Metacam for arthritis

[pelican]

My vet just put my senior B on Metacam oral suspension. She (B not the doc)probably has arthritis in her hip joints. She is also prone to colitis.

Has anyone had any experience with this medication (good or bad)?

[tanza]

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1752

I have never used this.. there are lots of articles on the web about this

[nomrbddgs]

I've used on my old boxer. I refuse to use it on any dog without trying other things first. It is addictive. This is my personal choice only.

[MacPack]

I used it a couple of times when Topper's back was really bad, seemed to relieve pain well. We use glucosamine & chondroitin for bad hips and back with excellent results. It takes a few weeks to notice the gradual improvement in movement, but I had an old dog that had remarkable improvement in 2 weeks. She had another 2 years of good movement, jumping on and off the couch easily, with nothing but the glucosamine.

[seko]

I used it on my tri boy when his back was very painfull and took him off after 3 or 4 month, work really well.
Know I use glucosamine and chondroitin just to be on the safe side.

[pelican]

Thanks everyone for your input. She has been on glucosamine & chondroitin for several years. I have observed that she only walks and no longer runs like the wind. I guess I will have to cut back even more on her walks and eliminate dog park activity.

[MacPack]

I am a big believer in quality of life. If a dog is having pain and a medication can relieve that pain, even if it possibly shortens their life, I will probably use it anyway. A longer life, lived in pain, just isn't worth it to me, but that's just MHO.