How to save a cat. (And the legal ramifications?)

[Maios]

He's on about the dosage.

Ok...where is he seeing that only 0.5 mg/mL is approved for cats in Canada?

From the site linked above:

In U.S.A., Canada and Europe, meloxicam is available as a 1.5 mg/mL oral liquid and as a 5 mg/mL injectable solution.

By the way, that number is only the concentration of the solution. The actual dosage may vary.

[Gheld]

Or, you know, get unnecessarily paranoid over things you find on the internet.

So if your doctor said "Here's a post operative anesthetic, take 3 times the manufacturer/FDA recommended dosage" you'd just happily oblige without a second thought? You wouldn't seek a second opinion, and in the mean time confide in your colleagues about it?

[Sayl]

So... discuss?

You're responsible for the care of an animal that's in pain, working under a time limit, and posting this thread here is the best idea you could come up with? Seriously, why?

[Oftenwrongsoong]

So if your doctor said "Here's a post operative anesthetic, take 3 times the manufacturer/FDA recommended dosage" you'd just happily oblige without a second thought? You wouldn't seek a second opinion, and in the mean time confide in your colleagues about it?

I would take it, for the same reason I listen to a doctor when he says take 4 times the regular dose of ibuprofen or any other druge. They know what they are doing. They know me, my illness, my reactions, my treatment and what's best for my medical care.

The internet does not.

[Arcilux]

Leaving the cat in pain and refusing to give it the prescribed pain meds is borderline animal cruelty in my opinion. Give a third of the pill if you are that overly concerned, but 1.5 mg/mL is the standard most places, and I would personally follow the vet's instructions.

I mean, I can find internet articles that claim my sore throat is caused by cancer, but I think I will trust the doctor over the internet.

Just give the cat it's medicine. Cut the dosage if you really don't feel comfortable following a professional's instructions, but don't keep the cat in pain.

[Gheld]

You're responsible for the care of an animal that's in pain, working under a time limit, and posting this thread here is the best idea you could come up with? Seriously, why?

Well actually I volunteered to pick the cat up. Our other roommate volunteered to take care of him while she's away(since I work a lot).

I'm actually taking time, that I have no moral obligation to take, to see to the health of the cat. But thanks for being presumptuous. I just looked up the drug for shits and giggles, and noticed that according to the government of Canada drug database the DIN corresponds to a product only approved for usage in dogs in Canada.

[Maios]

1.5 mg/ML is not 3 times the dosage of 0.5 mg/ML

The dosage is literally how much of the substance you are consuming. Those numbers are the concentration of the solution.

1 ML of 1.5mg/mL is the same amount of drug as 3 ML of 0.5mg/mL

[Arcilux]

I would take it, for the same reason I listen to a doctor when he says take 4 times the regular dose of ibuprofen or any other druge. They know what they are doing. They know me, my illness, my reactions, my treatment and what's best for my medical care.

The internet does not.

And exactly that. 200mg Ibuprofen is the standard dose, but if a doctor hands me a script for 800mg tablets and tells me to take them (this happened when I had a nasty concussion) you better believe I listened to the doctor.

[Sayl]

I'm actually taking time, that I have no moral obligation to take, to see to the health of the cat. But thanks for being presumptuous. I just looked up the drug for shits and giggles, and noticed that according to the government of Canada drug database the DIN corresponds to a product only approved for usage in dogs in Canada.

Point still stands. Go talk to vets, not MMO-C.

[Maios]

Well actually I volunteered to pick the cat up. Our other roommate volunteered to take care of him while she's away(since I work a lot).

I'm actually taking time, that I have no moral obligation to take, to see to the health of the cat. But thanks for being presumptuous. I just looked up the drug for shits and giggles, and noticed that according to the government of Canada drug database the DIN corresponds to a product only approved for usage in dogs in Canada.

I would love it if you would provide a source that it's not approved for cats.

[Dengir]

So a ridiculous set of circumstances just played out right before my eyes. My roommate's cat's neutering appointment (well the appointment to pick him up after holding him for observations afterwards, because she took him to the local Community College) lined up inconveniently with her having to catch a flight out of town. So I was nice and volunteered to go pick him up.

Anyways, the vet gave me 2 doses of an oral painkiller to bring home along with him. Now I have an obsession with googling random things, and I felt especially compelled to run the DIN(Drug Identification Number) for the painkiller they prescribed the cat Which was the 1.5mg/mL DOG dosage of metacam oral. (in Canada only the 0.5mg/mL concentration is approved for oral dosage to cats).

Apparently some countries do approve the 1.5mg/mL for use in cats, but not Canada.

The web, as usual, is a myriad of conflicting information about the drug, and there are many horror stories of cats having died of renal failure while on metacam, and some say "the injection is safe but the oral isn't" and others say "the oral is safe but the injection isn't".

But what I do know, is that the veterinarian prescribed a non-approved drug for the cat.

So my roommate is probably still in flight (or going through customs) and I have a sad cat that is in pain, and I can't in good conscience administer a drug that is not legally approved for the patient. Especially if it's a drug dose normally meant for a dog, to a little 6 or 7 lb cat, and I have to leave for work in an hour, and I'm not sure if my roommate will be able to check her phone before that.

Also ironic, given the whole renal failure thing, is that auto correct always wants to change the cat's name to "Kidney".

So... discuss?

The owner should of found a BETTER person to take care of the cat. Stop being a dick and give the cat the meds.

Infracted.

[Arcilux]

Also, quick research shows that the pill form is different than the oral suspension (liquid) form. The standard pill form is 1.5mg sodium benzoate, which is a preservative not the actual main ingredient. Is it actually 1.5mg/ml of meloxicam, or just a 1.5mg/ml pill?

[Deleted]

Why do people insisting on asking here for ANY medical advice ?
Human - Go to a doctor / Call an ambulance / Go to a hospital
Animal - Call a vet / go to vet's practice / call the local animal charity or shelter.

Your not caring for the animal by leaving it in distress. Give it a partial dose. Get in touch with another vet, explain everything and take it from there.

[Eliandal]

Point still stands. Go talk to vets, not MMO-C.

Pretty much this! Call your local shelter/humane society/animal clinic and explain the situation. Would have been solved before the third post!

[Sayl]

Why do people insisting on asking here for ANY medical advice ?

No idea, but it's really getting out of hand.

[lordmatthias]

You don't necessarily need to contact the vet you got the meds from. If you are unable to get ahold of them for whatever reason, just call another vet. I have had to do this before and I found once I explained the situation they are very willing to help as they are just answering some questions.

Call a vet if you are that worried about it.

[muto]

I would say trust the vet on this one.

[Xeones]

So if a vet does something illegal, I can't judge them because I'm not a vet?

Correct, you perceive that the vet is doing something illegal. That is different from the vet actually doing something illegal. It is your job to call the vet and ask, if you don't trust said vet then call another vet and verify the information you received. Then you can find the proper location to place a complaint about the offending vet (probably animal control) where they will perform an investigation in order to find the potential guilt of the vet in question.

[Zazzmi]

So a ridiculous set of circumstances just played out right before my eyes. My roommate's cat's neutering appointment (well the appointment to pick him up after holding him for observations afterwards, because she took him to the local Community College) lined up inconveniently with her having to catch a flight out of town. So I was nice and volunteered to go pick him up.

Anyways, the vet gave me 2 doses of an oral painkiller to bring home along with him. Now I have an obsession with googling random things, and I felt especially compelled to run the DIN(Drug Identification Number) for the painkiller they prescribed the cat Which was the 1.5mg/mL DOG dosage of metacam oral. (in Canada only the 0.5mg/mL concentration is approved for oral dosage to cats).

Apparently some countries do approve the 1.5mg/mL for use in cats, but not Canada.

The web, as usual, is a myriad of conflicting information about the drug, and there are many horror stories of cats having died of renal failure while on metacam, and some say "the injection is safe but the oral isn't" and others say "the oral is safe but the injection isn't".

But what I do know, is that the veterinarian prescribed a non-approved drug for the cat.

So my roommate is probably still in flight (or going through customs) and I have a sad cat that is in pain, and I can't in good conscience administer a drug that is not legally approved for the patient. Especially if it's a drug dose normally meant for a dog, to a little 6 or 7 lb cat, and I have to leave for work in an hour, and I'm not sure if my roommate will be able to check her phone before that.

Also ironic, given the whole renal failure thing, is that auto correct always wants to change the cat's name to "Kidney".

So... discuss?

There is nothing to worry about. Short-term use of metacam won't cause the cat any kidney issues. The problem comes from repeated, long-term usage. Also, the dosage for short-term use is figured by the weight of the cat.

---------- Post added 2013-01-16 at 04:03 PM ----------

Also, if I may appeal to your common sense: post-op pain is best managed preventatively. As with human surgery, you want to start taking the pain meds BEFORE the anesthetic wears off. The longer you allow the cat to suffer in pain while you play doctor, the more difficult it will be for the pain medication to work for him. PLEASE just give the cat his meds.

[Deleted]

You should just consult another vet instead of asking here. We don't want anything bad to happen to you or the cat because someone gave a response that isn't correct.