Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Dexmeditomidine

46 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Dexmeditomidine. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

46
adverse-event reports
8.7%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
18
Lack of efficacy - NOS - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
46
Total Reports
4
Deaths Reported
8.7%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Dexmeditomidine

Administration Routes

IntravenousUnknownIntramuscularParenteral

Species Affected

Dog 39
Cat 7

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 7
Pit Bull 5
Domestic Shorthair 4
Retriever - Golden 4
Dog (unknown) 3
Bulldog - French 3
Domestic Longhair 2
Terrier (unspecified) 2
Siberian Husky 2
Sphynx 1

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy - NOS 18
Injection site swelling 10
Diarrhoea 6
Injection site complication NOS 6
Licking at injection site 5
Anorexia 4
Lameness 4
Behavioural disorder NOS 4
Death by euthanasia 3
Ataxia 3
Weight loss 3
Wound 3

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
29 (63.0%)
Recovered/Normal
12 (26.1%)
Euthanized
3 (6.5%)
Died
1 (2.2%)
Ongoing
1 (2.2%)

Dexmeditomidine Adverse Event Insights

46 reports name Dexmeditomidine; 4 recorded a death outcome (8.7% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Dexmeditomidine. Administration routes: Intravenous, Unknown, Intramuscular, Parenteral.

By species: Dog (39 reports), Cat (7 reports). By breed: Retriever - Labrador (7), Pit Bull (5), Domestic Shorthair (4).

Leading clinical signs: Lack of efficacy - NOS (18), Injection site swelling (10), Diarrhoea (6), Injection site complication NOS (6). Outcome, 46 coded reports: Outcome Unknown leads at 63.0%.

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.

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

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.