Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Methylprednisolone

288 FDA reports name Methylprednisolone, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#432 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
288
adverse-event reports
12.8%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Methylprednisolone ranks #431 of 2679 by total reports (288) and #426 of 1130 by death-coded share (12.8%). National dual: Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad is #1 of 2679 drugs by total adverse-event reports (149,624) at death-coded-share rank 965 of 1130 drugs with at least 50 reports (2.3%); separately, Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) is #1 highest death-coded share at 97.8% (report rank #821).

149,624
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad reports (#1)
97.8%
Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) death share (#1)
#431
This drug, reports of 2679
#426
This drug, death share of 1130

Report volume reflects how common a breed or drug is and how often owners and vets file — not actual risk. Death-coded share ranks are limited to entries with enough reports to be meaningful. The two maps do not agree at #1.

Release-over-release change

What changed in the latest FDA data snapshot

PlainBreed reconstructed the prior snapshot from dated openFDA partitions through 2025 Q4, then compared it with the 2026-07-27 openFDA export. Methylprednisolone has 288 reports now versus 283 in that prior snapshot: 5 more (1.8%).

Report change
+5
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.2 pts

This compares reported-event counts in two source snapshots. It does not establish a change in real-world risk, product safety, or disease incidence.

Subscribe to Methylprednisolone changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 37 is the most distinctive stamp on Methylprednisolone's FDA AER row.

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
288
Total Reports
37
Deaths Reported
12.8%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Methylprednisolone

Administration Routes

UnknownOralParenteralSubcutaneousIntramuscularIntra-ArticularOtherEpiduralIntravenous

Species Affected

Dog 141
Cat 134
Unknown 8
Horse 5

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 96
Retriever - Labrador 12
Shih Tzu 10
Maltese 9
Chihuahua 9
Crossbred Canine/dog 9
Shepherd Dog - German 9
Unknown 8
Domestic Longhair 8
Domestic Mediumhair 8

Most Reported Reactions

Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 36
Vomiting 32
Lack of efficacy - NOS 29
Other abnormal test result NOS 25
Weight loss 23
Death by euthanasia 21
Behavioural disorder NOS 21
Anorexia 19
Diarrhoea 17
Polyuria 16
Death 16
Polydipsia 14

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
94 (33.7%)
Outcome Unknown
83 (29.7%)
Recovered/Normal
60 (21.5%)
Euthanized
20 (7.2%)
Died
17 (6.1%)
Recovered with Sequela
5 (1.8%)

Methylprednisolone: high report volume in the FDA AER row

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.

High-volume nationwide drug peers

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Methylprednisolone, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (12.8% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

A report does not prove a drug caused the reaction; consult a veterinarian before acting on this data.

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

openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (FDA CVM) for Methylprednisolone (#432 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 12.8%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 37 · vintage 2025.

Informational only. FDA adverse-event reports are voluntary and do not prove causation; consult a veterinarian before acting on them. Verify with FDA CVM →