My 9 year old labrador hasn't been right for a while now.  His back leg seems weak and wasted, so took him to the vets, they gave him an anaesthetic to see what was wrong.  There is wear on the socket and they have put him on a pain killer for life.  Since he's been on this (which is about 2 months) he has been a nightmare to feed.  He used to be on the Royal Canin labrador retriever dry food, which he loved.  He won't touch it now.  We've tried it from different bags to make sure its not off, added gravy, added dog meat, still won't eat the biscuits.  I took him back to the vets, they just suggested the gravy, or adding water to it, which hasn't made any difference.  We then changed him to a different dry biscuit, which he loved for the first week, and now won't touch, so we have another bag worth £40 almost full.  I now have him on tinned dog food, and he can barely be bothered to eat that.  I think I need to take him back to the vets because he's losing weight, but have broken my leg and am housebound.  I think if he had teeth problems, he would welcome the meat, also he was eating the biscuits really eagerly for a week.  Has anyone else had these problems?  I'm worried because he's always been such a pig with his food and this isn't his character.

What painkiller is he on? It could be that a different one (and there are several available) would help.

He's on 30mls metacam a day.

Metacam is usually well tolerated by dogs, but there are always exceptions. Depending on any other underlying conditions he might have, there is the option of Rimadyl, Previcox or Trocoxil that your vet might consider trying him on.

Have to say I have owned a few dogs that did not respond to Metacam in that it did not help with the pain so it could be the discomfort of moving his head into a position to eat is sapping his appetite, ask your vet to try a different NSAID

I seem to recall that loss of appetite is one of the known side effects of metacam so it would probably be wise to discuss this with your vet. Sometimes it's difficult to get the balance right in managing pain relief and not causing further problems by way of side effects.

Nausea/loss of appetite is a common side effect of metacam. It's a non steroidal anti-inflammatory and, much as the same type of medication does to humans, it can be very harsh on the tummy.

I agree to speak to your vet about this. Perhaps a change of medication or something to counteract possible side effects. Remember too, don't give this type of medication on an empty tummy. Do you try feeding him before medication time?

Funnily enough - I was reading up about active manuka honey and was saying on another thread how it's very soothing for dogs tummies apparently. In humans, it can be hugely beneficial with ulcers/indigestion. Perhaps try a little manuka honey on a small piece of bread?

Poor guy - I think the vet needs to look at the whole medication thing again.

Our Vet normally gives Rimadyls for painkillers/anti inflams.  But it does need to be given with food.

Have you tried chappie tinned?  its quite smelly, low fat and easy to digest too.

You could always warm it up a tad too to make it more fragrant.

Like all painkillers they can and do cause tummy problems,labradors in my opinion do have sensitive tummys my elderly lab is on rhumacam same as metacam but not as expensive and she is tolorating it well at the moment,I have had bad experiences in the past with rimadyl and would never use these drug again on my labs,try giving chicken and rice,fresh meat {I cook mine}see wether she eats that.

Sheila

Thank you for your replies.  I have been giving the metacam to him first thing in the morning, before his breakfast, the vet never said anything about not giving it to him before food, so thank you for that suggestion.  He is on chappie at the moment, which he is sort of eating, but really picking it over, which is very unusual.  He really was the sort of dog that would eat anything, and so this is very worrying.  If he carries on leaving the tinned meat then I will take him back to the vets to see about changing the medication.

I've always given Metacam on the food and it's never caused a problem but some breeds tolerate it better than others. Have you tried Nature Diet you can get it in various flavours so you could buy 1 of each flavour & not waste too much money.

your lab may have stomach pain as a result of taking the metacam. I was actually given Zantac by vet to give 1 hr before. Always give food. Can you ask someone else to get your dog back to vet if you can't get there. Ring and ask to speak to the vet and explain your concerns. If your dog is to be on this "for life", read up on the side effects of both Rimadyl and Metacam, Rimadyl in particular. In fact any NSAID.   Watch your dog for any other changes in his behaviour and get in touch with your vet as soon as you notice anything. You are paying for the care of your animal and he deserves the best possible care and treatment, this, whether the dog is a senior or youngster.  I hope your dog is soon feeling better and his appetite improves.   If only they could talk!

Metacam MUST be mixed with your labs breakfast,it is dangerous and can be fatel if not giving it this way.

Sheila

I would also not give her any metacam for a couple of days to let her tummy settle,I suspect because you have not mixed it with her food it has upset her tummy.Hope she is soon better,fingers crossed.

Sheila

Thank you very much for all your replies.  I'm getting him back to the vets this week.  I am quite shocked that the vet didn't tell me the warnings of metacam to be honest.  Given my dog a tin of meat tonight, and he's taken one look at it and walked away, just not like him.  We did try putting the metacam in his food, but he refused it so we now syringe it into his mouth, so at least we know he's had it.  His leg is better, he used to drag it when he got up but he doesn't do that now, just need to get him eating again, so may have to look at changing medication :(

>We did try putting the metacam in his food, but he refused it so we now syringe it into his mouth, so at least we know he's had it.

You can still syringe it to be sure he's taken it but only after food.  Your vet should have mentioned it but the warnings are written on the instruction/care sheet.

I had difficulty with giving Metacam post op - my dog didn't want to eat because he was in pain but I couldn't give Metacam if he didn't eat.  A tricky balancing act.  I hand fed some roast chicken then boiled the carcass and extra meat to a gloop/broth.  It's very easy to remove the bones after this process and I've never known a dog who won't eat it.  Just warm or room temperature is best and it seems to be the dog equivalent of chicken soup comfort food! :)

Good luck with him

One of my girls can't have metacam, it makes her physically sick. So whenever she needs meds she has Zubrin, they're a dissolvable tablet rather than a liquid, but much kinder to her stomach. My other 2 are fine on metacam.

Put a little honey in the drinking water to help ease the tum.  will she take it off a spoon.  Will help the tum and maybe stimutate the appitite.

Been back to the vets has he has completely stopped eating, and he has started gagging and bringing up a white foamy sick.  The vet has stopped the metacam completely, and is going to prescribe him something different in a week.  Meanwhile he is on tablets to settle his tummy.  He's turning his nose up at all his favourite foods, even toast which he loves.  Poor boy, hopefully he will feel better soon.  The vet weighed him and he's lost a kilo, which he can't really afford to lose :(

Is he drinking ok? Is important he doesn't become de-hydrated. Honey in drinking water is a good idea ,as someone else has suggested. If he is not drinking much, you could syringe honey water into his mouth. If you dont have a syringe, you can buy one from chemist.  I do hope he will very soon improve.  What has your vet prescribed for his tum?

Looked at side effects of metacam and on one site it states that more labradors than any other breed can not tolorate metacam or  rhymadyl,Well cant believe it my old girl  refused her tea last night,and was sick however she has eaten chicken this am but she was picky,she is due to se vet this week so fingers crossed,they are a big worry when they wont eat.

Sheila.

I hope your dog is ok? Hadn't heard of that particular NSAID until your post.  One of my GSD's was put on Rimadyl when first marketed and had my suspicions when she had 3rd and final massive stroke. Have since read of problems caused by Rimadyl and of the lawsuits against the company in America and my suspicions were confirmed. These drugs do have a place in the armoury against diseases but I don't think enough advice is given when prescribed. Not everyone bothers to read the info leaflet,if there is one.  Maybe your vet is aware of the problems with giving metacam and rimadyl to Labs. Maybe why she prescribed the one you are using. Do hope she will be ok.

Hi as posted on other threads,my lab has problems with her back legs like most labs and gsd, my girl is 12years old and when young she jumped over a six ft fence and ran into the road she was very active of course when young but more than most,a car hit her back end and she has a metal plate in her leg also screws,we knew that this would cause problems later on,she has been on rhumacam for six months now and has tolorated it very well,I want her of course to be painfree so quality of life every time not quantity,oh went Sainsburys last night my trolly was full of nice doggy food fresh chicken,fish,rice steak,she woolfed a bowl of chicken with a bit of chicken soup down,also had the same this am, Taking her the vets tonight for blood tests to make sure all is ok

Sheila

What a relief for you - awful when they wont. What about green lipped mussel or glucosamine and chondroitin. I have the latter from Healthspan,www.vetvits.co.uk.  When have finished these am going to use green lipped mussel.  You've done it now,she wont want to go back to her usual grub!

Sorry, started a new thread cos found out why he won't eat.  He's got kidney failure and can't hold anything down.  He's been at the vets since Wednesday on a drip.  Got to phone the vets this morning to find out if the platelets have gone down and if he can come home.  He will then be on a diet specifically for his kidneys, just keeping my fingers crossed its nothing worse.

Fingers crossed for him.

Poor boy. Hope he is back soon. Did they say what might have caused it ?

I told them I thought it was the metacam because his kidneys were fine earlier in the year.  He had a blood test to check them out, and the more I read about metacam, the more I read about the damage it can do to kidneys.  I'm upset because it also says if a dog loses his appetite on metcam its the first signs of kidney failure.  I have rung my vets on numerous occasions telling them he's lost his appetite, and I feel they should have told me to stop the metacam immediately, rather than telling me to put gravy on his food.  I feel that the vet and myself have let my dog down and he may die over a medication that had I known how harmful it could be, would never have agreed to give it.  His back leg was weak, but wish I had gone for a natural herbal remedy now :(.  When I told the vet how I felt, they said metacam could have been responsible for this and they were going to contact the company to tell them they thought my dog had a severe reaction to it, but they told me they would not know for sure what it was til a postmortem was done :(

Lirilou,

I'm really holding out hope that your boy does pull through. You've not let your dog down at all, you've done your best for him and its the vets who should be the ones trained in these things. We trust our vets to know what to do, they are the ones trained not us..

Oh bless ya....

Can you not ask your vet for an urgent referral to a Homeopathic Vet....??

One of my cats is 17 years old next birthday and has never had a veterinary drug in her entire life. She started experiencing a little stiffness in one of her back legs about a year ago which was limiting her ability to do her normal "cat-things" a little bit. I give her Homeopathic Rhus Tox, Ruta Grav and Arnica all at 30c.... twice a week. She was soon back on my kitchen worktops...still goes out hunting...still scratches at her favourite tree..... and still rules the roost as far as my younger cats are concerned. I highly recommend the book "The Homeopathic Treatment of Small Animals" by Christopher Day. Homeopathic remedies can be purchased from www.helios.co.uk. I always get my remedies in the soft tablet form which are easy to administer by just putting them under the top lip. They dissolve really quickly.

I really hope you come through this...it makes me so angry when a vet isn't listening. Theres no-one knows your dog better than you do and the fact you kept telling them that he wasn't eating should have set alarm bells ringing straight the way.

Keep positive around your boy....try not to let him sense you are upset and worried....I know how hard it is.... but you need to stay strong for him.

I would wonder why the vets would contact the manufacturer as it quite clear what the contra-indications are for the drug and so as a vet they have a responsibility to monitor and stop the medication if any of the side effects are shown.

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Boehringer_Ingelheim_Limited/Metacam_Chewable_Tablets_for_Dogs/-37484.html

You have not let hom down at all as you have done everything you possibily could based on the fact you are not the medical expert just a very concerned and worried owner.

All being well he will make a good recovery and do feel the vets have a big part to play in this and should take some resonsibility for this.

Will keep all fingers and paws crossed that we hear some good news from you soon x

Just to let you all know the vet has just phoned and the kidneys have not improved at all since being on the drip since Wednesday.  He says the prognosis is not good and he has permanent kidney damage.  Jack is not well at all so we've got to make a decision.  Jack is still at the vets.  The vet says he can be referred to Langham uni to see if he has a growth on a gland, cant remember which one, but even if he does he will still come home with chronic kidney disease and going to Langham is going to cost thousands.  Even though money shouldn't come into it he is in his 10th year and I don't know if I want students prodding and probing an already sick dog.  I asked the vet what he would do if it was his dog and he said I can't tell you that but the prognosis isn't good.  I can't stop crying.  I think we are going to have to have him pts.  I haven't seen him since wednesday and although i feel i should be there when they do this, if he gets all excited to see me i just can't bear it, i feel so sick

What a horrible position to be in. :-( Poor Jack, and poor you.

I am so sorry,thinking of you and your Jack.

{{{{{hugs}}}}}.

Sheila

Oh no I am so so sorry :-( What a terrible situation for you to be in. Only you know will know what is the best thing to do and what ever you decide it will be the right decision for him as you will have considered all options how ever hard it will be.

Will be thinking of you at this very difficult and upsetting time

Take care and keep strong

Lucy
xx

Amanda, my heart goes out to you and Jack

Thank you all so much for your kind words.  Jack passed away this afternoon at 2.30pm, my husband went to the vets and was with him when he died.  I can't describe the pain, life won't be the same again.  He was so perfect in so many ways and we often said we would never be able to replace him.  The house seems to empty, I keep expecting to see him.  Having dogs is wonderful, but the hurt when they go is unbearable :(

I'm so very, very sorry. Many of us here understand the awful pain you're going through right now. Jack was a very lucky dog to have owners who put his welfare ahead of their own wishes.

My thoughts are with you and your family at this very sad time (((hugs)))

So sad to hear this my heart goes out to you, hope the pain of today soon passes and you are able to remember Jack with pleasure remembering all the fun you had together before you had to make the kindest decision the animal owner has to make and you made today.

To love and care enough to know when to say goodbye is the very best we can do for our dogs, putting their care above our own pain.

Got home to read the rest of this thread as was welling up before your lovely boy passed away to the rainbow bridge.

So very sorry to hear the news, you did do the best you could for him, you sought the advice of the vet over and over...

He is at peace now and free from pain and you did a noble thing.

Until you meet again..

Run Free Jack xxxxx

Bigs hugs to you Lirilou

Very very sorry,you did your very best,I have been thinking of you and your boy all day,feel so sad for you.

Sheila,

Thank you all so much.  Kids are home from school and devastated, especially my 10yr old who can't remember life without him.  Its so hard but again thank you all, this forum has helped on such a terrible day.

I am very sorry for your loss too LiriLou :(  xxxx

Such sad news for you all I am so sorry :-(

Lucy
xx

Oh my goodness, I am so, so sorry ((((())))))

You must never ever have a moment where you blame yourself for this...ever. You did your absolute best for him and never forget that.

Thinking of you and your family xxxx

Words aren't enough, but I am so so sorry to hear of your loss.

So sad. Its so hard when they go, especially like this. So many people on here, myself included, will know exactly how you are feeling now. IME children get over these things more quickly than adults do but its still painful. I do think that your vet has to accept some blame here. He should be aware of possible problems with Metacam - its not as if its an unusual treatment.  However that doesn't help you, other than that you know you did everything you could. Remember the good times and how much you loved each other.
M x

Lirilou,sent you pm.

sorry