BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) resulting from trauma to spinal column leads to changes in organ function above and below the level of the injury. There are many preclinical animal models of SCI which recapitulate different forms and degrees of injury occurring in human population. SCI procedure carried out in preclinical animal models usually involves some surgical manipulation of spinal cord or vertebral column and therefore requires analgesic treatment in order to ensure optimal recovery. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs such as meloxicam or carprofen are generally used to alleviate surgical pain in animal models of SCI. Since SCI leads to a multitude of changes in organs which handle metabolism and excretion of drugs, one needs to choose appropriate analgesic agent with minimal side effect profile. Previously we have observed increased mortality in animals which received meloxicam as part of the analgesic regiment following SCI surgery. The mortality was likely due to the suboptimal effects of the drug on the bladder function which is compromised by SCI. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to: (i) investigate the mechanism via which administration of meloxicam contributes towards the adverse outcomes following induction of experimental SCI in rats, and to (ii) determine the gender differences in response to SCI and in the response to the drug administration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 29 12 weeks old Wistar rats were used in the present study. All animals were subjected to T3 SCI and received either meloxicam (1mg/kg) or vehicle control administered subcutaneously once a day for three days following the surgery. Urine was collected once a day for three days and protein concentration was determined using Bradford Assay. Animals were euthanized 72 hours after the injury. Organs, tissues and blood were collected for future analyses. RESULTS: Both female and male animals exhibited hematuria following SCI. However, the proportion of female animals which exhibited hematuria following SCI was significantly less than male animals. Furthermore, male animals exhibited proteinuria while female animals were less affected. Finally, meloxicam administration tended to increase protein concentration in urine 72 hours following spinal cord injury. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that there are significant gender differences in response to experimental SCI in Wistar rats. Furthermore, due to the effect of SCI on renal and urinary physiology, utility of meloxicam for alleviating pain following SCI in male Wistar rats may be suboptimal and other NSAIDs should be used.