Desoxycortone

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733 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.
733
Total Reports
60
Deaths Reported
820.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Desoxycortone

Administration Routes

IntramuscularParenteralUnknownSubcutaneousOralIntravenousOtherCutaneousRespiratory (Inhalation)Topical

Species Affected

Dog 633
Unknown 93
Human 5
Cat 2

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 98
Retriever - Labrador 72
Dog (unknown) 72
Crossbred Canine/dog 27
Poodle - Standard 24
Pit Bull 23
Terrier - West Highland White 22
Retriever - Golden 20
Chihuahua 20
Poodle (unspecified) 19

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy - NOS 104
Vomiting 89
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 80
Other abnormal test result NOS 68
Polydipsia 60
Polyuria 59
Weight gain 50
Incorrect route of drug administration 47
Diarrhoea 47
Product problem 44
Weight loss 41
Not eating 34

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
240 (37.5%)
Ongoing
212 (33.1%)
Recovered/Normal
110 (17.2%)
Died
33 (5.2%)
Euthanized
27 (4.2%)
Recovered with Sequela
18 (2.8%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 733
Reports involving death 60
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 820.0%
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.

Desoxycortone Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 733 adverse event reports referencing Desoxycortone, including 60 reports in which the animal died — a 820.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Desoxycortone. Reported administration routes include Intramuscular, Parenteral, Unknown, Subcutaneous. 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 Desoxycortone reports are Dog (633 reports), Unknown (93 reports), Human (5 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Unknown (98), Retriever - Labrador (72), Dog (unknown) (72) 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 Desoxycortone are Lack of efficacy - NOS (104), Vomiting (89), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (80), Other abnormal test result NOS (68). Of the 640 reports with a coded outcome, Outcome Unknown is the leading category at 37.5%. 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 Desoxycortone.

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