Keppra

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179 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.
179
Total Reports
50
Deaths Reported
2790.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Keppra

Administration Routes

UnknownOralIntravenous

Species Affected

Dog 173
Cat 6

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 16
Crossbred Canine/dog 9
Shepherd Dog - German 9
Retriever - Golden 9
Chihuahua 8
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 8
Siberian Husky 7
Terrier - Yorkshire 6
Shih Tzu 6
Beagle 5

Most Reported Reactions

Seizure NOS 98
Death by euthanasia 34
Diarrhoea 18
Ataxia 16
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 16
Death 15
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 13
Vomiting 12
Not eating 11
Limb weakness 11
Behavioural disorder NOS 11
Urinary tract infection 11

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
97 (54.2%)
Euthanized
34 (19.0%)
Outcome Unknown
16 (8.9%)
Recovered/Normal
16 (8.9%)
Died
16 (8.9%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 179
Reports involving death 50
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2790.0%
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.

Keppra Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 179 adverse event reports referencing Keppra, including 50 reports in which the animal died — a 2790.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Keppra. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Oral, Intravenous. 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 Keppra reports are Dog (173 reports), Cat (6 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (16), Crossbred Canine/dog (9), Shepherd Dog - German (9) 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 Keppra are Seizure NOS (98), Death by euthanasia (34), Diarrhoea (18), Ataxia (16). Of the 179 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 54.2%. 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 Keppra.

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