Dexamethasone Sp

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128 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.
128
Total Reports
32
Deaths Reported
2500.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Dexamethasone Sp

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousIntramuscularSubcutaneousParenteralAuricular (Otic)

Species Affected

Dog 97
Cat 31

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 23
Retriever - Labrador 17
Shepherd Dog - German 7
Chihuahua 6
Terrier (unspecified) 6
Terrier - Yorkshire 4
Dachshund (unspecified) 4
Poodle (unspecified) 3
Schnauzer - Miniature 3
Beagle 2

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 43
Death by euthanasia 23
Diarrhoea 20
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 18
Panting 17
Not eating 17
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 17
Neutrophilia 16
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 14
Leucocytosis NOS 13
Other abnormal test result NOS 12
Anaphylaxis 11

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
37 (28.9%)
Outcome Unknown
34 (26.6%)
Recovered/Normal
25 (19.5%)
Euthanized
22 (17.2%)
Died
10 (7.8%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 128
Reports involving death 32
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2500.0%
Distinct species in reports 2
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.

Dexamethasone Sp Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 128 adverse event reports referencing Dexamethasone Sp, including 32 reports in which the animal died — a 2500.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Dexamethasone Sp. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Intravenous, Intramuscular, 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 Dexamethasone Sp reports are Dog (97 reports), Cat (31 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (23), Retriever - Labrador (17), Shepherd Dog - German (7) 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 Dexamethasone Sp are Vomiting (43), Death by euthanasia (23), Diarrhoea (20), Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (18). Of the 128 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 28.9%. 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 Dexamethasone Sp.

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