Levothyroxine Sodium

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1,384 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.
1,384
Total Reports
58
Deaths Reported
420.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Levothyroxine Sodium

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOphthalmic

Species Affected

Dog 1,284
Unknown 50
Human 41
Cat 7
Horse 2

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 183
Unknown 101
Retriever - Golden 100
Crossbred Canine/dog 51
Boxer (German Boxer) 47
Beagle 47
Shepherd Dog - German 42
Chihuahua 32
Pit Bull 31
Terrier - Yorkshire 29

Most Reported Reactions

Emesis 257
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 171
Vomiting 170
Overdose 159
Lack of efficacy - NOS 116
Diarrhoea 107
Weight loss 92
Seizure NOS 87
Panting 85
Other abnormal test result NOS 72
Polydipsia 64
Elevated thyroxine (T4) 59

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
577 (43.1%)
Outcome Unknown
391 (29.2%)
Ongoing
243 (18.2%)
Recovered with Sequela
69 (5.2%)
Euthanized
40 (3.0%)
Died
18 (1.3%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 1,384
Reports involving death 58
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 420.0%
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.

Levothyroxine Sodium Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 1,384 adverse event reports referencing Levothyroxine Sodium, including 58 reports in which the animal died — a 420.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Levothyroxine Sodium. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Ophthalmic. 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 Levothyroxine Sodium reports are Dog (1,284 reports), Unknown (50 reports), Human (41 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (183), Unknown (101), Retriever - Golden (100) 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 Levothyroxine Sodium are Emesis (257), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (171), Vomiting (170), Overdose (159). Of the 1,338 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 43.1%. 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 Levothyroxine Sodium.

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