Meloxicam dosage?

[Preitler]

Hi,

my little black Fury gets old, she has athritis to the point that it's a struggle to get up, and I can see that she was in pain without medication. She's 11yo now, and starts to get frail.

Vet told me 0,3mg per day for her 3kg would be right, but Medirabbit says 0,3-0,6mg/kg. Also i got the feeling that the 0,1mg/kg didn't do much, so I am already giving her 0,9mg per day, split in two servings.

Thank god she's a stubborn pighead, and still is the first down the ramp in the morning (made her a new one with flat, long steps instead of the old sloped one), but I don't think she'll see another winter.

 

[JBun]

Often less knowledge vets under dose meloxicam closer to the dog dose, which is likely to be completely ineffective for rabbits, who have a much faster metabolism, according to several conducted studies.

Medirabbit is right, 0.3-0.6mg/kg, this is up to twice a day. This is the recommended dose according to BSAVA and Textbook of Rabbit Medicine, which I would presume, knowledgeable rabbit vets in Europe refer to. Though this is the recommended dose from 7 yr ago. There may be a more updated recommended dose.

For my elderly rabbit, she was getting 0.5ml twice a day(1.5mg total), and she was 1.7kg. So about 0.45mg/kg dose, twice a day. Her dose was started at the higher end to establish effective pain relief, then reduced each day to find the lowest daily amount that provided the needed pain management. Anything less than that dose and I would see a decline in her comfort level.

So it's a matter of finding just the right minimum dose for your rabbit, that achieves adequate pain management. For a 3kg rabbit, I would want to start out at 1.5mg twice a day(3mg/day), according to the recommended dose. Then once adequate pain relief is achieved, gradually reduce that amount to a good daily maintenance level. Provided there is good kidney function.

https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/
https://www.exoticvetclinic.com/aeacblog/pet-owners/2017/02/meloxicam-in-rabbits
There may be other supplements and treatments that could be helpful, in addition to the meloxicam.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Arthritis

 

[Preitler]

Thanks. I was worried because the last days she didn't return to the hutch by herself at nightfall, only after I told her to go home. Just gave her the higher dose, mixed into apple mush with a little oatmeal.

 

[Catlyn]

I also wondered if 0.3mg daily was too little for a rabbit of that size.
When one of my boys needed pain relief, they got more than what your vet advised. I think it was Lümi with his weight of 3.5/3.6kg, who got 1,6ml daily, which equates to about 0.45mg/kg per day.
Nice that you upped the dose for your Fury. Is she doing a bit better now?

 

[Mileybun]

Miley is 2.3kg and has 0.8ml of dog metacam twice a day if that helps.

 

[Preitler]

Today I was at the vet, with Chantal for another issue, and she looked up the dosage recommended in her handbook, and that says 0,1-0,3mg/kg, mentioning that this already is quite higher than what is used for cats and dogs (that explains the small bottle size, can't get more than 32ml 1,5mg/ml). So there is a discrepancy between what vets use, and what the internet says, Personally, from what I see, I think the second is more spot on.

I can't really tell already if the higher dose makes a much of a difference, it's raining all day and my oldies stay in the hutches anyway, but she seems to be perky and in a good mood.

 

[JBun]

It must be an outdated reference. There are multiple studies showing that rabbits require a higher dose to achieve therapeutic plasma concentration. If possible, maybe your vet could consult with a rabbit specialist in the UK, for the current recommended meloxicam dose for rabbits.

The best way I was able to tell if it was helping my old bun, was by giving the higher dose for several days, then stop giving it for a few days and see if your rabbits behavior is more subdued. I could tell with my rabbit. She was more sedentary, and her hop looked more stiff and slow when she did move.

https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/ajvr/75/2/ajvr.75.2.195.xml
https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/meloxicam-as-analgesic-for-rabbits
https://www.vin.com/apputil/content...&catId=113456&id=8506499&ind=452&objTypeID=17
https://www.exoticvetclinic.com/aeacblog/pet-owners/2017/02/meloxicam-in-rabbits
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23531074/
https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/docum...kg-vs-10-mgkg-of-oral-meloxicam-for-safe-and/

 

[Popsicles]

I would be starting a bunny on anywhere up to 0.6mg/kg twice a day depending on pain level, and then reducing down as far as is tolerated, minimum 0.3mg/kg usually. If a rabbit is needing the full 0.6mg/kg I would be considering adding in additional pain relief - gabapentin, paracetamol, tramadol etc.

 

[Popsicles]

(I am a vet in the UK with my own elderly bunny)