Ursodiol

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691 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.
691
Total Reports
107
Deaths Reported
1550.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Ursodiol

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOther

Species Affected

Dog 653
Cat 38

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 75
Crossbred Canine/dog 41
Chihuahua 37
Shih Tzu 26
Domestic Shorthair 26
Beagle 25
Schnauzer - Miniature 22
Sheepdog - Shetland 20
Spitz - German Pomeranian 19
Dog (unknown) 19

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 138
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 116
Diarrhoea 101
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 99
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) 88
Decreased appetite 80
Death by euthanasia 77
Weight loss 65
Elevated total bilirubin 63
Anorexia 61
Abnormal ultrasound finding 58
Other abnormal test result NOS 54

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
225 (32.6%)
Outcome Unknown
214 (31.0%)
Recovered/Normal
132 (19.1%)
Euthanized
77 (11.2%)
Died
30 (4.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
12 (1.7%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 691
Reports involving death 107
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 1550.0%
Distinct species in reports 2
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.

Ursodiol Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 691 adverse event reports referencing Ursodiol, including 107 reports in which the animal died — a 1550.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Ursodiol. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, 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 Ursodiol reports are Dog (653 reports), Cat (38 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (75), Crossbred Canine/dog (41), Chihuahua (37) 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 Ursodiol are Vomiting (138), Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (116), Diarrhoea (101), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (99). Of the 690 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 32.6%. 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 Ursodiol.

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