Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Clonidine

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

20
adverse-event reports
10.0%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
6
Seizure NOS - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
20
Total Reports
2
Deaths Reported
10.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Clonidine

Administration Routes

OralUnknown

Species Affected

Dog 20

Most Affected Breeds

Schnauzer (unspecified) 3
Retriever - Labrador 2
Cattle Dog - Australian (blue heeler, red heeler, Queensland cattledog) 2
Terrier - Boston 1
Mixed (Dog) 1
Pit Bull 1
Crossbred Canine/dog 1
Retriever - Golden 1
Maltese 1
Bulldog - American 1

Most Reported Reactions

Seizure NOS 6
Underdose 4
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 3
Vomiting 3
Behavioural disorder NOS 3
Shaking 2
Abnormal radiograph finding 2
Weakness 2
Diarrhoea 2
Fluid in abdomen NOS 2
Medication error NOS 2
Decreased appetite 2

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
7 (36.8%)
Recovered/Normal
6 (31.6%)
Ongoing
4 (21.1%)
Died
1 (5.3%)
Euthanized
1 (5.3%)

Clonidine Adverse Event Insights

20 reports name Clonidine; 2 recorded a death outcome (10.0% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Clonidine. Administration routes: Oral, Unknown.

By species: Dog (20 reports). By breed: Schnauzer (unspecified) (3), Retriever - Labrador (2), Cattle Dog - Australian (blue heeler, red heeler, Queensland cattledog) (2).

Leading clinical signs: Seizure NOS (6), Underdose (4), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) (3), Vomiting (3). Outcome, 19 coded reports: Outcome Unknown leads at 36.8%.

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.