QUESTION

I have just been informed by my neighbour that Metacam can cause stomach ulcers in animals, and her dog has had to undergo a severe operation due to the administration of Metacam. I would like to know of any other products either prescription or homepathic that can be used as a substitue to Metacam, as I do not want to undergo the same frustrations and heartache that my neighbour has recently undergone?

Libby

ANSWER

Dear Libby,
Metacam along with all the other non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids can lead to stomach ulceration but in my opinion such a problem is very rare to cause a problem that is not able to resolve medically. If you are looking for a safe alternative I would use Synoquin which is a neutroceutical containing glucosamine HCl, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate as the active constituents. If you are using Metacam then if the dog passes black motions at all then the metacam should be stopped immediately as this is an indication of ulceration occurring. Any recurrent sickness etc should also be treat with suspicion and metacam investigated as a possible cause. Stomach ulcers are in my opinion mostly seen in dogs with food allergies or with dogs that are only fed once a day and have nothing on their stomach when they go to sleep. Frequent feeding is probably the best guard against stomach ulcers in both people and dogs.

Paul Wilson