Meloxicam oral to treat musculoskeletal lameness in cattle

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I am seeking advice from the veterinarians on here. I have a 14 year old pet Jersey that is moderately lame on the right knee according to the scale in this article.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6044795/ She is also pregnant.

I just now gave her 1mg/kg meloxicam according to her weight of 454kg. This is a chronic lameness gradually coming on, not acute.

This study evaluates dairy cows lameness on the 3rd day, but nothing about how often or the time between doses. How often can it be given?
Thank you

 

[wbvs58]

I would think once a day. I don't know how effective it would be given orally to a cow, there is a lot of volume in the rumen for iy yo get diluted down.

Ken

 

[kenny thomas]

At my vets recommendation i have given it 2 times to bulls that got bruised up fighting. Really seemed to help.
I have taken it daily for probably 15 years.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

When you gave it to your bulls did you give it 2 days in a row? I feed 30 pills in some sweet feed to the cow and she ate it up, unlike a horse that once I gave 10 aspirins in grain. When I came back and there was nothing left in the bucket but all 10 aspirin pills.

The cow walks much better today, it made quite a difference. But I don't want to give it too often. She is 8 months bred. This study did use cows in milk but nothing about pregnant cows.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Here's another study
Evaluation of the effects of treating dairy cows with meloxicam at calving on retained fetal membranes risk
It only evaluated dairy cows that had just given birth.
Abstract
"Some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of retained fetal membranes. This is the first study to investigate the effects of meloxicam on the risk of retained fetal membranes. Administration of meloxicam to dairy cattle immediately following calving revealed no differences in the incidence of retained fetal membranes between meloxicam-treated and untreated animals. There was no difference between the 2 groups in the incidence of periparturient diseases following calving. Meloxicam can be used on the day of calving in lactating cows without increasing the risk of retained fetal membranes."

I would like to give her some relief from arthritis but I don't want to mess up my old cow. This heifer calf she is carrying is very precious to me.

 

[simme]

My vet/daughter prescribed 15mg tablets for arthritis in a 1450# beef cow. "20 tablets in feed twice a week" is what is on the label.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Here is a study I found. Effects of meloxicam on reproduction parameters in dairy cattle.
Abstract
This study was carried out in dairy cattle with the NSAID meloxicam to investigate possible drug effects on different reproductive parameters as well as on the progeny. Forty-one cows received intravenous injection of either meloxicam (Metacam 20 mg/mL solution for injection) or placebo at a dose volume of 7.5 mL/100 kg, corresponding to a dose of 1.5 mg meloxicam/kg, i.e. three times the recommended therapeutic dose. Treatment was performed in each phase of reproduction, i.e. once prior to breeding, twice shortly after breeding, once at the beginning of the second and third trimester of gestation and once at the end of the third trimester of gestation. Offspring of the cows were weighed and clinically examined for vitality at birth and after 28 days. No relevant difference between the meloxicam and control group was found in the reproductive performance of the cows or in the body weight development or vitality of the calves.

These cows only got a one time dose at the end of 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters, not as a maintenance does.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Thank you simme. That sounds useful.

 

[kenny thomas]

My vet/daughter prescribed 15mg tablets for arthritis in a 1450# beef cow. "20 tablets in feed twice a week" is what is on the label.

On my bull if i remember correctly i used 1 pill per 150 lb. But only gave it twice and he was better.

 

[wbvs58]

I googled the absorption in ruminants and apparently it is well absorbed which does surprise me. I forgot that there are oral forms of it for lambs and calves after castration.

Ken

 

[TCRanch]

68 Meloxicam for humans per day for my bull that had a massive hematoma. They were tiny - and that was fun.

 

[angus9259]

On my bull if i remember correctly i used 1 pill per 150 lb. But only gave it twice and he was better.

Of course the great mystery.... was the bull going to get better without out it? I would like to be set up to be able to treat animals daily on stuff like this. I would try it but involves some segregation and then re-introduction with the herd when done - which starts the fighting all over again and a new one ends up hurt. My vet recommended it once too but I don't have "feed" nor are they terrifically enticed by it since they aren't used to it so it means a trip through the chute - more chance for injury. Sounds like I need to think through this training feeding of my animals again. I used to do it. Good food for thought here....

 

[TCRanch]

Of course the great mystery.... was the bull going to get better without out it? I would like to be set up to be able to treat animals daily on stuff like this. I would try it but involves some segregation and then re-introduction with the herd when done - which starts the fighting all over again and a new one ends up hurt. My vet recommended it once too but I don't have "feed" nor are they terrifically enticed by it since they aren't used to it so it means a trip through the chute - more chance for injury. Sounds like I need to think through this training feeding of my animals again. I used to do it. Good food for thought here....

Banamine Transdermal. Just pour it down the back (3ml per 100 lbs) and it's effective for 3 days. I didn't use it on my bull because it was raining every day but always have it on hand. And you don't need to get him in the chute if you can get close enough to him by walking, horseback, UTV, your truck.

My bull would have gotten better without it, but it was clear he was in pain. Then the hematoma segued into a giant abscess, and I did have to open it.

 

[Silver]

I am of the understanding that meloxicam given by injection should be limited to two rounds three days apart because it will cause damage to either the liver or kidneys (can't remember which, neither sounded good). I wonder why oral administration would be different?

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

The half life of meloxicam is 27 hours. So in three days it's just about worn off.

Meloxicam

Drug Level Remaining	Time
100.00%	0.00 hrs
50.00%	1.13 days
25.00%	2.25 days
12.50%	3.38 days
6.25%	4.50 days
3.13%	5.63 days

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Well, in three days it certainly had worn off as she is lame as usual. I gave her another 1mg/kg (30 pills).

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

I just took a 15 mg pill myself to see what it does with my sore shoulder. Last May I picked and carried a calf. The shoulder joint has been popping ever since. It gets to hurting if I work on fences with T post drivers and such.

Looking at the above half life graph of meloxicam, if dosed twice a week that would be every three or four days. In 3 days meloxicam would have almost completely worn off at 12.5%. After two days looks like it would be 25%. I wonder how much and how often to keep an animal on more of an even keel?

 

[kenny thomas]

I take a single 15mg pill every morning and have for years.

 

[angus9259]

Banamine Transdermal. Just pour it down the back (3ml per 100 lbs) and it's effective for 3 days. I didn't use it on my bull because it was raining every day but always have it on hand. And you don't need to get him in the chute if you can get close enough to him by walking, horseback, UTV, your truck.

My bull would have gotten better without it, but it was clear he was in pain. Then the hematoma segued into a giant abscess, and I did have to open it.

Interesting about the pour on. I'll have to ask the vet about that. When I do get desperate and have to do something about pain in an animal, I will pull them off and put them on Banamine injection. But, as I said, pulling them off means the chute, and a scrum when they go back out - potentially aggravating whatever is causing the pain - so this would be much better.

 

[TCRanch]

Interesting about the pour on. I'll have to ask the vet about that. When I do get desperate and have to do something about pain in an animal, I will pull them off and put them on Banamine injection. But, as I said, pulling them off means the chute, and a scrum when they go back out - potentially aggravating whatever is causing the pain - so this would be much better.

https://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/banamine-transdermal-pour-on-rx/p/17170/?msclkid=9a6d3f01c914158b1925589eac747d49&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=S%26O%20%7C%20Bing%20%7C%20Primary&utm_term=4586200441527669&utm_content=GSAPI%205d1bd39ceae67