Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Bupivacaine

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

614
adverse-event reports
8.8%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
48
Not eating - 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.
614
Total Reports
54
Deaths Reported
8.8%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Bupivacaine

Administration Routes

UnknownParenteralOtherSubcutaneousOralEpiduralIntraocularTopicalPerineuralIntradermal

Species Affected

Dog 222
Cat 219
Unknown 154
Human 12
Rabbit 2
Pig 2
Horse 1
Rat 1
Cephalopoda 1

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 169
Domestic Shorthair 123
Dog (unknown) 56
Retriever - Labrador 33
Cat (unknown) 23
Domestic Longhair 22
Domestic Mediumhair 18
Retriever - Golden 14
Boxer (German Boxer) 10
Crossbred Canine/dog 7

Most Reported Reactions

Not eating 48
Vials, Damaged 37
Decreased appetite 32
Behavioural disorder NOS 31
Other abnormal test result NOS 30
Death 28
Vomiting 25
Bruising 25
Death by euthanasia 24
Dilated pupils 24
Anorexia 23
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 23

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
152 (32.8%)
Ongoing
128 (27.6%)
Outcome Unknown
124 (26.8%)
Died
31 (6.7%)
Euthanized
25 (5.4%)
Recovered with Sequela
3 (0.6%)

Bupivacaine Adverse Event Insights

614 reports name Bupivacaine; 54 recorded a death outcome (8.8% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Bupivacaine. Administration routes: Unknown, Parenteral, Other, Subcutaneous.

By species: Dog (222 reports), Cat (219 reports), Unknown (154 reports). By breed: Unknown (169), Domestic Shorthair (123), Dog (unknown) (56).

Leading clinical signs: Not eating (48), Vials, Damaged (37), Decreased appetite (32), Behavioural disorder NOS (31). Outcome, 463 coded reports: Recovered/Normal leads at 32.8%.

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.