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Medications Older girl with Arthritis, metacam?

Access

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I have an older (9-10 years) pig. Up until about a year ago, she was a very active pig, but started slowing down about a year ago. At that time, I Made sure she was getting enough Vitamin C, no real effect, figured it was just old age.

A few months ago, she started peeing everywhere, and acting like she was losing control of her back legs. When I took her into the vet, she tested the urine and found she had a UTI, cleared up after a week of antibiotics.

Also mentioned to the vet that she also recently seemed to be losing the user of her back legs, ie. as she walked, sometimes she would drag her back legs behind her, also back legs in unusual positions when she sat down or or slept.

Vet gave me some metacam that seemed to help at first, but she also explained that it can cause liver damage and other side effects. For an older pig, quality of life is my main concern, I don't want her to be in pain or struggle. Vet suggested that metacam be given on bad days, but if she has good days where she is moving well consider not giving.

Metacam did seem to help at first, every day seemed like a bad day so I gave it to her in the morning repeatedly. She would move around, eat food, and wheek often. This went on for about a month but over the weekend she was really cutting back on her eating, only eating around half as much, and also seemed to be moving around pretty well, so I didn't give her the metacam on Saturday or Sunday. By Sunday her eating seemed to be picking up a little, I'll keep monitoring her eating today as well as her mobility was fine (seemed to be doing fine on Sunday and this morning).

My question is what should I do with the metacam in the future? I saw a lot of mention on medical sites of trying to vary the dosage or find the minimum effective dosage(?) to try to keep side effects at a minimum. If her eating is picking back up when she is off it, then it's likely the thing that had an effect on her appetite(?). Does anyone else have experience with this sort of thing, she is the first pig I've kept that's had these problems.
 

bpatters

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That's an amazing age for a pig. If it were me, I'd be more concerned with keeping her comfortable than with side effects. She's had a great, long life, and she deserves to be comfortable.

If you've giving the metacam only once a day, I'd cut the dosage in half, increase it by 10%, and give it twice a day. It just won't last for 24 hours, no matter what the literature says.

I would supplement her with vitamin C as well. Older pigs (and older every thing else) just don't process foods as well as when they were younger. If you can get enough in her with food, well and good. But if not, I'd add a supplement.
 

sallyvh

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I had a senior girl on metacam for arthritis for about a year and half.

She got 0.2ml twice a day (1.5mg/ml). If she was having a particularly bad day we gave more. She had huge doses for some short times, up to 0.4ml twice a day. She was about 1200 grams.

She also had a vitamin C and a joint supplement. She passed away a few months ago at 7.5 from unrelated causes.
 

LittleSqueakers

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I agree that at her age, comfort would be the main concern over possible side effects of the medication, especially if it seems to be helping her symptoms. Metacam can affect appetite somewhat, and giving smaller doses with a meal will can help prevent any digestive discomfort.
 

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Thanks all, I am trying splitting up into two doses, morning and night.

The metacam seems to have at least some cumulative and delayed effect over time, but hopefully it will be more even and help to give in smaller doses throughout the day. When she's gone without metacam in the past, she seems fine after one or two days without metacam, but three or four days and the arthritis symptoms definitely come back. So it doesn't seem to make any sense to stop it altogether, perhaps try smaller doses and keep a log to see what works best. Online it says the elimination half life of Metacam is 20-24 hours for dogs, I'm not sure if pigs are similar or not.

Not entirely sure but I think the appetite may also have something to do with times that I am around? I mean, she always seems intent on eating anything that I give her when I am around. But if I leave food for her and leave the house, when I come back the food is maybe half eaten. Never had any other pig act this way, and she only started to act this way recently (she used to eat a great deal regardless if I was around and maintain normal weight, was very active so exercise must have kept her weight down).
 
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