Should I give Metacam an hour early or late?

[CrazyChickenGirl]

Life has been crazy and I haven’t been on here in ages, but I have a question. Opal was spayed on Monday. I was instructed to give Opal one syringe (1.5 mg/ml) of Metacam orally at 3:00pm every day for five days starting yesterday (because they gave her some on Monday while she was there). The problem is, I’m not going to be home at 3:00pm today. Would it be better to give it to her at 1:00 or 4:00 instead?

 

[Preitler]

Although an hour later doesn't matter much if it is given once per day I would still give it earlier, just to be on the safe side. This small variation do not pose an overdose risk, Metacam is pretty safe in a wide range.
Personally, when I needed to give Metacam I gave it twice per day to make sure the level is high enough, but once per day is ok too.

How much do you give, and what's the weight of your bunny? (My vet over here used an outdated handbook and set too low doses, but I've not heard that the same happened to anyone else)

 

[CrazyChickenGirl]

Although an hour later doesn't matter much if it is given once per day I would still give it earlier, just to be on the safe side. This small variation do not pose an overdose risk, Metacam is pretty safe in a wide range.
Personally, when I needed to give Metacam I gave it twice per day to make sure the level is high enough, but once per day is ok too.

How much do you give, and what's the weight of your bunny? (My vet over here used an outdated handbook and set too low doses, but I've not heard that the same happened to anyone else)

Thanks! Opal is 4.9 pounds (she’s a Holland Lop). The dose is 1.5 mg/ml.

 

[JBun]

Since you're only giving once a day dosing, I would give earlier too, as Preitler mentioned. By 24 hours your rabbit is likely to be in pain again, as rabbits metabolize the drug faster than other animals and the meloxicam is pretty much out of their system by then. Based on the studies done, the recommendation for rabbits now, is a higher dose and more frequent dosing than for other animals, like dogs. This is why experienced rabbit vets usually prescribe twice daily dosing now, to give more consistent pain management throughout a 24 hour period.

https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/

 

[JBun]

A 2.2kg rabbit would normally need around a 2mg/day dose minimum, and up to 3.3mg/day for up to 5 days, best split into twice a day doses. So at 1.5mg/day currently, if you feel your rabbit is still experiencing significant pain and discomfort, I would suggest contacting your vet asking about a higher dose, preferably at least 1mg twice a day (for 2mg total/day) is what I would want to give, based on the studies recommendations. If you need to, provide links to the scientific studies to support your request.

 

[CrazyChickenGirl]

Since you're only giving once a day dosing, I would give earlier too, as Preitler mentioned. By 24 hours your rabbit is likely to be in pain again, as rabbits metabolize the drug faster than other animals and the meloxicam is pretty much out of their system by then. Based on the studies done, the recommendation for rabbits now, is a higher dose and more frequent dosing than for other animals, like dogs. This is why experienced rabbit vets usually prescribe twice daily dosing now, to give more consistent pain management throughout a 24 hour period.

https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/

A 2.2kg rabbit would normally need around a 2mg/day dose minimum, and up to 3.3mg/day for up to 5 days, best split into twice a day doses. So at 1.5mg/day currently, if you feel your rabbit is still experiencing significant pain and discomfort, I would suggest contacting your vet asking about a higher dose, preferably at least 1mg twice a day (for 2mg total/day) is what I would want to give, based on the studies recommendations. If you need to, provide links to the scientific studies to support your request.

Thanks for the help!