What is Meloxicam Oral Suspension used for?

Meloxicam Oral Suspension is indicated for: chronic pain, inflammation, Osteoarthritis, Pain, Perioperative pain.

Which species have cited Meloxicam Oral Suspension dosing data?

Meloxicam Oral Suspension dosing in the ExoticRx formulary covers 6 species: African Grey Parrot, Ball Python, Bearded Dragon, Cat (Domestic), Guinea Pig, Rabbit (Domestic).

Is Meloxicam Oral Suspension a controlled substance?

Meloxicam Oral Suspension is not federally scheduled in the US. Controlled-drug status differs by country — verify your local rules.

Meloxicam Oral Suspension

US brand names:Metacam Oral, Loxicom

Calculate dosage

Sourced from published veterinary references. Awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer — our editorial process.

Meloxicam Oral Suspension is dosed at 0.3–1 mg/kg PO q24h in rabbits, per Fredholm DV, Carpenter JW, KuKanich B, et al. Pharmacokinetics of meloxicam in rabbits after oral administration of single and multiple doses. Am J Vet Res. 2013;74:636-641. Delk KW, Carpenter JW, KuKanich B, et al. Pharmacokinetics of meloxicam administered orally to rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculis) for 29 days. Am J Vet Res. 2014;75:195-199. — Carpenter's 6th ed, Table 10.4 (Chemical Restraint/Sedative/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Rabbits.a,b). Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Musculoskeletal

Routes

Indications

chronic paininflammationOsteoarthritisPainPerioperative pain

Mechanism of Action

Preferential COX-2 inhibitor. Oral suspension allowing precise low-dose administration for cats.

Side effects & warnings

0.5mg/ml formulation for cats (single dose FDA-approved, chronic use controversial). 1.5mg/ml for dogs. Honey-flavored. Renal and GI risks. Cats: lowest effective dose for shortest duration.

Species with Meloxicam Oral Suspension dosing data (6 dose rules)

African Grey Parrot Ball Python Bearded Dragon Cat (Domestic)Guinea Pig Rabbit (Domestic)

Species references:All African Grey Parrot drugs All Ball Python drugs All Bearded Dragon drugs All Cat (Domestic) drugs All Guinea Pig drugs All Rabbit (Domestic) drugs

Evidence levels across 6 dose rules

Moderate×2Weak×2Strong×2

Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.

Sample dosing (1 of 6 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 6 species — reptiles, birds, pocket pets, livestock, and equine — is free on the per-species pages above. Pro adds the weight-based calculator for every species.

Species	Route	Dose	Frequency	Evidence	Source
Cat (Domestic)	PO	0.05–0.1 mg/kg	once then 0.025-0.05 q24h	Strong	METACAM - Meloxicam 0.5 Mg/Ml Oral Suspension for Cats and Guinea Pigs [UK Datasheet]. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd; 2018. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ca78caf5-2b47-46c1-abec-0f925b39f455; Steagall PV, Robertson S, Simon B, Warne LN, Shilo-Benjamini Y, Taylor S. 2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Acute Pain in Cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2022;24(1):4-30. doi:10.1177/1098612x211066268 — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.825, Meloxicam monograph spanning p.825-828.

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Backed by 5 published sourcesShow

· Carpenter JW, Klaphake E, Gibbons PM, et al. Reptile formulary. In: Divers SJ, Stahl SJ, eds. Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery, 3rd ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2019:1191-1211.
· Fredholm DV, Carpenter JW, KuKanich B, et al. Pharmacokinetics of meloxicam in rabbits after oral administration of single and multiple doses. Am J Vet Res. 2013;74:636-641. doi:10.2460/ajvr.74.4.636; Delk KW, Carpenter JW, KuKanich B, et al. Pharmacokinetics of meloxicam administered orally to rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculis) for 29 days. Am J Vet Res. 2014;75:195-199. doi:10.2460/ajvr.75.2.195 — Carpenter's 6th ed, Table 10.4 (Chemical Restraint/Sedative/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Rabbits.a,b).
· METACAM - Meloxicam 0.5 Mg/Ml Oral Suspension for Cats and Guinea Pigs [UK Datasheet]. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd; 2018. ; Steagall PV, Robertson S, Simon B, Warne LN, Shilo-Benjamini Y, Taylor S. 2022 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Acute Pain in Cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2022;24(1):4-30. — Plumb's 10th ed printed p.825, Meloxicam monograph spanning p.825-828.

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Other formulations of Meloxicam

Calculate Dosage for Meloxicam Oral Suspension