Sevoflurane

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841 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.
841
Total Reports
165
Deaths Reported
1960.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Sevoflurane

Administration Routes

Respiratory (Inhalation)UnknownNasalOtherIntravenousSubcutaneousEndotrachealTransdermal

Species Affected

Dog 497
Cat 273
Unknown 20
Human 14
Horse 11
Rabbit 5
Guinea Pig 4
Other 3
Ferret 3
Monkey 2

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 130
Unknown 61
Dog (unknown) 56
Retriever - Labrador 40
Cat (unknown) 35
Crossbred Canine/dog 28
Domestic Longhair 24
Chihuahua 22
Domestic (unspecified) 19
Terrier - Yorkshire 19

Most Reported Reactions

Death 120
Vomiting 99
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 88
Anorexia 75
Bradycardia 70
Cardiac arrest 64
Not eating 48
Diarrhoea 47
INEFFECTIVE, ANESTHESIA 45
Behavioural disorder NOS 43
Other abnormal test result NOS 40
Hypothermia 40

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
261 (36.4%)
Ongoing
195 (27.2%)
Died
129 (18.0%)
Outcome Unknown
94 (13.1%)
Euthanized
36 (5.0%)
Recovered with Sequela
3 (0.4%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 841
Reports involving death 165
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 1960.0%
Distinct species in reports 10
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.

Sevoflurane Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 841 adverse event reports referencing Sevoflurane, including 165 reports in which the animal died — a 1960.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Sevoflurane. Reported administration routes include Respiratory (Inhalation), Unknown, Nasal, Other. 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 Sevoflurane reports are Dog (497 reports), Cat (273 reports), Unknown (20 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (130), Unknown (61), Dog (unknown) (56) 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 Sevoflurane are Death (120), Vomiting (99), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (88), Anorexia (75). Of the 718 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 36.4%. 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 Sevoflurane.

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