My westie, who is now nearly ten years old, does suffer with a little bit of arthritis. Because of the fact that westies tend to be quite stocky with short little legs, they are prone to arthritis in their later years - and the key is to obviously treat the inflammation and the pain associated with arthritis so that she can be pain-free and also remain happy and active. Our vet recommended Metcam which contains meloxicam and sodium benzoate, and together it forms an anti-inflammatory and analgesic which is particularly suited to osteoarthritis.

Metacam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (similar to ibuprofen or diclofenac) which is given in oral form. It comes in a small glass bottle and is sold inside a box which contains a full product information leaflet, which includes details on dosages, contraindications, side-effects and warnings - and all of this is easy to follow. I got it on prescription from my vet and it cost me £7.00 for a 32ml bottle. There is a syringe that comes with the bottle and so you measure the amount of Metcam to be given by looking at the number of kilograms along the syringe - and so it's really easy to measure out.

It's a clear liquid and it doesn't really smell of anything - and to be honest my dog doesn't seem to mind the taste of it. Because it's in a syringe, I fine it really easy to squirt it into the back side of her mouth, and she really doesn't seem to have any issue with it. I know that you can also squirt it onto the food, but its so easy to use the syringe that for me this seems to be the best option.

Obviously, the most important thing is how effective it is. Since I have been given Metcam to Noodle, I would say that she does move around more easily. I tend to only give her one dose a day in the morning and this seems to set her up for the day. She tends to do less lollaping and more gliding. I do give it to her with a little bit of breakfast because I think it can be a little bit irritating on an empty stomach. I also haven't really noted any side-effects since I've been giving it to her - although there are a list of potential side-effects listed.

Overall, I do recommend Metcam, but I would always get it under the direction of a vet.