Switching frm ibuprofen to meloxicam, dosage

[applecrisped]

New thread for clarity sake.

Squirrel with broken back leg, mid tibia, nerve and blood flow intact best I can tell. I have been giving infant ibuprofen since monday morning. Was advised by a vet that meloxicam would be easier on her system.

I have unopened meloxicam from one of my dogs, but it expired march 2019 so I got new ibuprofen instead.

Found a good vet that will look at her on Thursday morning (they are booked, she'll be as a drop off and seen between other appointments), and I'm sure they will give me something for her then.

Should I switch to the meloxicam for today and if so what dosage for 670-680 grams?
I've been talking with redwuff, but I'm hoping someone here can answer before 7am, which is when I normally would give next ibuprofen dose. (Last ibuprofen dose was around 7:30 last night.)

[redwuff]

Did the vet know your meloxicam is two years old? I don’t know how good two year expired meloxicam is but can dose for you.

[applecrisped]

Did the vet know your meloxicam is two years old? I don’t know how good two year expired meloxicam is but can dose for you.

Thanks!
The vet did know it was expired in 2019, she said it should still be okay but might be a little less effective.
I am not sure the trade off - possible drop in effectiveness vs possible problems from ibuprofen - is worth it if it's just going to be one more day.
Three days of ibuprofen 4x a day (every 4-5 hours) shouldn't be enough to cause problems right? (I can space it out to 3x a day if it's a concern?)

[Mel1959]

Ibuprofen is not recommended if there are alternatives, like meloxicam. I believe the way ibuprofen is broken down in the kidneys and liver is the main concern. Meloxicam is a much safer drug. My vet does not recommend ibuprofen, but realistically most folks don’t have Meloxicam on hand like they do ibuprofen. If it were me, I’d switch to the Meloxicam.

[stepnstone]

Thanks!
The vet did know it was expired in 2019, she said it should still be okay but might be a little less effective.
I am not sure the trade off - possible drop in effectiveness vs possible problems from ibuprofen - is worth it if it's just going to be one more day.
Three days of ibuprofen 4x a day (every 4-5 hours) shouldn't be enough to cause problems right? (I can space it out to 3x a day if it's a concern?)

My vet has stated when giving Ibuprofen not to exceed 4 days.
Ibuprofen and meloxicam both belong to the same therapeutic class, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
It has been suggested to wait until the effects of the ibuprofen wear off, which would be in around 6 hours time
before starting the Meloxicam and stopping the Ibuprofen.

[applecrisped]

The meloxicam I have actually has been opened - its practically full and with the type of cap/seal on it I couldn't tell at a glance.
It smells a little like vinegar and I'm not going to use it.
My vet will be open in 15 mins and I'll see what they think and if they can get me anything other than ibuprofen today.
Thank you for the quick replies everyone.