similar drug (Loxicom or something like that) with similar results.

I've always been able to reduce the dose once they've settled on the drug which then gives a little bit of leeway to having a bit extra on a bad day

Were you able to reduce the dose & her maintain or was she on the full dose all the time?


TBH it's really a conversation to have with your vets - there are many drugs of this type on the market and what works for one won't for another

I'm sure with Ben I had to try 3 or 4 drugs before he settled on the Metacam and was able to be comfortable long term

Hope you find something that suits / helps

zaksmum

She hasn't put weight on - if anything she's lost a bit. As far as I know, she doesn't have hip dysplasia. When the vet put her on the Metacam in October, it was after a full examination and hip dysplasia wasn't mentioned.

I have an appointment now for next week to see what the vet thinks could be done to help Lucy.

Misty_Blue

Metacam never did much for any of my dogs, so I can't comment about that, but I've seen excellent results on two dogs (one with bilateral hip dysplasia) from Cimalgex, if you're looking to try another route.

krlyr

We reached a point with my last GSD, who was diagnosed with hip dysplasia quite young, where the Metacam wasn't helping as much. We tried switching to Rimadyl but it didn't seem to be having as much of an effect as the Metacam. We tried some Cartrophen injections too and found it gave a short-term boost but not long-term relief.

I was giving a few supplements at the time but wasn't aware of half of the supplements available now. I would definately explore that route - Turmeric/golden paste is meant to be great for HD/arthritis, I've been taking it myself for a back issue and my nan's been on it for her osteoarthritis. It shouldn't interfere with any other meds so worth a try - check out the Facebook group "Turmeric User Group"

I'd also check out the other supplements and treatments listed here, they're not limited to treating just arthritis - http://dogaware.com/health/arthritis.html
Acupuncture could help with pain relief, and a canine physiotherapist may be able to provide some treatments as well as advising on exercises to strength the muscles around the joint to take some of the strain away from the bad joint itself.

Consider the diet of the dog (e.g. grains can be inflammatory, as can some oils - like sunflower/vegetable oils, and things like tomato should be avoided when arthritis is present), the type of exercise you're providing, things like that.

sheramber

There are many other drugs available if Metacam is no linger enough.

One of my elderly !!!!!es was given PLT when Metacam stopped working for her.

Another went on to Zubrin. Accupuncture also helped her a lot.

pawsies

Salmon oil?

bathwiggle

My other has started our 14yo springer on cortaflex, and he's gone from not wanting to walk and sleeping only on the floor back to running around like a nutter and hurdling over the sofa to play fetch, as well as sleeping on his sofa.