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).. 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 | Strong | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th edition, Part B: Exotic Pets; Meloxicam monograph, DOSES, printed p.195 (corpus PDF p.209). |
| 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 | Corroborated 2026-07-30: Carpenter et al. J Zoo Wildl Med 2009;40:601-606. doi:10.1638/2007-0115.1 PMID:20063804 — rabbit, 0.2-0.3 mg/kg PO q24h; Delk et al. Am J Vet Res 2014;75:195-199. doi:10.2460/ajvr.75.2.195 PMID:24471756 — rabbit, 1.0 mg/kg PO q24h (abstracts). |
| SC | 0.3–0.6 mg/kg | q24h | 1-3 days then switch to oral | Post-operative analgesia | Moderate | 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'. |
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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.