Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Hydrocortisone

74 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Hydrocortisone. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#911 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
74
adverse-event reports
8.1%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Hydrocortisone ranks #907 of 2679 by total reports (74) and #635 of 1130 by death-coded share (8.1%). National dual: Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad is #1 of 2679 drugs by total adverse-event reports (149,624) at death-coded-share rank 965 of 1130 drugs with at least 50 reports (2.3%); separately, Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) is #1 highest death-coded share at 97.8% (report rank #821).

149,624
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad reports (#1)
97.8%
Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) death share (#1)
#907
This drug, reports of 2679
#635
This drug, death share of 1130

Report volume reflects how common a breed or drug is and how often owners and vets file — not actual risk. Death-coded share ranks are limited to entries with enough reports to be meaningful. The two maps do not agree at #1.

Release-over-release change

What changed in the latest FDA data snapshot

PlainBreed reconstructed the prior snapshot from dated openFDA partitions through 2025 Q4, then compared it with the 2026-07-27 openFDA export. Hydrocortisone has 74 reports now versus 70 in that prior snapshot: 4 more (5.7%).

Report change
+4
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.5 pts

This compares reported-event counts in two source snapshots. It does not establish a change in real-world risk, product safety, or disease incidence.

Subscribe to Hydrocortisone changes

Signature read: 74 reports place Hydrocortisone in the upper third of FDA AER volume (#911 of 2,679).

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
74
Total Reports
6
Deaths Reported
8.1%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Hydrocortisone

Administration Routes

UnknownTopicalAuricular (Otic)OralCutaneous

Species Affected

Dog 59
Cat 14
Human 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Golden 6
Shih Tzu 6
Domestic Shorthair 5
Crossbred Canine/dog 4
Retriever - Labrador 4
Mastiff (unspecified) 3
Spaniel - Cocker American 2
Dog (unknown) 2
Terrier - Jack Russell 2
Cat (unknown) 2

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy - NOS 14
Vomiting 9
Other abnormal test result NOS 9
Weight loss 8
Behavioural disorder NOS 8
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 7
Seizure NOS 7
Hair loss NOS 7
Ataxia 6
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 6
Leucopenia NOS 5
Neutropenia 5

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
27 (36.5%)
Outcome Unknown
22 (29.7%)
Recovered/Normal
17 (23.0%)
Euthanized
3 (4.1%)
Died
3 (4.1%)
Recovered with Sequela
2 (2.7%)

Hydrocortisone Adverse Event Insights

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.

Nationwide drugs with similar profiles

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Hydrocortisone, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (74 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (8.1% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

A report does not prove a drug caused the reaction; consult a veterinarian before acting on this data.

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

openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (FDA CVM) for Hydrocortisone (#911 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 8.1%. PlainBreed drug row · report volume stamp 74 · vintage 2025.

Informational only. FDA adverse-event reports are voluntary and do not prove causation; consult a veterinarian before acting on them. Verify with FDA CVM →