Intravenous Fluids

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282 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.
282
Total Reports
103
Deaths Reported
3650.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Intravenous Fluids

Administration Routes

IntravenousUnknown

Species Affected

Dog 205
Cat 74
Cougar 1
Lynx 1
Pig 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 49
Retriever - Labrador 22
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 12
Chihuahua 10
Retriever - Golden 10
Bulldog - French 10
Boxer (German Boxer) 9
Terrier - Yorkshire 8
Crossbred Canine/dog 8
Shih Tzu 8

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 82
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 58
Anorexia 57
Death by euthanasia 56
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 48
Diarrhoea 47
Death 47
Other abnormal test result NOS 37
Ataxia 37
Weight loss 33
Fever 31
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 31

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
81 (28.7%)
Euthanized
56 (19.9%)
Recovered/Normal
54 (19.1%)
Died
47 (16.7%)
Outcome Unknown
43 (15.2%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.4%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 282
Reports involving death 103
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 3650.0%
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.

Intravenous Fluids Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 282 adverse event reports referencing Intravenous Fluids, including 103 reports in which the animal died — a 3650.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Intravenous Fluids. Reported administration routes include Intravenous, 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 Intravenous Fluids reports are Dog (205 reports), Cat (74 reports), Cougar (1 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (49), Retriever - Labrador (22), Terrier - Bull - American Pit (12) 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 Intravenous Fluids are Vomiting (82), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (58), Anorexia (57), Death by euthanasia (56). Of the 282 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 28.7%. 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 Intravenous Fluids.

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