Cerenia Killed My Dog – Is That True? 7 Important Facts

If your dog dies after taking Cerenia, it would be reasonable to speculate that it is the Cerenia that killed the dog. But questions would remain, as to whether Cerenia can actually kill a dog, and if yes, how. This article explores those questions.

I would only say that Cerenia killed my dog with certainty if an autopsy, following the dog’s death, reveals that Cerenia administration is indeed the actual cause for the dog’s death.

Going through the leaflet where they list Cerenia for dogs side effects (among other things), you do notice that death is mentioned as one of the possible outcomes after administration of the medication.

Thus it is indeed possible that the usage of Cerenia may be the reason behind your dog’s death. But it is also possible that the dog died from other factors.

For instance, the illness that was making it vomit (necessitating Cerenia treatment) could have caused the death…

If indeed it turns out that Cerenia is what killed the dog, that may be due to an adverse reaction. So the dog’s body may have had an allergic reaction to Cerenia, leading to death.

This would be something to think of, whether Cerenia tablets or Cerenia injection killed my dog.

It could also be that the dog had too much Cerenia (overdose), resulting in death. If I come to realize that I gave my dog too much Cerenia, this would be the main speculation.

Ultimately, we see that if a dog dies soon (or later) after taking Cerenia, there are many possible scenarios.

The underlying health problem which was making the dog vomit (necessitating Cerenia treatment) may have killed the dog. Or indeed Cerenia may be what directly killed the dog.

What Is Cerenia?

Cerenia is a medication that vets sometimes prescribe for administration to dogs with problems like vomiting and motion sickness.

The medication’s generic name is Maropitant Citrate.

FDA first approved it for issues like vomiting and motion sickness in the year 2007.

After some 5 years, it was approved by the FDA for treatment of the same issues in cats in 2012.

But many Cerenia packages still say ‘for dogs only’. And that often gets cat owners wondering, why does Cerenia say for dogs only?

So the reason is in the fact that Cerenia was originally only approved for dogs. Approval for cats came much later, in 2012.

Our focus is on the dogs though. And for dogs, Cerenia is mainly administered to combat issues like motion sickness as well as vomiting in general.

Cerenia works by acting against the neurokinin-1 receptor. So it is an antagonist to that receptor. By working against the said receptor, Cerenia is able to stop motion sickness and other forms of vomiting in dogs.

Can Cerenia Cause Death In Dogs?

Cerenia is one of those ‘ruthlessly effective’ medications. It is able to stop even the worst forms of vomiting in dogs.

In fact, even when other medications that cause vomiting in dogs are administered, then the dogs get Cerenia, the Cerenia is able to stop the action of those other (vomiting-inducing) medications!

This sort of efficiency can make some people uneasy. It leads to questions like, is Cerenia safe for dogs? Are there any special Cerenia dangers to beware of?

Others will frame the question as, what are the side effects of Cerenia in dogs (given its ruthless efficiency)?

The underlying concern though is on whether Cerenia can cause death in dogs. So some people just go straight and ask, can Cerenia kill dogs?

The true position is that Cerenia can indeed cause death in dogs.

Actually, the leaflet that comes with Cerenia mentions that death may be one of the outcomes following Cerenia usage.

Thus even the makers of Cerenia tell you that it is capable of causing death.

And there are quite a number of people who give tales of Cerenia having killed their dogs.

On platforms such as Reddit and various dog owner forums, you do find several threads with people complaining that ‘Cerenia killed my dog’.

Thus one would have no fear of contradiction in saying that Cerenia can cause death in dogs.

But some of the deaths that dogs suffer after taking Cerenia are not directly due to it. Some of them are just coincidental.

In many cases, you find that the dogs die due to the underlying conditions. Those are the underlying conditions that were causing the vomiting being treated using Cerenia.

Nonetheless, the basic fact that Cerenia can cause death in dogs remains.

How Does Cerenia Kill A Dog?

There are several mechanisms through which Cerenia can kill a dog.

Zs upset stomach caused by ingestion of toxic substances.

For the 24 hours that the Cerenia is in the body’s system, there won’t be vomiting. The dog will in the meantime continue absorbing toxins… That can easily lead to death.

A dog may also have an allergic reaction to Cerenia: causing death.

Further, a dog may overdose on Cerenia, causing death. There is a safe Cerenia dose for dogs. If you don’t know how much Cerenia is too much, and you overdose your dog, that can kill it.

What Are The Chances Of Cerenia Killing A Dog?

The chances of Cerenia killing a dog directly are not very high.

For the FDA to have given approval for Cerenia usage, it must have looked at its chances of causing death. If FDA, a competent authority, gave the green light, it means that the medication is reasonably safe.

If you research on what are the side effects of Cerenia for dogs, you will see that they are mostly minor issues.

With regard to side effects, the relevant questions are things like, does Cerenia make dogs sleepy? Or does Cerenia make dogs produce too much saliva? So those are basically minor issues.

Yes, more serious things like endotoxic shock can come up, as Cerenia side effects. But those are very rare.

Ultimately, there are many people who routinely give their dogs Cerenia. And the dogs don’t die. This shows that the chances of Cerenia killing a dog are quite low.

One scenario in which the chances of Cerenia killing a dog are higher would be if the dog is allergic to it. When you enquire on when should you not give Cerenia, the first point you are likely to get is on if the dogs are allergic to it.

Thus if a dog is allergic to Cerenia, then chances of Cerenia killing it are very high. This is why a dog needs to be carefully monitored the first time it starts taking Cerenia. This is to pick any allergic reactions.

Another scenario in which Cerenia may easily kill a dog is if the dog has too much of it: overdose.

If a dog is using other medications that react badly with Cerenia, and it also happens to take Cerenia, chances of death can be high too.

How Do I Know If Cerenia Killed My Dog?

The only way to know for sure if Cerenia killed your dog is through an autopsy. If an autopsy reveals that Cerenia killed the dog, then that would indeed be the case. Anything else would be speculation.

Of course, there is good reason to speculate that the dog died due to Cerenia usage – if the death was soon after starting to use Cerenia. And especially if there were no other major underlying conditions.

If soon after taking Cerenia, a dog develops skin hives and breathing difficulties, an allergic reaction may be playing out. And if the dog dies soon thereafter, the allergic reaction to Cerenia may be the cause for the death.

Or if you discover that you gave the dog a Cerenia overdose, and the dog died soon thereafter, that may indeed be the cause for the dog’s death.

Ultimately though, it takes an official autopsy to establish Cerenia as the definitive cause for death.

What Should I Do If Cerenia Killed My Dog?

If Cerenia killed your dog, you may file an adverse drug experience report. This is something you may file to the company from which you bought Cerenia. You can also submit it directly to the FDA.

This will help in statistics gathering, to possibly help prevent such outcomes for other dogs in the future. Your report may make a lot of difference.

It helps though, to try to understand how exactly Cerenia caused your dog’s death. Could it have been due to a fault on your part or on your vet’s part? If so, Cerenia wouldn’t be to blame.

For instance, if you overdosed the dog on Cerenia, and it died, Cerenia isn’t to blame.

If you gave the dog Cerenia alongside other medications which it interacts badly with, Cerenia wouldn’t be to blame.

But if you gave Cerenia to the dog the right way, and the dog had a bad reaction to it, that may warrant report filing.

Are There Any Alternatives To Cerenia For Dogs?

If it is about simple acute vomiting, there are several viable alternatives to Cerenia for dogs.

But if it is about motion sickness, Cerenia seems to be the only medication with FDA-approval for now.

CBD oils are said to have some efficacy. But those fall under the purview of alternative treatments…

For normal acute vomiting, alternatives to Cerenia would be the likes of Diphenhydramine and Metoclopramide. But you need to know that these too also come with their fair share of potential risks.

Final Verdict – Cerenia Killed My Dog

It is possible for Cerenia to kill a dog. But not all cases in which dogs die after Cerenia administration are actually directly attributable to the Cerenia.

Sometimes, the underlying conditions that were causing the vomiting that was being treated through Cerenia may be the actual causes of dog mortality.

If Cerenia really/directly causes a dog’s death, that may be due to the dog having an allergic reaction to it. A dog that overdoses on Cerenia may also die due to that.

And a dog that takes Cerenia while also using other medications that react badly with Cerenia may die due to the interaction.

Chances of a dog dying due to Cerenia usage are not very high. Many dogs routinely use Cerenia, without dying. And Cerenia has FDA-approval, meaning that it is reasonably safe.

Nonetheless, in some rare cases, Cerenia can cause a dog’s death directly.

If you suspect that Cerenia killed your dog, you can get confirmation through an official autopsy. Ideally, you shouldn’t tell the vet conducting the autopsy that you are seeking such a confirmation.

Just have the vet conduct the autopsy objectively. If Cerenia usage is the cause of death, it should come out clearly and by itself.

In case it is revealed that Cerenia indeed killed your dog, you may consider filing an adverse drug experience report with the makers and with the FDA.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet dog a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️