Dexmedetomidine Hcl

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119 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.
119
Total Reports
17
Deaths Reported
1430.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Dexmedetomidine Hcl

Administration Routes

IntramuscularIntravenousUnknown

Species Affected

Dog 69
Cat 50

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 62
Domestic Shorthair 13
Retriever - Labrador 5
Shepherd Dog - German 4
Schnauzer - Miniature 4
Chihuahua 3
Domestic Longhair 2
Rottweiler 2
Domestic (unspecified) 2
Mountain Dog - Bernese 2

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy - NOS 65
Death 13
Hyperthermia 12
Bradycardia 10
Cardiac arrest 9
Vomiting 9
Respiratory arrest 6
Sedation prolonged 5
Anorexia 4
Seizure NOS 4
Ataxia 4
Cyanosis 4

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
102 (81.0%)
Died
13 (10.3%)
Euthanized
5 (4.0%)
Ongoing
3 (2.4%)
Outcome Unknown
3 (2.4%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 119
Reports involving death 17
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 1430.0%
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.

Dexmedetomidine Hcl Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 119 adverse event reports referencing Dexmedetomidine Hcl, including 17 reports in which the animal died — a 1430.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Dexmedetomidine Hcl. Reported administration routes include Intramuscular, Intravenous, Unknown. 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 Dexmedetomidine Hcl reports are Dog (69 reports), Cat (50 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Unknown (62), Domestic Shorthair (13), Retriever - Labrador (5) 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 Dexmedetomidine Hcl are Lack of efficacy - NOS (65), Death (13), Hyperthermia (12), Bradycardia (10). Of the 126 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 81.0%. 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 Dexmedetomidine Hcl.

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