Fluoxetine

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1,238 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.
1,238
Total Reports
62
Deaths Reported
500.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Fluoxetine

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTransdermalAuricular (Otic)Topical

Species Affected

Dog 1,006
Cat 133
Unknown 83
Human 15
Other 1

Most Affected Breeds

Crossbred Canine/dog 120
Unknown 101
Retriever - Labrador 98
Domestic Shorthair 84
Shepherd Dog - German 48
Dog (unknown) 46
Retriever - Golden 30
Shih Tzu 29
Beagle 27
Terrier (unspecified) 24

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 159
Lack of efficacy - NOS 141
Anorexia 105
Diarrhoea 86
Seizure NOS 74
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 64
Behavioural disorder NOS 62
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 58
Decreased appetite 55
Depression 51
Accidental exposure 47
Shaking 47

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
318 (36.4%)
Recovered/Normal
247 (28.3%)
Ongoing
229 (26.2%)
Died
31 (3.5%)
Euthanized
31 (3.5%)
Recovered with Sequela
18 (2.1%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 1,238
Reports involving death 62
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 500.0%
Distinct species in reports 5
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.

Fluoxetine Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 1,238 adverse event reports referencing Fluoxetine, including 62 reports in which the animal died — a 500.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Fluoxetine. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Transdermal, Auricular (Otic). 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 Fluoxetine reports are Dog (1,006 reports), Cat (133 reports), Unknown (83 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Crossbred Canine/dog (120), Unknown (101), Retriever - Labrador (98) 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 Fluoxetine are Vomiting (159), Lack of efficacy - NOS (141), Anorexia (105), Diarrhoea (86). Of the 874 reports with a coded outcome, Outcome Unknown is the leading category at 36.4%. 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 Fluoxetine.

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