Piroxicam

Verify with FDA CVM →

83 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.
83
Total Reports
21
Deaths Reported
2530.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Piroxicam

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTopical

Species Affected

Dog 78
Cat 5

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 10
Domestic Shorthair 4
Beagle 4
Dog (unknown) 4
Chihuahua 3
Spitz - German Pomeranian 3
Dachshund (unspecified) 3
Spaniel (unspecified) 3
Shih Tzu 3
Crossbred Canine/dog 3

Most Reported Reactions

Death by euthanasia 19
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 14
Vomiting 12
Anorexia 7
Diarrhoea 7
Abnormal radiograph finding 7
Other abnormal test result NOS 6
Anaemia NOS 6
Neoplasia NOS 6
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 5
Ataxia 5
Panting 5

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
37 (45.1%)
Euthanized
19 (23.2%)
Outcome Unknown
12 (14.6%)
Recovered/Normal
12 (14.6%)
Died
2 (2.4%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 83
Reports involving death 21
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2530.0%
Distinct species in reports 2
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.

Piroxicam Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 83 adverse event reports referencing Piroxicam, including 21 reports in which the animal died — a 2530.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Piroxicam. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Topical. 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 Piroxicam reports are Dog (78 reports), Cat (5 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (10), Domestic Shorthair (4), Beagle (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 Piroxicam are Death by euthanasia (19), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (14), Vomiting (12), Anorexia (7). Of the 82 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 45.1%. 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 Piroxicam.

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