METACAM 20 mg/mL Solution for Injection contains meloxicam, a cox 2 preferential non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which acts by inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis, thereby exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-endotoxic, anti-exudative, analgesic and antipyretic effects.

Benefits

  • Treatment with METACAM 20 improves wellbeing and recovery when used to manage pain and inflammation.
  • A fast onset with a long duration of action allows METACAM to provide effective treatment, proven by clinical trials 1.
  • Studies have shown that the addition of METACAM to antibiotic therapy improved mastitis treatment outcomes (SCC, cure rate, reproductive and on farm longevity outcomes)2,3.
  • Data from a 2024 study demonstrated that providing anti-inflammatory effects with METACAM added to traditional treatments for hoof lameness (e.g. trimming and application of blocks), resulted in a 15% improvement in six week in calf rate and a 15% increase in final pregnancy rate.4

Active Constituents

20 mg/mL MELOXICAM

Downloads

Download METACAM® Technical Brochure and SDS below.

METACAM® Brochure

METACAM® SDS

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Active Constituents

Active Constituent:
20 mg/mL MELOXICAM.

Pack sizes:
Available in 50 mL, 100 mL, and 250 mL bottles.

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Withholding Periods*

MEAT:

  • Cattle: 10 days.
  • Sheep: 11 days.
  • Pigs: 3 days.
  • Horses: 28 days.

MILK:

  • Cattle: 84 hours.
  • Sheep: 35 days.
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Storage

Store below 25°C. Not to be used after 28 days of opening.

A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic for use in cattle, sheep, pigs and horses.
 

Cattle

  • For use in acute mastitis, in combination with appropriate antibiotic therapy in lactating cows.
  • For use to assist in the control of pain following the dehorning of cattle, particularly that following heat cautery dehorning of young cattle. It is recommended that the injection be administered approximately 10 minutes before dehorning and be accompanied by a cornual nerve block anaesthesia.
  • For the alleviation of pain and inflammation associated with surgery.
  • For use in acute respiratory infection with appropriate antibiotic therapy to reduce clinical signs in cattle.
  • For use in diarrhoea in combination with oral-rehydration therapy to reduce clinical signs in calves and young cattle.
  • Single use only by subcutaneous or intravenous injection at 2.5 mL/100 kg.

Sheep

  • For use in sheep and lambs 14 days or older for the alleviation of pain and inflammation.
  • Single use only by S/C injection at 1 mL/20 kg.

Pigs & Horses

  • Pigs: For use in acute non-infectious locomotor disorders in pigs and in combination with appropriate antibiotic therapy, for puerperal septicaemia and toxaemia (mastitis-metritis agalactia syndrome) in sows.
  • Horses: For single dose rapid initiation of therapy of musculoskeletal disorders and relief of pain associated with colic.
METACAM is the single shot, long-acting pain and inflammation reliever1 – supporting a faster, more comfortable return to the milking herd

METACAM® 20 is the single shot, long-acting pain and inflammation reliever1 - supporting a faster, more comfortable return to the milking herd.

METACAM® 20 is highly effective in relieving inflammation and pain associated with mastitis. In addition, when given alongside standard antibiotic therapy, Metacam has been shown to deliver:

  • Better cure rates2.
  • More cows pregnant first time2.
  • Higher 6-week in-calf rates2.

Talk to your local vet about Metacam 20 effective pain relief now.

See product labels for full claim details and directions for use. METACAM® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, used under license. ACVM Registration Nos. A007982, A011754. Restricted Veterinary Medicine. Available only under a veterinary authorisation.

Vet Locator

New Zealand and overseas studies have shown that mastitis is associated with lower reproductive rates, and that the use of Metacam concurrently with antibiotics for the treatment of mastitis has improved 1st service conception rates, improved pregnancy rates around the 6 week in calf period, lowered removal for failing to conceive, and lowered culling / loss rates. The following calculator uses data from MINDA* treatment records to extrapolate the European Research findings for New Zealand conditions. Conservative estimates have been used to extrapolate the expected benefits of concurrent treatment with Metacam (see assumptions below)1,2,3.

* MINDA® is a registered trademark of LIC.

Use the calculator below to see how much better off you could be by using METACAM, (default values are based on New Zealand average farm numbers - override these with the values applicable to your farm).

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Number of Mastitis Cases (calving to end of mating):

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Your results

Expected 6WICR Change

Expected 12WICR Change

Lower Culling / Loss Rate (non-repro)

TOTAL INCOME FROM IMPROVEMENTS

METACAM COST

NET BENEFIT

Values based on DairyNZ figures of + $ per % increase in 6WICR, and + $ per % decrease in NICR

This equates to a Return On Investment

Value of Milk diverted from the VAT (3.5 days) -

Net Benefit to farm -

Net ROI =:1

1st Service Conception Rate:

In a European study METACAM increased conception rates in mastitis cows from 21% to 31%2. Average European CR's are 40%, so the addition of METACAM reduced the CR losses by 52.6%.

In NZ with a Three-Week CR gap of 2.5% (MINDA data)1, METACAM should conservatively increase CR by 1.32% (52.6% x 2.5% = 1.32%).

Lower Removal for Failing to Conceive (12WICR equivalent):
  • A New Zealand Study showed cows treated with METACAM had 37% of the odds of being removed for failing to conceive3. In the study this was a 5% absolute lower rate.
  • Using the MINDA figures of a 5.9% lower 12WICR1, (using the odds above) this would equate to a 3.7% more cows in calf in the treatment group.
Improved 6WICR (NZ equivalent of pregnant after 120 days):
  • The European study data showed a 9% increase in 120d pregnancy rates in METACAM treated group compared to the control2.
  • To extrapolate this figure to NZ we can look at the effect of the conception rate difference (+1.32%) to conservatively estimate the 6WICR difference given the following farm-specific data (as entered to the calculator): 3WSR - default value of 79.3% (NZ 2022 average figure); Conception Rate - default values of 50.9% (NZ 2022 average figure) NB: An assumed cycle (submission) rate of non-pregnant animals in weeks 3-6 will be made at 90%.
Lower Culling / Loss Rate:
  • The 11.8% reduction in absolute culling / loss was from a NZ study3, and included both empty cows and culls. If we remove the extra losses from failing to conceive (5%), then there was a 6.8% lower culling / loss rate in the METACAM treated cows (over and above reproductive losses).
Calculator References:
  1. Fankhauser S, Luckman R. (2024). Early season mastitis and reproductive outcomes – a metadata approach. NZVA Conference proceedings.
  2. McDougall, S., et al. (2016). Addition of meloxicam to the treatment of clinical mastitis improves subsequent reproductive performance. J. Dairy Sci., 99: 2026-2042.
  3. McDougall, S., et al. (2009). Effect of treatment with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory meloxicam on milk production, somatic cell count, probability or re-treatment, and culling of dairy cows with mild clinical mastitis. J. Dairy Sci., 92: 4421-4431.
  4. Mason WA, et al. The effect of meloxicam at the time of treatment of hoof-horn lameness in pasture-grazing dairy cattle on time to lameness soundness, pregnancy risk, and time to conception: A randomized control trial. J Dairy Sci. 2025;108(4):3991-4004.