Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Levetiracetam

614 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Levetiracetam. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

614
adverse-event reports
15.1%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
290
Seizure NOS - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
614
Total Reports
93
Deaths Reported
15.1%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Levetiracetam

Administration Routes

OralUnknownIntravenousRectalSubcutaneousTopicalParenteral

Species Affected

Dog 583
Cat 29
Unknown 1
Human 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 61
Retriever - Golden 33
Chihuahua 26
Shepherd Dog - German 23
Crossbred Canine/dog 22
Boxer (German Boxer) 21
Terrier - Yorkshire 20
Domestic Shorthair 20
Dog (unknown) 19
Terrier (unspecified) 18

Most Reported Reactions

Seizure NOS 290
Vomiting 71
Death by euthanasia 66
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 59
Ataxia 52
Tremor 35
Diarrhoea 33
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 33
Behavioural disorder NOS 31
Lack of efficacy - NOS 30
Other abnormal test result NOS 27
Death 27

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
225 (36.6%)
Recovered/Normal
149 (24.3%)
Outcome Unknown
138 (22.5%)
Euthanized
65 (10.6%)
Died
28 (4.6%)
Recovered with Sequela
9 (1.5%)

Levetiracetam Adverse Event Insights

614 reports name Levetiracetam; 93 recorded a death outcome (15.1% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Levetiracetam. Administration routes: Oral, Unknown, Intravenous, Rectal.

By species: Dog (583 reports), Cat (29 reports), Unknown (1 reports). By breed: Retriever - Labrador (61), Retriever - Golden (33), Chihuahua (26).

Leading clinical signs: Seizure NOS (290), Vomiting (71), Death by euthanasia (66), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (59). Outcome, 614 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 36.6%.

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.

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

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.