Metacam (meloxicam) is an NSAID, also sold as Metacam. Below: how 7 show and racing governing bodies list it, every published detection time for the dose and route studied, and the document and page each value comes from.USEF: Controlled medicationFEI: Controlled Medication, detection time 72 h (3 days)HISA: Controlled medicationnamed in the rules of 1 state racing commission
Each row is one study the governing body published: its own dose, route and formulation. A different dose or route was not studied, and the body says so.
| Body and document | Dose and route studied | Formulation | Horses | Detection time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FEI 2024 (16 December 2024) p. 2 | 0.6mg/kg/14 days · oral | Metacam | 8 | 72 h (3 days) |
| FEI 2024 (16 December 2024) p. 2 | 0.6mg/kg/14 days · IV | Metacam | 8 | 72 h (3 days) |
| Equestrian Canada Rev. January 15, 2025 p. 18 | 250mg PO · oral | 72 h (3 days) | ||
| Equestrian Canada Rev. January 15, 2025 p. 18 | 270mg IV · IV | 72 h (3 days) | ||
| IFHA / EHSLC Undated PDF p. 2 | 0.6mg/kg for 14 days, once daily · oral | Metacam® Boehringer Ingelheim | 8 | 72 h (3 days) urine |
Transcribed from the governing bodies' own documents. Each entry links to the document and quotes the row it came from.
“No Medication Report Form (MRF) Accepted ... meloxicam (Metacam®)” — source p. 9
“CONTROLLED Meloxicam Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory” — source p. 22
“MELOXICAM2,5 Metacam, 0.6mg/kg/14 days daily oral 8 72 (3d)” — source p. 2
From 2027-01-01: 2027 Equine Prohibited Substances List p. 23 lists it as Controlled Medication.
“Meloxicam” — source p. 11
“Meloxicam ... Conditionally Permitted ... Conditionally permitted substances require a 24-hour withdrawal prior to the horse competing.” — source
“Meloxicam ... NSAID” — source p. 19
“Meloxicam Mobic 4 B” — source p. 36
“Meloxicam Metacam® Boehringer Ingelheim 0.6mg/kg for 14 days, once daily Oral (8) 72” — source p. 2
Metacam is named in the medication rules, threshold schedules or withdrawal guidance of 1 state racing commission: Washington. Most states publish thresholds (concentrations), not times, and several adopt the ARCI schedule by reference. ShowSafe Pro Racing layers each state's rules over HISA or ARCI the way that state applies them, for all 32 states with live pari-mutuel racing.
A published detection time tells you how long Metacam stayed detectable in a handful of horses given one dose by one route. It does not tell you when your horse is clear: a bigger dose, a different route, repeated doses, a joint injection or a slower horse all push the real figure out, and every governing body says to add a safety margin set by your veterinarian. Here is how to read the rulebook.
ShowSafe Pro takes the doses already logged for your horse, matches each one to the published row for that dose and route, adds the margin your vet set, and flags anything the studies never covered as Unknown, ask your vet instead of guessing. Every answer shows the document, page and line it came from, for every rulebook the show runs under.
The 2026 USEF Guidelines & Rules for Drugs and Medications (with 27 Jul 2026 Guidelines Update) list Metacam as "No Medication Report Form (MRF) Accepted". (Page 9.)
The FEI List of Detection Times gives 72 h (3 days) for 0.6mg/kg/14 days oral (Metacam); 72 h (3 days) for 0.6mg/kg/14 days IV (Metacam). On the 2026 FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List Metacam is a Controlled Medication. The FEI states that a detection time is not a withdrawal time; the treating veterinarian adds a safety margin.
No. It is the approximate time Metacam stayed detectable in the horses studied, at that dose and route. Your horse, dose, route and number of doses may differ. Every governing body tells you to add a safety margin set by your veterinarian, and none publishes a withdrawal time. ShowSafe Pro applies the published row for the dose and route you actually gave, adds your vet's margin, and says 'Unknown' when the studies do not cover what you gave.