Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Prednisolone

1,949 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Prednisolone. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

1,949
adverse-event reports
14.4%
death-coded share
Cat
most-reported species
314
Vomiting - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
1,949
Total Reports
281
Deaths Reported
14.4%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Prednisolone

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOphthalmicTopicalSubcutaneousTransdermalParenteralIntraocularOtherIntradermal

Species Affected

Cat 994
Dog 921
Unknown 22
Ferret 6
Horse 4
Cattle 1
Human 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 617
Retriever - Labrador 91
Domestic Longhair 89
Domestic Mediumhair 73
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 53
Shepherd Dog - German 49
Chihuahua 44
Crossbred Canine/dog 38
Unknown 37
Terrier - Yorkshire 33

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 314
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 234
Anorexia 188
Weight loss 183
Lack of efficacy - NOS 182
Diarrhoea 164
Death by euthanasia 164
Other abnormal test result NOS 148
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 138
Anaemia NOS 134
Decreased appetite 125
Not eating 114

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
802 (41.8%)
Outcome Unknown
444 (23.1%)
Recovered/Normal
362 (18.9%)
Euthanized
162 (8.4%)
Died
120 (6.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
29 (1.5%)

Prednisolone Adverse Event Insights

1,949 reports name Prednisolone; 281 recorded a death outcome (14.4% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Prednisolone. Administration routes: Oral, Unknown, Ophthalmic, Topical.

By species: Cat (994 reports), Dog (921 reports), Unknown (22 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (617), Retriever - Labrador (91), Domestic Longhair (89).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (314), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (234), Anorexia (188), Weight loss (183). Outcome, 1,919 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 41.8%.

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.

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

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.