Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Prednisone

9,249 FDA reports name Prednisone, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#30 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
9,249
adverse-event reports
12.6%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Prednisone ranks #30 of 2679 by total reports (9,249) and #436 of 1130 by death-coded share (12.6%). National dual: Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad is #1 of 2679 drugs by total adverse-event reports (149,624) at death-coded-share rank 965 of 1130 drugs with at least 50 reports (2.3%); separately, Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) is #1 highest death-coded share at 97.8% (report rank #821).

149,624
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad reports (#1)
97.8%
Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) death share (#1)
#30
This drug, reports of 2679
#436
This drug, death share of 1130

Report volume reflects how common a breed or drug is and how often owners and vets file — not actual risk. Death-coded share ranks are limited to entries with enough reports to be meaningful. The two maps do not agree at #1.

Release-over-release change

What changed in the latest FDA data snapshot

PlainBreed reconstructed the prior snapshot from dated openFDA partitions through 2025 Q4, then compared it with the 2026-07-27 openFDA export. Prednisone has 9,249 reports now versus 9,048 in that prior snapshot: 201 more (2.2%).

Report change
+201
Death-coded reports
+20
Death-coded share
−0.1 pts

This compares reported-event counts in two source snapshots. It does not establish a change in real-world risk, product safety, or disease incidence.

Subscribe to Prednisone changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 1,168 is the most distinctive stamp on Prednisone's FDA AER row.

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
9,249
Total Reports
1,168
Deaths Reported
12.6%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Prednisone

Administration Routes

OralUnknownParenteralSubcutaneousTopicalOtherTransdermalOphthalmicAuricular (Otic)Unassigned

Species Affected

Dog 8,497
Cat 720
Human 15
Unknown 11
Ferret 2
Horse 1
Goat 1
Other 1
Lynx 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 1,046
Domestic Shorthair 456
Crossbred Canine/dog 422
Shepherd Dog - German 388
Retriever - Golden 361
Chihuahua 328
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 299
Boxer (German Boxer) 238
Beagle 200
Shih Tzu 196

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 1,384
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 1,163
Diarrhoea 1,020
Lack of efficacy - NOS 847
Death by euthanasia 730
Other abnormal test result NOS 701
Weight loss 619
Anorexia 590
Emesis 569
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 533
Decreased appetite 513
Not eating 512

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
3,444 (37.3%)
Outcome Unknown
2,439 (26.4%)
Recovered/Normal
2,015 (21.8%)
Euthanized
726 (7.9%)
Died
443 (4.8%)
Recovered with Sequela
177 (1.9%)

Prednisone: high report volume in the FDA AER row

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.

High-volume nationwide drug peers

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Prednisone, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (9,249 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (12.6% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

A report does not prove a drug caused the reaction; consult a veterinarian before acting on this data.

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

openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (FDA CVM) for Prednisone (#30 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 12.6%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 1,168 · vintage 2025.

Informational only. FDA adverse-event reports are voluntary and do not prove causation; consult a veterinarian before acting on them. Verify with FDA CVM →