Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Unspecified Steroid

81 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Unspecified Steroid. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

81
adverse-event reports
24.7%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
13
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.
81
Total Reports
20
Deaths Reported
24.7%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Unspecified Steroid

Administration Routes

UnknownOralSubcutaneousParenteral

Species Affected

Dog 53
Cat 27
Horse 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 20
Retriever - Labrador 6
Chihuahua 4
Shepherd Dog - Australian 3
Domestic Longhair 3
Dog (unknown) 3
Shepherd Dog - German 3
Spitz - German Pomeranian 3
Shih Tzu 2
Pug 2

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 13
Death by euthanasia 13
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 11
Not eating 9
Lack of efficacy (ectoparasite) - flea 8
Behavioural disorder NOS 7
Lack of efficacy - NOS 7
Anorexia 7
Death 6
Ataxia 6
Decreased appetite 6
Diarrhoea 6

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
27 (33.3%)
Recovered/Normal
18 (22.2%)
Ongoing
15 (18.5%)
Euthanized
13 (16.0%)
Died
7 (8.6%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (1.2%)

Unspecified Steroid Adverse Event Insights

81 reports name Unspecified Steroid; 20 recorded a death outcome (24.7% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Unspecified Steroid. Administration routes: Unknown, Oral, Subcutaneous, Parenteral.

By species: Dog (53 reports), Cat (27 reports), Horse (1 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (20), Retriever - Labrador (6), Chihuahua (4).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (13), Death by euthanasia (13), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (11), Not eating (9). Outcome, 81 coded reports: Outcome Unknown leads at 33.3%.

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.