Pocket Pet · Oryctolagus cuniculus · typical adult weight 1.00–5.00 kg
Meloxicam is dosed at 0.3–0.6 mg/kg PO q24h in rabbits, per BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th edition, Part B: Exotic Pets; Meloxicam monograph, DOSES, printed p.195 (corpus PDF p.209). — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part B — Exotic Pets — ISBN 9781910443712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443712. Meloxicam is used in rabbits for Pain, post-operative analgesia, dental pain, Dental pain and GI stasis secondary to pain, Post-operative analgesia. Routes documented in rabbits: PO, SC. A typical adult rabbit weighs 1.00–5.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 3 cited dose rules for Meloxicam in rabbits, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Metacam
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 0.3–0.6 mg/kg | q24h | 3-7 days | Pain, post-operative analgesia, dental pain | Weak |
| PO | 0.3–1 mg/kg | q24h | As needed | Dental pain and GI stasis secondary to pain | Moderate | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th ed, Table 10.4 (Chemical Restraint/Sedative/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Rabbits) and Table 10.18 (Treatments Used in the Management of Rabbit Gastrointestinal Syndrome) - 1 mg/kg PO q24h, supporting the 1.0 endpoint. BSAVA Small Animal Formulary 10th ed, Part B - Exotic Pets, printed p.195: 'Rabbits: 0.3-0.6 mg/kg s.c., p.o. q12-24h', supporting the 0.3 endpoint. Corroborated: Carpenter et al. J Zoo Wildl Med 2009,40:601-606 doi:10.1638/2007-0115.1 (abstract), Delk et al. Am J Vet Res 2014,75:195-199 doi:10.2460/ajvr.75.2.195 (abstract). |
| SC | 0.3–0.6 mg/kg | q24h | 1-3 days then switch to oral | Post-operative analgesia | Weak | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th Ed, Part B: Exotic Pets (ed. Joanna Hedley), Meloxicam, DOSES, printed p.195 / corpus p.209: 'Rabbits: 0.3-0.6 mg/kg s.c., p.o. q12-24h'. — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part B — Exotic Pets — ISBN 9781910443712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443712 |
Every held source for this drug and species, as printed. Where they differ, both are shown — the choice is yours, not ours.
| Dose (mg/kg) | Route | Source | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3–0.6 | SC | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.209 | 0.3-0.6 mg/kg s.c., p.o. q12-24h; studies have shown that rabbits may require a dose exceeding 0.3 mg/k |
| 0.3 | IM | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.209 | tudies have shown that rabbits may require a dose exceeding 0.3 mg/kg q24h to achieve optimal plasma levels of meloxicam over a 24-hour interval and doses of 1 |
| 1.5 | SC | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part B (Exotic Pets)p.209 | ma levels of meloxicam over a 24-hour interval and doses of 1.5 mg/kg s.c., p.o. are well tolerated for 5 days |
| 1 | PO | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 10.4 |
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These ranges are per kg. Enter your rabbit's weight to get the precise dose and draw-up volume — unit and concentration math done for you.
Preferential COX-2 inhibitor, reducing prostaglandin synthesis. Provides anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects.
Use with extreme caution in cats. Jurisdiction-specific labeling: the US (FDA) label authorizes a single SC dose only, with a boxed warning against repeated use; EU/UK/AU labels authorize repeated oral dosing for chronic musculoskeletal pain — follow your jurisdiction's label. GI ulceration risk. Avoid in dehydrated, hypovolemic, or renally compromised patients. Do not combine with other NSAIDs or corticosteroids.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for rabbits may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Meloxicam dose ranges in rabbits, with cited source references: PO 0.3–0.6 mg/kg q24h; PO 0.3–1 mg/kg q24h; SC 0.3–0.6 mg/kg q24h. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Meloxicam in rabbits: PO, SC.
Cited course lengths for Meloxicam in rabbits include: 3-7 days; As needed; 1-3 days then switch to oral. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Meloxicam is indicated in rabbits for: Pain, post-operative analgesia, dental pain, Dental pain and GI stasis secondary to pain, Post-operative analgesia.
These are general warnings for Meloxicam across species; consult the rabbit dosing table above for species-specific guidance. Use with extreme caution in cats. Jurisdiction-specific labeling: the US (FDA) label authorizes a single SC dose only, with a boxed warning against repeated use; EU/UK/AU labels authorize repeated oral dosing for chronic musculoskeletal pain — follow your jurisdiction's label. GI ulceration risk. Avoid in dehydrated, hypovolemic, or renally compromised patients. Do not combine with other NSAIDs or corticosteroids.
Why a species-specific page? Meloxicam pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in rabbits — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.
| 1 mg/kg PO q24h × 29 days |
Figures are transcribed from the cited page or table of each held edition and are shown for reference only. They are not dose recommendations, they do not feed the calculator, and none has been reviewed by a veterinarian.