Meloxicam (Metacam) for Dogs: Dose Chart, Side Effects and What the Trials Show

By Marc Brannigan and Natalie Mondine, co-founders of HempMy Pet · Published November 7, 2026 · Last reviewed November 7, 2026. We have grown and bottled full-spectrum hemp for pets on our own Colorado farm since 2016. We are not veterinarians — everything below comes from the published veterinary studies, consensus guidelines and drug labels listed at the end.

What Meloxicam Is

Meloxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of the oxicam class. Like carprofen and other dog NSAIDs, it blocks cyclo-oxygenase (COX) enzymes, the switch that makes the prostaglandins behind pain, swelling and fever. It favours COX-2, the version that drives inflammation, but it does not spare COX-1, which protects the stomach lining and keeps blood flowing to the kidneys. That trade-off explains nearly everything about its side effects.

In dogs it is FDA-approved for the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis, and the injection is also approved for pain after surgery. It comes in several forms:

Sources: METACAM Oral Suspension FDA label; VCA Animal Hospitals; Cozzi 2013. Brand availability varies by country.

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Written by Marc Brannigan and Natalie Mondine, co-founders of HempMy Pet.

Meloxicam Dose for Dogs: The Label Chart

The FDA label is specific: 0.2 mg/kg (0.09 mg/lb) once on the first day, then 0.1 mg/kg (0.045 mg/lb) once a day, using "the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent with individual response." Here is what that works out to by weight, so you can check the number on your dog's prescription:

Calculated from the label dose of 0.045 mg/lb. For illustration only: your vet sets your dog's dose, and Metacam's syringe is calibrated in pounds so owners do not have to convert. For dogs under 5 lb the label uses drops on food: one drop per pound of the 1.5 mg/mL suspension.

Three practical rules from the label: shake the bottle well, give it with food or placed directly in the mouth, and round your dog's weight down to the nearest 5 lb mark on the syringe. Small dogs are the easiest to overdose, which is why the label goes to the trouble of a drop-per-pound method for the smallest dogs.

Human Meloxicam (7.5 mg and 15 mg) for Dogs

Human meloxicam is the same molecule, and vets do sometimes prescribe it for large dogs. The danger is the tablet size. At the dog label dose of 0.045 mg/lb:

• One 7.5 mg tablet is a full daily dose for a dog of about 165 lb.
• One 15 mg tablet is a daily dose for a dog of about 330 lb, larger than almost any dog alive.
• A whole 7.5 mg tablet given to a 30 lb dog is roughly five and a half times the label dose.

So "is meloxicam 15 mg safe for dogs?" has a plain answer: not as a whole tablet, for any normal-sized dog. If your vet prescribes the human tablet, follow their splitting instructions exactly or ask for a compounded or liquid version. Never use your own prescription for your dog. If a dog eats human meloxicam, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center straight away.

How Fast Does Meloxicam Work?

The label puts peak blood levels at about 7.5 hours after an oral dose, with a half-life of about 24 hours. Some dogs look a little more comfortable within the first day, but the trials measured the meaningful change over a week or two: in the 217-dog placebo-controlled trial, dogs on meloxicam had significantly better lameness, weight-bearing and joint-pain scores on day 8 and day 15. If you see no difference after two weeks at the prescribed dose, that is a conversation for your vet, not a reason to give more.

Does Meloxicam Work? What the Dog Trials Show

Unlike many drugs dogs take off-label, meloxicam has genuine placebo-controlled evidence. A 2013 systematic review rated the safety evidence for meloxicam, carprofen and firocoxib as "high", the best of any dog NSAID.

• 217 dogs, placebo-controlled (Peterson 2004): meloxicam improved lameness and other osteoarthritis signs more than placebo at day 8 and day 15, with no abnormal bloodwork over the two weeks.
• 280 dogs, oral spray (Cozzi 2013): 72.6% of owners rated it a success at 28 days versus 46.9% on placebo. The vets' own lameness scores did not separate the groups, a reminder that owner impressions and objective measures do not always agree.
• 71 dogs, force-plate gait analysis (Moreau 2003): carprofen and meloxicam both improved how much weight dogs put on the sore leg. Only meloxicam brought it back to normal, and owners only noticed improvement with meloxicam. A glucosamine-chondroitin nutraceutical did not improve gait.
• Sleep (Gruen 2019): activity monitors showed dogs on meloxicam rested better at night and moved more during the day than on placebo.

One more finding worth knowing before anyone suggests tapering. In a blinded trial of 59 arthritic dogs, those whose meloxicam dose was gradually reduced were more likely to drop out because of poor pain control (13 versus 5). Some dogs did fine on less, but it was individual (Wernham 2011).

Meloxicam Side Effects in Dogs

Sources: METACAM FDA label, including post-approval adverse event reports, which list gastrointestinal ulceration, renal failure and elevated liver enzymes, with death reported as an outcome; VCA Animal Hospitals.

Put in perspective: in the 25 randomised, placebo-controlled dog NSAID trials reviewed in 2013, side effects were not statistically more common than on placebo. Most dogs take meloxicam without trouble. The problem is that those trials were mostly short and in healthy, younger dogs, not the older arthritic dogs who take NSAIDs for months.

The Damage You Can't See

This is the finding the usual drug pages leave out. Researchers gave a swallowable camera capsule to 12 medium and large dogs that had been on an NSAID for at least a month (median six months, mostly carprofen, two on meloxicam). 10 had erosions in the stomach or gut lining, without clinical signs at the time. In a 2025 review of 33 dogs with confirmed ulcers at referral hospitals, 11 were on a single COX-2-sparing NSAID at an appropriate dose, four of them on meloxicam, and all five dogs given two NSAIDs at once had full-thickness perforation.

And steroids: in healthy Beagles, three days of meloxicam alone did not damage the stomach lining on endoscopy, but meloxicam combined with dexamethasone caused significantly more erosions than either alone (Boston 2003). A 2022 report also described colonic perforation in four dogs shortly after meloxicam, mostly in dogs that were already unwell.

The perforation data: a university teaching hospital reviewed every dog that came in with a perforated stomach or duodenum after NSAID use from 2007 to 2020. Of the 30 dogs, 18 had received a single NSAID at the labelled dose. Meloxicam was the drug in 8 of those 18 (44%), followed by firocoxib (5), deracoxib (3) and piroxicam (2). That is out of proportion to how often it was used: a survey of the referring vets found meloxicam made up only 10.6% of NSAID prescriptions, while carprofen made up 70.6% and appeared in no single-drug cases (Pfeifer 2022). It is one hospital and shows an association, not cause, but it is a reason to take stomach warning signs seriously on meloxicam and to ask your vet about the right NSAID for a dog with any history of stomach trouble. The same data are discussed in our Previcox and Deramaxx guides.

None of this means meloxicam is unsafe for your dog. It means "no symptoms" is not proof of no harm, and the rules that prevent the worst outcomes are simple: one NSAID at a time, no steroids alongside, a gap when switching, and bloodwork.

How Long Can a Dog Stay on Meloxicam?

Many arthritic dogs take it for months or years, and that can be reasonable. The label notes some drug accumulation and a longer half-life once dogs have been dosed for 45 days or longer, so long-term dogs need monitoring rather than a fixed end date:

• Baseline bloodwork and urinalysis before starting, especially in older dogs.
• A recheck after the first few weeks, then on the schedule your vet sets. Many vets recheck every 6 to 12 months for dogs on daily NSAIDs.
• Use the lowest dose that keeps your dog comfortable, and add things that let the dose stay low: weight loss, controlled exercise, and other pain options your vet recommends.

Drugs That Shouldn't Be Combined With Meloxicam

• Any other NSAID: carprofen (Rimadyl), grapiprant (Galliprant), firocoxib (Previcox), deracoxib (Deramaxx), robenacoxib, aspirin. When switching from one to another, vets usually leave a washout gap. Ask how many days.
• Steroids: prednisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone.
• Use with caution: diuretics such as furosemide, ACE inhibitors, certain antibiotics (gentamicin, amikacin), anticoagulants, fluconazole, cyclosporine and methotrexate, plus anaesthetics. Tell your vet about every supplement too.

Gabapentin, amantadine and trazodone are not NSAIDs and are often given alongside meloxicam. See our gabapentin guide and our hemp and dog medications guide.

Meloxicam vs Carprofen, Galliprant and Gabapentin

Your vet chooses based on your dog's kidneys, liver, stomach history and other drugs.

Where Hemp Fits

We make hemp oil, so here is the honest version. The canine evidence for CBD is strongest for osteoarthritis pain, the same thing meloxicam is approved for, and owners often want to know whether one can replace the other. The evidence does not support stopping a prescribed NSAID for hemp. What it does support is using hemp alongside veterinary care, with your vet involved:

• In our own 90-day study overseen by veterinary pain specialist Dr. Robin Downing, dogs stayed on their existing prescriptions while our oil was added, and every medication change was made by the supervising vet.
• A 2026 randomised, blinded trial in 27 arthritic dogs gave a full-spectrum cannabis extract (CBD, CBDA, THC and THCA) on top of their NSAID or pregabalin. Pain scores fell 39.6% versus 24.7% on placebo oil (Benjamin 2026).
• Both meloxicam and CBD can raise liver values, so if your dog takes both, bloodwork matters even more. Our guide to hemp side effects in dogs has every published figure.

What Can I Use Instead of Meloxicam?

If meloxicam upsets your dog's stomach, their kidney values rise, or they are on a steroid, your vet has options: a different NSAID after a washout, Galliprant, Librela, gabapentin or amantadine as add-ons, and the non-drug measures that work for every arthritic dog: weight loss, short regular walks, non-slip floors, rehab and an orthopaedic bed. Our guide to what you can safely give a dog for pain covers the human painkillers you should not use, and the best joint supplements for dogs covers what has evidence.

Questions to Ask Your Vet

• What dose is my dog on in mg/kg, and is it the label dose?
• Do we need bloodwork before starting, and when is the recheck?
• Is it safe with everything else my dog takes, including supplements?
• If we switch NSAIDs, how many days' washout do you want?
• What signs mean I should stop and call you?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is meloxicam a strong painkiller for dogs?
It is one of the best-studied and most effective drugs for arthritis pain in dogs. In a 217-dog placebo-controlled trial, dogs improved significantly by day 8 and day 15, and in a 71-dog gait study meloxicam was the only treatment that returned weight-bearing to normal. It is an anti-inflammatory rather than an opioid, so it works best for inflammatory pain such as osteoarthritis and after surgery.

How much meloxicam for a 60 lb dog?
At the FDA label dose of 0.045 mg per pound, a 60 lb dog takes about 2.7 mg once a day after a first-day dose of about 5.4 mg. With the 1.5 mg/mL Metacam suspension that is about 1.8 mL, and the Metacam syringe is marked in pounds so you set it to 60. Your vet sets the actual dose.

How quickly does meloxicam work for dogs?
Blood levels peak about 7.5 hours after an oral dose, according to the Metacam label, and the drug lasts about 24 hours. Some dogs look more comfortable within a day, but trials measured significant improvement over placebo at day 8 and day 15. If there is no change after two weeks, speak to your vet rather than giving more.

What are the worst side effects of meloxicam in dogs?
The serious ones are stomach or intestinal ulcers and bleeding (black or tarry stool, vomiting blood), kidney injury (changes in drinking and urination) and liver injury (yellow gums, eyes or skin). The label's post-approval reports include ulceration, renal failure and elevated liver enzymes, with deaths reported. Giving two NSAIDs together, or an NSAID with a steroid, sharply raises the risk.

How does meloxicam make dogs feel?
Most dogs simply feel more comfortable: they get up more easily, walk further and rest better at night. Activity monitors in one trial showed better nighttime rest on meloxicam than on placebo. The most common unwanted effects are an upset stomach, soft stool or a drop in appetite. Unusual tiredness is a reason to call your vet.

How long can you keep a dog on meloxicam?
Many arthritic dogs take it for months or years under veterinary monitoring. The label advises the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration and notes some drug accumulation after 45 days of dosing. Long-term dogs need baseline bloodwork and regular rechecks, and in one study 10 of 12 dogs on long-term NSAIDs had gut erosions without symptoms.

Is human meloxicam the same as dog meloxicam?
The drug is the same, but the strength is not. A single 7.5 mg human tablet is a full daily label dose for a dog of about 165 pounds, and a 15 mg tablet is far too much for any normal dog. Vets sometimes prescribe human tablets for large dogs with exact splitting instructions. Never give your own meloxicam to your dog.

Is Metacam a painkiller or an antibiotic?
Metacam is a painkiller and anti-inflammatory, not an antibiotic. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that reduces the prostaglandins behind pain, swelling and fever. It does not treat infection.

What is the difference between gabapentin and Metacam?
Metacam (meloxicam) is an NSAID that reduces inflammation. Gabapentin calms overactive pain nerves and has no anti-inflammatory effect. They work differently and are often prescribed together for arthritic dogs. Gabapentin is mainly cleared by the kidneys and causes sleepiness; meloxicam's risks are the stomach, kidneys and liver.

Can I give my dog meloxicam with CBD?
Ask your vet first. There is no known direct drug-level interaction between meloxicam and CBD in dogs, but both can raise liver values, so baseline and follow-up bloodwork are important. In HempMy Pet's own 90-day study, dogs stayed on their existing prescriptions while hemp oil was added, with a vet directing every medication change.

The Short Version

Meloxicam (Metacam) is an effective, FDA-approved NSAID for dog arthritis: 0.2 mg/kg on day one, then 0.1 mg/kg once daily with food, peaking at about 7.5 hours and improving dogs within a week or two. Its risks are the stomach, gut, kidneys and liver, and they are often silent, so give one NSAID at a time, never with a steroid, keep the dose as low as works, and get bloodwork on a schedule. Never give a whole human 7.5 or 15 mg tablet.

Hemp for Hip & Joint Mobility → See Our Clinical Trial

Carprofen for Dogs · Rimadyl Side Effects · Galliprant · Librela · Gabapentin · Arthritis in Dogs · Hemp & Dog Medications · CBD Doses in Dog Studies

How We Sourced This Article

Every claim above traces to one of these.

• Pfeifer JM, Levy NA, Carter DL, Beal MW. Gastric or duodenal perforation and secondary septic peritonitis following therapeutic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug administration. J Vet Emerg Crit Care. 2022;32:764–768. PubMed.
• US Food and Drug Administration / Boehringer Ingelheim. METACAM (meloxicam) Oral Suspension, label, NADA 141-213: indication, 0.2 then 0.1 mg/kg dosing, drop and syringe instructions, 7.5-hour peak, 24-hour half-life, accumulation after 45 days, field and post-approval adverse events, cat warning.
• Peterson KD, Keefe TJ. Effects of meloxicam on severity of lameness and other clinical signs of osteoarthritis in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2004;225:1056–1060. PubMed.
• Doig PA, Purbrick KA, Hare JE, McKeown DB. Clinical efficacy and tolerance of meloxicam in dogs with chronic osteoarthritis. Can Vet J. 2000;41:296–300. PubMed.
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• Gruen ME, Samson DR, Lascelles BDX. Functional linear modeling of activity data shows analgesic-mediated improved sleep in dogs with spontaneous osteoarthritis pain. Sci Rep. 2019;9:14192. PubMed.
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• Monteiro-Steagall BP, Steagall PV, Lascelles BD. Systematic review of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced adverse effects in dogs. J Vet Intern Med. 2013;27:1011–1019. PubMed.
• Mabry K, Hill T, Tolbert MK. Prevalence of gastrointestinal lesions in dogs chronically treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. J Vet Intern Med. 2021;35:853–859. PubMed.
• Hillier TN, Watt MM, Grimes JA, Berg AN. Dogs receiving cyclooxygenase-2-sparing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and/or nonphysiologic steroids are at risk of severe gastrointestinal ulceration. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2025;263:1–8. PubMed. Also Longley MJ, et al. Colonic perforation in 4 dogs following treatment with meloxicam. J Vet Emerg Crit Care 2022, PubMed.
• Boston SE, Moens NM, Kruth SA, Southorn EP. Endoscopic evaluation of the gastroduodenal mucosa to determine the safety of short-term concurrent administration of meloxicam and dexamethasone in healthy dogs. Am J Vet Res. 2003;64:1369–1375. PubMed.
• Benjamin ET, et al. Randomized and blind evaluation of the efficacy of a full-spectrum oral Cannabis sativa oil extract in dogs with chronic osteoarthritis. Animals. 2026;16. PubMed.
• Veterinary references. VCA Animal Hospitals, Meloxicam · FDA, Get the facts about pain relievers for pets.
• Kogan L, Hellyer P, Downing R. The Use of Cannabidiol-Rich Hemp Oil Extract to Treat Canine Osteoarthritis-Related Pain: A Pilot Study. J Am Holist Vet Med Assoc. 2020;58:35–45. Our disclosure: HempMy Pet supplied the hemp extract and reimbursed clinic costs; we had no involvement in any other study cited here.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is general information, not veterinary advice. Never start, stop or change your dog's medication without your veterinarian.