Depo-Medrol

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13 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.
13
Total Reports
3
Deaths Reported
2310.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Depo-Medrol

Administration Routes

UnknownSubcutaneousIntramuscular

Species Affected

Cat 10
Dog 3

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 8
Spitz - German Pomeranian 1
Shih Tzu 1
Shepherd Dog - German 1
Rex - Devon 1
British Blue 1

Most Reported Reactions

Death 2
Weight loss 2
Hypersalivation 2
Pulmonary oedema 2
Seizure NOS 2
Third eyelid protrusion 2
Anisocoria 2
Ataxia 2
Decreased appetite 2
Non-regenerative anaemia 1
Splenomegaly 1
Pale mucous membrane 1

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
4 (30.8%)
Outcome Unknown
3 (23.1%)
Recovered/Normal
3 (23.1%)
Died
2 (15.4%)
Euthanized
1 (7.7%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 13
Reports involving death 3
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2310.0%
Distinct species in reports 2
Distinct breeds in reports 6
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.

Depo-Medrol Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 13 adverse event reports referencing Depo-Medrol, including 3 reports in which the animal died — a 2310.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Depo-Medrol. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Subcutaneous, Intramuscular. 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 Depo-Medrol reports are Cat (10 reports), Dog (3 reports), with Cat accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (8), Spitz - German Pomeranian (1), Shih Tzu (1) 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 Depo-Medrol are Death (2), Weight loss (2), Hypersalivation (2), Pulmonary oedema (2). Of the 13 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 30.8%. 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 Depo-Medrol.

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