Buprenorphine Hcl

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258 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.
258
Total Reports
83
Deaths Reported
3220.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Buprenorphine Hcl

Administration Routes

UnknownIntramuscularSubcutaneousIntravenousOral

Species Affected

Dog 141
Cat 115
Guinea Pig 1
Rabbit 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 75
Retriever - Labrador 14
Domestic Longhair 14
Dog (unknown) 10
Cat (unknown) 7
Schnauzer - Miniature 7
Chihuahua 6
Domestic Mediumhair 6
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 6
Shih Tzu 5

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 47
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 47
Other abnormal test result NOS 46
Death by euthanasia 45
Anorexia 38
Death 37
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 26
Fever 25
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) 24
Emesis 23
Abnormal radiograph finding 22
Diarrhoea 22

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
98 (37.8%)
Recovered/Normal
62 (23.9%)
Euthanized
44 (17.0%)
Died
39 (15.1%)
Outcome Unknown
15 (5.8%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.4%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 258
Reports involving death 83
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 3220.0%
Distinct species in reports 4
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.

Buprenorphine Hcl Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 258 adverse event reports referencing Buprenorphine Hcl, including 83 reports in which the animal died — a 3220.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Buprenorphine Hcl. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Intramuscular, Subcutaneous, Intravenous. 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 Buprenorphine Hcl reports are Dog (141 reports), Cat (115 reports), Guinea Pig (1 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (75), Retriever - Labrador (14), Domestic Longhair (14) 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 Buprenorphine Hcl are Vomiting (47), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (47), Other abnormal test result NOS (46), Death by euthanasia (45). Of the 259 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 37.8%. 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 Buprenorphine Hcl.

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