Dextrose

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244 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.
244
Total Reports
155
Deaths Reported
6350.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Dextrose

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousParenteralOralSubcutaneousIntraperitonealOther

Species Affected

Dog 172
Cat 71
Rabbit 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 48
Retriever - Labrador 23
Chihuahua 11
Retriever - Golden 10
Terrier - Yorkshire 9
Papillon - Spaniel - Continental Toy (with erect ears or with dropped ears (Phaléne)) 6
Shih Tzu 6
Domestic Longhair 5
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 5
Bulldog - French 5

Most Reported Reactions

Hypoglycaemia 121
Death by euthanasia 82
Death 75
Vomiting 68
Other abnormal test result NOS 61
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 52
Elevated total bilirubin 52
Leucocytosis NOS 44
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 44
Anorexia 43
Dehydration 43
Not eating 42

Outcome Breakdown

Euthanized
81 (32.4%)
Died
76 (30.4%)
Ongoing
46 (18.4%)
Recovered/Normal
27 (10.8%)
Outcome Unknown
20 (8.0%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 244
Reports involving death 155
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 6350.0%
Distinct species in reports 3
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.

Dextrose Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 244 adverse event reports referencing Dextrose, including 155 reports in which the animal died — a 6350.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Dextrose. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Intravenous, Parenteral, Oral. 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 Dextrose reports are Dog (172 reports), Cat (71 reports), Rabbit (1 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (48), Retriever - Labrador (23), Chihuahua (11) 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 Dextrose are Hypoglycaemia (121), Death by euthanasia (82), Death (75), Vomiting (68). Of the 250 reports with a coded outcome, Euthanized is the leading category at 32.4%. 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 Dextrose.

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