Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Dexamethasone

2,413 FDA reports name Dexamethasone, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#92 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
2,413
adverse-event reports
24.8%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Dexamethasone ranks #92 of 2679 by total reports (2,413) and #176 of 1130 by death-coded share (24.8%). National dual: Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad is #1 of 2679 drugs by total adverse-event reports (149,624) at death-coded-share rank 965 of 1130 drugs with at least 50 reports (2.3%); separately, Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) is #1 highest death-coded share at 97.8% (report rank #821).

149,624
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad reports (#1)
97.8%
Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) death share (#1)
#92
This drug, reports of 2679
#176
This drug, death share of 1130

Report volume reflects how common a breed or drug is and how often owners and vets file — not actual risk. Death-coded share ranks are limited to entries with enough reports to be meaningful. The two maps do not agree at #1.

Release-over-release change

What changed in the latest FDA data snapshot

PlainBreed reconstructed the prior snapshot from dated openFDA partitions through 2025 Q4, then compared it with the 2026-07-27 openFDA export. Dexamethasone has 2,413 reports now versus 2,369 in that prior snapshot: 44 more (1.9%).

Report change
+44
Death-coded reports
+7
Death-coded share
−0.2 pts

This compares reported-event counts in two source snapshots. It does not establish a change in real-world risk, product safety, or disease incidence.

Subscribe to Dexamethasone changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 598 is the most distinctive stamp on Dexamethasone's FDA AER row.

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
2,413
Total Reports
598
Deaths Reported
24.8%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Dexamethasone

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousSubcutaneousParenteralOralIntramuscularAuricular (Otic)OphthalmicTopicalOther

Species Affected

Dog 1,776
Cat 520
Cattle 53
Horse 45
Unknown 8
Pig 6
Human 3
Other 1
Ferret 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 334
Retriever - Labrador 169
Chihuahua 112
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 99
Retriever - Golden 64
Shih Tzu 60
Terrier - Yorkshire 58
Crossbred Canine/dog 57
Domestic Longhair 57
Shepherd Dog - German 52

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 703
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 560
Death 320
Diarrhoea 300
Anorexia 286
Death by euthanasia 258
Anaphylaxis 258
Other abnormal test result NOS 233
Fever 228
Pale mucous membrane 194
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 189
Leucocytosis NOS 183

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
921 (37.9%)
Recovered/Normal
534 (22.0%)
Outcome Unknown
349 (14.4%)
Died
349 (14.4%)
Euthanized
257 (10.6%)
Recovered with Sequela
21 (0.9%)

Dexamethasone: high death-coded share in the FDA AER row

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.

High-volume nationwide drug peers

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Dexamethasone, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (24.8% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

A report does not prove a drug caused the reaction; consult a veterinarian before acting on this data.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (FDA CVM) for Dexamethasone (#92 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 24.8%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 598 · vintage 2025.

Informational only. FDA adverse-event reports are voluntary and do not prove causation; consult a veterinarian before acting on them. Verify with FDA CVM →