Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Diazepam

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

922
adverse-event reports
26.9%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
240
Seizure 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.
922
Total Reports
248
Deaths Reported
26.9%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Diazepam

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousOralParenteralRectalIntramuscularOtherSubcutaneous

Species Affected

Dog 656
Cat 241
Horse 14
Human 6
Rabbit 1
Ferret 1
Unknown 1
Other Mammals 1
Donkey 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 165
Retriever - Labrador 66
Chihuahua 40
Shih Tzu 29
Terrier - Yorkshire 28
Crossbred Canine/dog 27
Dog (unknown) 25
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 24
Retriever - Golden 24
Shepherd Dog - German 19

Most Reported Reactions

Seizure NOS 240
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 131
Vomiting 123
Death by euthanasia 123
Death 121
Other abnormal test result NOS 110
Ataxia 86
Anorexia 83
Behavioural disorder NOS 74
Vocalisation 68
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 61
Lack of efficacy - NOS 57

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
280 (30.2%)
Ongoing
247 (26.6%)
Outcome Unknown
137 (14.8%)
Died
126 (13.6%)
Euthanized
122 (13.2%)
Recovered with Sequela
15 (1.6%)

Diazepam Adverse Event Insights

922 reports name Diazepam; 248 recorded a death outcome (26.9% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Diazepam. Administration routes: Unknown, Intravenous, Oral, Parenteral.

By species: Dog (656 reports), Cat (241 reports), Horse (14 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (165), Retriever - Labrador (66), Chihuahua (40).

Leading clinical signs: Seizure NOS (240), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (131), Vomiting (123), Death by euthanasia (123). Outcome, 927 coded reports: Recovered/Normal leads at 30.2%.

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.