Methylprednisolone Acetate

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1,660 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.
1,660
Total Reports
291
Deaths Reported
1750.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Methylprednisolone Acetate

Administration Routes

UnknownSubcutaneousIntramuscularIntra-ArticularParenteralOralOtherIntravenousIntradermalOphthalmic

Species Affected

Cat 1,095
Dog 375
Unknown 132
Horse 53
Human 2
Cattle 1
Other 1
Rabbit 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 636
Unknown 135
Domestic (unspecified) 105
Domestic Longhair 72
Cat (other) 65
Domestic Mediumhair 51
Cat (unknown) 46
Retriever - Labrador 37
Dog (unknown) 36
Quarter Horse 28

Most Reported Reactions

Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 216
Vomiting 212
Anorexia 174
Death 154
Lack of efficacy - NOS 149
Weight loss 129
Other abnormal test result NOS 123
Death by euthanasia 118
INEFFECTIVE, ANTIINFLAMMATORY 106
Ataxia 101
Hyperglycaemia 88
Fever 85

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
658 (47.5%)
Outcome Unknown
236 (17.0%)
Recovered/Normal
200 (14.4%)
Died
183 (13.2%)
Euthanized
108 (7.8%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.1%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 1,660
Reports involving death 291
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 1750.0%
Distinct species in reports 8
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.

Methylprednisolone Acetate Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 1,660 adverse event reports referencing Methylprednisolone Acetate, including 291 reports in which the animal died — a 1750.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Methylprednisolone Acetate. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Subcutaneous, Intramuscular, Intra-Articular. 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 Methylprednisolone Acetate reports are Cat (1,095 reports), Dog (375 reports), Unknown (132 reports), with Cat accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (636), Unknown (135), Domestic (unspecified) (105) 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 Methylprednisolone Acetate are Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (216), Vomiting (212), Anorexia (174), Death (154). Of the 1,386 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 47.5%. 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 Methylprednisolone Acetate.

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