Hello,
A little later reply, but sometimes you can get away with connecting a small value resistor in series with the meter and it wont hurt the accuracy too much. It depends on the meter used.
For example, a 100 ohm resistor in series with the meter might only change the reading slightly, yet in the even of a blown main fuse, the current would be limited to about 120ma. But my guess is that the meter movement is of higher resistance than that anyway, but you'd have to check it.
Of course you have to test this too to make sure it still works ok.
If we knew more about the meter movement spec's we could figure this out more definitively.
Another idea is to use an op amp between the "shunt" and the meter as a voltage follower. That would protect the meter.