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Contra-indications, warnings, etc
Contraindications
Do not use in pregnant or lactating animals.
Do not use in cats suffering from gastrointestinal disorders such as irritation and haemorrhage, impaired hepatic, cardiac or renal function and haemorrhagic disorders.
Do not use in cases of hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
Do not use in cats less than 6 weeks of age.
Do not use in guinea pigs less than 4 weeks of age.
Special precautions for use
Special precautions for use in animals
Avoid use in any dehydrated, hypovolaemic or hypotensive animal, as there is a potential risk of renal toxicity.
Post-operative use in cats and guinea pigs:
In case additional pain relief is required, multimodal pain therapy should be considered.
Chronic musculoskeletal disorders in cats:
Response to long-term therapy should be monitored at regular intervals by a veterinary surgeon.
Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the veterinary medicinal product to animals
People with known hypersensitivity to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should avoid contact with the veterinary medicinal product.
In case of accidental ingestion, seek medical advice immediately and show the package leaflet or the label to the physician.
This product can cause eye irritation. In case of contact with the eyes, immediately rinse thoroughly with water.
Adverse reactions (frequency and seriousness)
In cats, typical adverse reactions of NSAIDs such as loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, faecal occult blood, lethargy and renal failure have very rarely been reported from post-marketing safety experience. Gastrointestinal ulceration and elevated liver enzymes were reported in very rare cases from post-marketing safety experience.
These side effects are in most cases transient and disappear following termination of the treatment but in very rare cases may be serious or fatal.
If adverse reactions occur, treatment should be discontinued and the advice of a veterinarian should be sought.
The frequency of adverse reactions is defined using the following convention:
- very common (more than 1 in 10 animals treated displaying adverse reactions)
- common (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 100 animals treated)
- uncommon (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 1,000 animals treated)
- rare (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 10,000 animals treated)
- very rare (less than 1 animal in 10,000 animals treated, including isolated reports).
Overdose (symptoms, emergency procedures, antidotes), if necessary
Meloxicam has a narrow therapeutic safety margin in cats and clinical signs of overdose may be seen at relatively small overdose levels.
In case of overdose, adverse reactions, as listed in section 4.6, are expected to be more severe and more frequent. In case of overdose symptomatic treatment should be initiated.
In guinea pigs, an overdose of 0.6 mg/kg body weight administred during 3 days followed by a dose of 0.3 mg/kg during 6 additional days did not cause adverse events typical for meloxicam. The safety of doses exceeding 0.6 mg/kg has not been evaluated in guinea pigs.
Use during pregnancy, lactation or lay
The safety of the veterinary medicinal product has not been established during pregnancy and lactation (See section 4.3).
Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
Other NSAIDs, diuretics, anticoagulant, aminoglycoside antibiotics and substances with high protein binding may compete for binding and thus lead to toxic effects. Metacam must not be administered in conjunction with other NSAIDs or glucocorticosteroids. Concurrent administration of potential nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided.
In cats, pre-treatment with anti-inflammatory substances other than Metacam solution for injection at a single dose of 0.2 mg/kg may result in additional or increased adverse effects and accordingly a treatment-free period with such veterinary medicinal products should be observed for at least 24 hours before commencement of treatment. The treatment-free period, however, should take into account the pharmacological properties of the products used previously.