Acepromazine

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1,039 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA

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
1500.0%
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%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 1,039
Reports involving death 156
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 1500.0%
Distinct species in reports 6
Distinct breeds in reports 20
Distinct reactions reported 20
Active ingredients on file 1

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reporting (CVM AER). Counts reflect voluntary reports only.

Acepromazine Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 1,039 adverse event reports referencing Acepromazine, including 156 reports in which the animal died — a 1500.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Acepromazine. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Oral, Intramuscular, Parenteral. These numbers reflect voluntary submissions from pet owners, veterinarians, and manufacturers and therefore under-represent mild events and over-represent severe ones — a pattern the FDA has documented repeatedly for pharmacovigilance datasets.

The species most frequently named in Acepromazine reports are Dog (770 reports), Cat (254 reports), Horse (10 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (157), Retriever - Labrador (115), Dog (unknown) (57) appear most often — though breed popularity and ownership density shape these counts as much as any drug-specific sensitivity. This distribution matters because the same active ingredient can behave very differently across body sizes, ages, and species physiology.

The most commonly reported clinical signs associated with Acepromazine are Vomiting (142), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (102), Lack of efficacy - NOS (84), Death (82). Of the 1,037 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 45.7%. Because FDA adverse event data describes correlation rather than causation, these figures are best used to frame informed questions with a veterinarian and to compare reporting patterns across related products — not as a standalone safety verdict on Acepromazine.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports Data reflects voluntary submissions and may not represent actual incidence rates

Related

Data sourced from official AKC, AVMA, ACVO, and breed-club veterinary references. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBreed Editorial