Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate

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28 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.
28
Total Reports
2
Deaths Reported
710.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate

Administration Routes

OralUnknown

Species Affected

Dog 21
Cat 7

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 5
Shepherd Dog - German 2
Collie - Border 2
Newfoundland 2
Beagle 2
Retriever - Golden 1
Boxer (German Boxer) 1
Sheepdog - Shetland 1
Terrier - Cairn 1
Cat (unknown) 1

Most Reported Reactions

Weight loss 4
Lack of efficacy - NOS 4
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 3
Injection site pain 3
Vomiting 3
Diarrhoea 3
Other abnormal test result NOS 3
Decreased appetite 2
INEFFECTIVE, OTHER DRUG(S) 2
Death by euthanasia 2
Emesis 2
Behavioural disorder NOS 2

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
11 (39.3%)
Outcome Unknown
8 (28.6%)
Recovered/Normal
7 (25.0%)
Euthanized
2 (7.1%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 28
Reports involving death 2
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 710.0%
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.

Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 28 adverse event reports referencing Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate, including 2 reports in which the animal died — a 710.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate. Reported administration routes include Oral, 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 Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate reports are Dog (21 reports), Cat (7 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (5), Shepherd Dog - German (2), Collie - Border (2) 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 Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate are Weight loss (4), Lack of efficacy - NOS (4), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (3), Injection site pain (3). Of the 28 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 39.3%. 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 Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate.

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