Re: [Felvtalk] metacam and prednisone

[Margo]

Hi Lance,

 

                 I have no experience with lung cancer, but recently had to deal with oral squamous cell carcinoma in my cat (Pattern). Pattern lived 10 months after an initial surgery, and buprenorphine never seemed to lose effectiveness. I did up the dose near the end, but she never seemed uncomfortable. But, on oncologist certainly knows more than I do. Still, I have never heard any suggestion of using metacam long term, but maybe that's a protcol for certain circumstances.

 

                 I'll look for more complete info.

 

All the best,

 

Margo

 

 -----Original Message-----
From: Lance
Sent: May 19, 2013 10:16 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] metacam and prednisone

Thanks, Janine and Susan. I should have noted that I have some tramadol here, but I'm avoiding using it as I have some compounded buprenorphine due here on Wednesday. I was considering giving Ember one metacam dose in the meantime. Would a metacam injection be "better" (more safe for her kidneys) than the oral dose I would give? 

Ember's primary vet consulted with a veterinary oncologist at a nearby university, and the oncologist said that using opioids now would make them less effective down the road, which is why she recommended metacam. Granted, Ember is doing fairly well, but how would we know when to switch from metacam to an opioid? When is "down the road"?

If anyone has had some experience with feline lung cancer, I'd really like to hear more about it. My main concern is to make sure that Ember doesn't suffer, and I worry that, despite only a few minor behavioral changes, Ember is dealing with significant pain. I wish cats weren't so good at hiding their hurt.

Lance

On May 19, 2013, at 8:54 PM, janine paton <patonjan...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

I am so not a fan of metacam either, other than one or two days.  More than one day is off label and for good reason.  Agree with Susan, use torbulgesic or buprenex, which addresses cancer pain much better.  I don't get why vets continue to use metacam.   Maybe they will stop when they have a cat go into kidney failure, which is why my vet stopped using it.  I would say talk to another vet about this, not the ones recommending the metacam.  

Janine

---

From: Susan Hoffman <susan_hoff...@yahoo.com>
To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
Sent: Sun, May 19, 2013 9:31:03 PM
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] metacam and prednisone

I'm a fan of metacam.  I've never used it in an FeLV cat and you cannot use it if a cat has kidney issues, but for mild pains, like aches and sprains and arthritis, it helps.  But it's given in a tiny amount, weight-based, and only every two or three days. Don't overdo it.  Also, it is an antinflammatory so I would not give it with pred.  I'vr never had it prescribed with pred.

For a tumor however you may need a stronger pain med, like torbulgesic or buprenex, so talk to your vet about this.

---

From: Lance <lini...@fastmail.fm>
To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> 
Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2013 5:58 PM
Subject: [Felvtalk] metacam and prednisone

Hi all,

I posted recently about my FeLV+ girl, Ember. Since she most likely has (at least) a lung tumor, I'm going to get her on pain meds soon, despite the fact that most of the differences in her behavior are minor. Our "second opinion" vet prescribed metacam, and an oncologist who consulted with Ember's primary vet also recommended metacam. 

These are smart, experienced folks with lots of education. But, I'm seeing so much outcry over metacam online that I'm very reluctant to give it to Ember. I'd love to ease any discomfort she might be having, and metacam would be easy to give. What are your thoughts on metacam?

I'm also wondering if prednisone might be helpful in reducing any inflammation that Ember is dealing with. I know people on the list have used it, but I'm concerned about its ability to create low wbc. Ember already has that issue, due to being FeLV+. Would folks who have pred experience in FeLV+ cats mind posting your experiences?

Thanks,

Lance
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