Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Prednisone

8,769 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Prednisone. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

8,769
adverse-event reports
12.5%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
1,335
Vomiting - top reaction
Verify with FDA CVM →
Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
8,769
Total Reports
1,096
Deaths Reported
12.5%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Prednisone

Administration Routes

OralUnknownParenteralSubcutaneousTopicalTransdermalOtherOphthalmicAuricular (Otic)Unassigned

Species Affected

Dog 8,064
Cat 675
Human 15
Unknown 10
Ferret 2
Horse 1
Goat 1
Other 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 991
Domestic Shorthair 423
Crossbred Canine/dog 385
Shepherd Dog - German 360
Retriever - Golden 340
Chihuahua 308
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 273
Boxer (German Boxer) 226
Beagle 192
Shih Tzu 192

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 1,335
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 1,163
Diarrhoea 966
Lack of efficacy - NOS 781
Death by euthanasia 689
Other abnormal test result NOS 668
Anorexia 574
Weight loss 565
Emesis 565
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 493
Not eating 475
Decreased appetite 463

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
3,237 (36.9%)
Outcome Unknown
2,302 (26.3%)
Recovered/Normal
1,949 (22.2%)
Euthanized
686 (7.8%)
Died
411 (4.7%)
Recovered with Sequela
177 (2.0%)

Prednisone Adverse Event Insights

8,769 reports name Prednisone; 1,096 recorded a death outcome (12.5% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Prednisone. Administration routes: Oral, Unknown, Parenteral, Subcutaneous.

By species: Dog (8,064 reports), Cat (675 reports), Human (15 reports). By breed: Retriever - Labrador (991), Domestic Shorthair (423), Crossbred Canine/dog (385).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (1,335), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (1,163), Diarrhoea (966), Lack of efficacy - NOS (781). Outcome, 8,762 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 36.9%.

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.