Meloxicam
Meloxicam is an oxicam nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects. It is used for acute and chronic painful disorders in dogs and, with species-specific products or supported regimens, cats, horses and livestock. Its clinical applications range from osteoarthritis and postoperative pain to supportive treatment of inflammatory infectious disease.
Group
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Mechanism of Action
Meloxicam reduces prostaglandin synthesis by inhibiting cyclooxygenase activity in the arachidonic-acid pathway. Lower prostaglandin concentrations decrease inflammatory swelling and sensitization of nociceptive pathways and reduce prostaglandin-mediated fever. It preferentially inhibits COX-2 in several experimental systems, with relative selectivity depending on species and exposure. The resulting clinical effects are symptomatic analgesia and control of inflammation.
Dose Rates
Dogs
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and inflammation — Loading | 0.2 mg/kg | PO, SC, IV | Once | |
| Pain and inflammation — Maintenance | 0.1 mg/kg | PO, SC, IV | Every 24 h | |
| Pain and inflammation — Maintenance | 0.1 mg/kg | OTM | Every 24 h | Product-specific oral transmucosal spray; do not substitute suspension drop counts for spray actuations. |
Cats
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic pain and inflammation | 0.05 mg/kg | PO | Every 24 h | Requires a suitable feline oral protocol and hydration/renal monitoring; reduce exposure if continuing chronically. |
| Chronic pain and inflammation — Maintenance | 0.03 mg/kg | PO | Every 24 h | Lower-dose chronic alternative. |
| Chronic pain and inflammation — Maintenance | 0.05 mg/kg | PO | Every 48–72 h | Less-frequent chronic alternative. |
| Selected low-dose chronic pain treatment | 0.01–0.03 mg/kg | PO | Every 24 h | Source describes older, stable hydrated cats, including some with chronic kidney disease; this is not an acute renal-injury regimen. |
| Short-term pain and inflammation | 0.15–0.3 mg/kg | SC | Once | Single injection only; no second injection under this regimen. |
| Chronic musculoskeletal pain oral initiation — Loading | 0.1 mg/kg | PO | Once | Product-specific oral regimen, followed by 0.05 mg/kg daily; do not combine with the single-injection protocol. |
| Historical staged chronic analgesia | Reference only | PO | 0.2 mg/kg initially, then 0.1 mg/kg daily for 2-3 days, then 0.025 mg/kg 2-3 times weekly, with a cited 0.1 mg/cat maximum per treatment. Maintain the calendar and cap; do not substitute this for a current feline product-specific protocol. |
Pigs
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and inflammation | 0.4 mg/kg | IM | May be repeated once after 24 hours if needed. |
Cattle
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and inflammation | 0.5 mg/kg | IV, IM, SC | Every 24 h | |
| Respiratory disease diarrhoea or mastitis adjunct | 0.5 mg/kg | IV, SC | Once | With appropriate antibiotics or rehydration; calf-diarrhoea indication is for calves over one week old. |
Sheep
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and inflammation | 1 mg/kg | IV, IM, SC, PO | Once |
Goats
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and inflammation | 1 mg/kg | IV, IM, SC, PO | Once |
Horses
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and inflammation | 0.6 mg/kg | IV | Every 24 h | |
| Pain and inflammation | 0.6 mg/kg | PO | Every 24 h | Up to 14 days |
| Foal pain and inflammation | 0.6 mg/kg | IV, PO | Every 12 h | Foals younger than 7 weeks have more rapid clearance; reported guidance permits this shorter interval. |
Ferrets
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and inflammation | 0.2 mg/kg | PO, SC | Every 24 h | A single postoperative treatment is another described option. |
| Pain and inflammation | 0.2–0.3 mg/kg | PO | Every 24 h |
Rabbits
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain and inflammation | 0.2 mg/kg | PO | Every 24 h | Up to 10 days; Rabbit tolerability observation; do not extrapolate the ferret species heading without this specific rabbit statement. |
Birds
| Use / stage | Dose | Route | Schedule | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analgesia | 0.5 mg/kg | IM | ||
| Proventricular-dilatation-disease adjunct | 0.1–0.5 mg/kg | PO | Every 12 h | Supportive anti-inflammatory treatment; does not establish disease cure. |
Indications
- Relief of pain and inflammation associated with canine osteoarthritis and other painful musculoskeletal disorders.
- Control of perioperative pain and inflammation in dogs and cats with an appropriate species-specific product or supported regimen.
- Management of selected chronic painful musculoskeletal disease in cats where supported by local authorization and clinical evidence.
- Treatment of acute or chronic musculoskeletal pain and selected colic-associated pain in horses.
- Adjunctive control of pain, fever and inflammation in cattle with respiratory disease, mastitis or calf diarrhea.
- Analgesia for selected painful livestock procedures and conditions, including supported sheep or goat applications.
- Adjunctive treatment of painful inflammatory disease in pigs, including selected mastitis–metritis–agalactia cases.
Contraindications
- Gastrointestinal ulceration or bleeding
- Dehydration or impaired renal perfusion
Interactions
- Other NSAIDs and corticosteroids increase gastrointestinal injury.
- Diuretics and ACE inhibitors may have reduced effect and greater renal risk.
Adverse effects
- Vomiting, diarrhoea, gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding
- Renal injury
Toxicity
Overdose may cause gastrointestinal haemorrhage and acute kidney injury. Stop exposure and assess hydration, renal function and gastrointestinal injury.
Preparations
| Preparation | Form | Strength | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meloxicam 0.5 mg/mL oral suspension | Oral Liquid | 0.5 mg / mL | PO |
| Meloxicam 1.5 mg/mL oral suspension | Oral Liquid | 1.5 mg / mL | PO |
| Meloxicam 15 mg/mL equine suspension | Oral Liquid | 15 mg / mL | PO |
| Meloxicam 50 mg/g equine paste | Paste | 50 mg / g | PO |
| Meloxicam 5 mg/mL injection | Injection | 5 mg / mL | IV, IM, SC |
| Meloxicam 20 mg/mL injection | Injection | 20 mg / mL | IV, IM, SC |
| Meloxicam 7.5 mg tablet | Tablet | 7.5 mg / tablet | PO |
| Meloxicam 15 mg tablet | Tablet | 15 mg / tablet | PO |
| Meloxicam 330 mg equine granules sachet | Granules | 330 mg / sachet | PO |
| Melonex 1.5 mg/mL oral suspension | Oral Liquid | 1.5 mg / mL | PO |
| Melonex 100 mg bolus | Tablet | 100 mg / tablet | PO |
| Loxinol 7.5 mg tablet Agio Pharmaceuticals Human-strength tablet; the full tablet is too large for many small-animal prescriptions. | Tablet | 7.5 mg / tablet | PO |
Monitoring and Administration
Monitor appetite, vomiting, stool colour, hydration and renal function; stop treatment if gastrointestinal bleeding or renal injury develops.
Repeated feline dosing has a narrow safety margin. The single-injection regimen and chronic oral protocols are distinct; do not repeat a feline loading injection as maintenance.
Maintain hydration during feline treatment and assess renal function before and during therapy. Low-dose studies in stable, hydrated cats do not justify use during dehydration or unstable renal disease.
Use the exact dosing syringe supplied for the chosen suspension. Human 7.5 mg tablets can greatly exceed a small dog’s dose; do not infer an appropriate physical tablet fraction from arithmetic alone.
Some oral products contain xylitol. Evaluate total excipient exposure rather than assuming all suspensions have the same formula.
Transmucosal spray presentations described deliver 0.25, 0.5 or 1.075 mg per actuation. Per-actuation amounts must not be mistaken for milligrams per millilitre.
Particular meloxicam mixtures at 0.25-1 mg/mL in water/methylcellulose or suspending-flavouring vehicles retained potency for 28 days at room temperature or refrigerated; this does not establish every compounded product’s stability.
For the described feline chronic oral course, improvement is usually apparent within 7 days; discontinue by 14 days if no benefit. Repeated feline exposure has been associated with acute renal failure and death under US labelling; non-US chronic oral regimens are separate product-specific practices.