Naloxone

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106 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.
106
Total Reports
44
Deaths Reported
4150.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Naloxone

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousParenteralIntramuscularSubcutaneous

Species Affected

Cat 67
Dog 38
Ferret 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 42
Domestic Longhair 9
Boxer (German Boxer) 4
Siamese 4
Terrier - Bull - Staffordshire 4
Retriever - Labrador 3
Crossbred Canine/dog 3
Pit Bull 3
Cat (unknown) 3
Domestic Mediumhair 3

Most Reported Reactions

Death 25
Behavioural disorder NOS 23
Death by euthanasia 18
Dilated pupils 18
Not eating 17
Ataxia 14
Hypothermia 13
Hypotension 13
Dysphoria 13
Cardiac arrest 12
Vocalisation 11
Tachycardia 11

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
28 (26.4%)
Recovered/Normal
26 (24.5%)
Died
25 (23.6%)
Euthanized
19 (17.9%)
Outcome Unknown
7 (6.6%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.9%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 106
Reports involving death 44
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 4150.0%
Distinct species in reports 3
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.

Naloxone Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 106 adverse event reports referencing Naloxone, including 44 reports in which the animal died — a 4150.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Naloxone. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Intravenous, Parenteral, Intramuscular. 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 Naloxone reports are Cat (67 reports), Dog (38 reports), Ferret (1 reports), with Cat accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (42), Domestic Longhair (9), Boxer (German Boxer) (4) 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 Naloxone are Death (25), Behavioural disorder NOS (23), Death by euthanasia (18), Dilated pupils (18). Of the 106 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 26.4%. 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 Naloxone.

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