Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Acepromazine

1,039 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Acepromazine. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

1,039
adverse-event reports
15.0%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
142
Vomiting - top reaction
Verify with FDA CVM →
Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
1,039
Total Reports
156
Deaths Reported
15.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Acepromazine

Administration Routes

UnknownOralIntramuscularParenteralSubcutaneousIntravenousRespiratory (Inhalation)TopicalAuricular (Otic)Sublingual

Species Affected

Dog 770
Cat 254
Horse 10
Unknown 3
Rabbit 1
Rat 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 157
Retriever - Labrador 115
Dog (unknown) 57
Retriever - Golden 35
Crossbred Canine/dog 34
Cat (unknown) 33
Shepherd Dog - German 32
Shih Tzu 20
Boxer (German Boxer) 20
Chihuahua 19

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 142
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 102
Lack of efficacy - NOS 84
Death 82
Behavioural disorder NOS 73
Anorexia 72
Emesis 70
Other abnormal test result NOS 63
Not eating 61
Diarrhoea 58
Vocalisation 56
Death by euthanasia 54

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
474 (45.7%)
Outcome Unknown
198 (19.1%)
Ongoing
187 (18.0%)
Died
84 (8.1%)
Euthanized
72 (6.9%)
Recovered with Sequela
22 (2.1%)

Acepromazine Adverse Event Insights

1,039 reports name Acepromazine; 156 recorded a death outcome (15.0% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Acepromazine. Administration routes: Unknown, Oral, Intramuscular, Parenteral.

By species: Dog (770 reports), Cat (254 reports), Horse (10 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (157), Retriever - Labrador (115), Dog (unknown) (57).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (142), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (102), Lack of efficacy - NOS (84), Death (82). Outcome, 1,037 coded reports: Recovered/Normal leads at 45.7%.

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, a widely-prescribed drug will rack up more raw FDA reports in a given year than a rarely-used one at an identical true rate, so we recommend comparing within similar-exposure products rather than across the full 2025 catalog.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.