Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Levothyroxine

1,379 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Levothyroxine. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

1,379
adverse-event reports
11.5%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
218
Vomiting - 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.
1,379
Total Reports
159
Deaths Reported
11.5%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Levothyroxine

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOphthalmic

Species Affected

Dog 1,312
Human 44
Cat 16
Unknown 4
Horse 3

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 204
Retriever - Golden 129
Crossbred Canine/dog 76
Beagle 53
Boxer (German Boxer) 51
Unknown 50
Chihuahua 35
Shepherd Dog - German 27
Shih Tzu 24
Terrier - Jack Russell 22

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 218
Diarrhoea 158
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 143
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 103
Anorexia 101
Other abnormal test result NOS 100
Death by euthanasia 100
Lack of efficacy - NOS 96
Weight loss 96
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) 86
Polydipsia 85
Seizure NOS 81

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
487 (35.8%)
Recovered/Normal
355 (26.1%)
Outcome Unknown
345 (25.3%)
Euthanized
103 (7.6%)
Died
56 (4.1%)
Recovered with Sequela
16 (1.2%)

Levothyroxine Adverse Event Insights

1,379 reports name Levothyroxine; 159 recorded a death outcome (11.5% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Levothyroxine. Administration routes: Oral, Unknown, Ophthalmic.

By species: Dog (1,312 reports), Human (44 reports), Cat (16 reports). By breed: Retriever - Labrador (204), Retriever - Golden (129), Crossbred Canine/dog (76).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (218), Diarrhoea (158), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (143), Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (103). Outcome, 1,362 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 35.8%.

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.