POM-V Prescription Required

Metacam 40 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Cattle and Horses

Active ingredient: Meloxicam

Form

Injection

Species

Cattle Horses

Manufacturer

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH

VMD MA No.

04491/5023

What it's used for

Amended pages: April 2025 For use in diarrhoea in combination with oral re-hydration therapy to reduce clinical signs in calves of over one week of age and...

Full indications, dosage and side effects ↓

View official SPC (PDF)

The prescription itself has a price. See what practices near you charge for a consultation and the written prescription fee.

Paying less for Meloxicam

1

Ask your vet for a written prescription

They must provide one on request. Under the CMA Order the fee is capped at £21 from 2027.
2

Fill it at a registered online retailer

The CMA found online pharmacies 50–60% cheaper than practice dispensing on common medicines — typically £200–£300 a year.

Your prescription rights → VMD register of retailers →

Prescription required

Your vet must provide a written prescription on request. You can then purchase from any licensed online retailer.

Clinical information

Metacam 40 mg/ml Solution for Injection for Cattle and Horses — SPC Details

Source: VMD Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). Last updated 27 Mar 2026.

Amended pages: April 2025
For use in diarrhoea in combination with oral re-hydration therapy to reduce clinical signs in
calves of over one week of age and young, non-lactating cattle.
For adjunctive therapy in the treatment of acute mastitis, in combination with antibiotic
therapy.
For the relief of post-operative pain following dehorning in calves.
Horses:
For use in the alleviation of inflammation and relief of pain in both acute and chronic
musculo-
skeletal disorders.
For the relief of pain associated with equine colic.

(i.e. 1.25 ml/100 kg body weight) in combination with antibiotic therapy or with oral re-
hydration therapy, as appropriate.
Horses:
Single intravenous injection at a dose of 0.6 mg meloxicam/kg body weight (i.e. 1.5 ml/100
kg body weight).
For use in the alleviation of inflammation and the relief of pain in both acute and chronic
musculo-skeletal disorders, Metacam 15 mg/ml oral suspension may be used for
continuation of treatment at a dose of 0.6 mg meloxicam/kg body weight, 24 hours after
administration of the injection.
To ensure a correct dosage, body weight should be determined as accurately as possible.
Avoid introduction of contamination during use.

Do not use in horses less than 6 weeks of age.
Do not use in animals suffering from impaired hepatic, cardiac or renal function or
haemorrhagic disorders, or where there is evidence of ulcerogenic gastrointestinal lesions.
Do not use in cases of hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
For the treatment of diarrhoea in cattle, do not use in animals of less than one week of age.

Cattle:
Very rare
(<1 animal / 10,000 animals treated,
including isolated reports):
Injection site swelling
Anaphylactoid reaction
1
Following subcutaneous injection, slight and transient.
May be serious (including fatal) and should be treated symptomatically.
Horses:
Very rare
(<1 animal / 10,000 animals treated,
including isolated reports):
Injection site swelling
Anaphylactoid reaction
1
Transient, observed in isolated cases in clinical studies.
May be serious (including fatal) and should be treated symptomatically.
If adverse reactions occur, treatment should be discontinued and the advice of a
veterinarian should be sought.
Reporting adverse events is important. It allows continuous safety monitoring of a veterinary
medicinal product. Reports should be sent, preferably via a veterinarian, to either the
marketing authorisation holder or its local representative or the national competent authority
via the national reporting system. See the package leaflet for respective contact details.

Treatment of calves with the veterinary medicinal product 20 minutes before dehorning
reduces post-operative pain. The veterinary medicinal product alone will not provide
adequate pain relief during the dehorning procedure. To obtain adequate pain relief during
surgery co-medication with an appropriate analgesic is needed.

Special precautions for safe use in the target species
Avoid use in very severely dehydrated, hypovolaemic or hypotensive animals which require
parenteral rehydration, as there may be a potential risk of renal toxicity.
In case of inadequate relief of pain when used in the treatment of equine colic, careful re-
evaluation of the diagnosis should be made as this could indicate the need for surgical
intervention.
Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the veterinary medicinal
product to animals:
Accidental self-injection may give rise to pain. People with known hypersensitivity to non-
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should avoid contact with the veterinary
medicinal product.
In case of accidental self-injection, seek medical advice immediately and show the package
leaflet or the label to the physician.
In view of the risk of accidental self-injection and the known adverse class-effects of
NSAIDs and other prostaglandin inhibitors on pregnancy and/or embryofoetal development,
the veterinary medicinal product should not be administered by pregnant women or women
attempting to conceive.
This veterinary medicinal product can cause eye irritation. In case of contact with the eyes,
immediately rinse thoroughly with water.

Amended pages: April 2025
Special precautions for the protection of the environment:
Not applicable.

Do not administer concurrently with glucocorticosteroids, other NSAIDs or with
anticoagulant agents.

This veterinary medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.

Amended pages: April 2025

Cattle: Meat and offal: 15 days; milk: 5 days.
Horses: Meat and offal: 5 days.
Not authorised for use in horses producing milk for human consumption.

This information is sourced from the official Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) published by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). It is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Always consult your vet before administering any medication.