Pet Safety / Compounds / Ketoprofen

Is Ketoprofen safe for dogs and cats?

Moderate risk for pets

Acute pain. Higher GI ulceration than carprofen.

What is ketoprofen?

CAS number: 22071-15-4
Molecular formula: C16H14O3
Molecular weight: 254.28 g/mol
SMILES: CC(C1=CC(=CC=C1)C(=O)C2=CC=CC=C2)C(=O)O
PubChem CID: 3825

Risk for dogs

Moderate risk

Acute pain. Higher GI ulceration than carprofen.

Risk for cats

High risk

Not approved. Very narrow safety margin.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Ketoprofen.

Agency	Year	Classification	Notes
FDA	1986	Approved human + veterinary drug

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter ketoprofen

Veterinary Medicine

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Ketoprofen:

Meloxicam
Trade-offs: Alternative approach; specific tradeoffs depend on application context, scale, and regulatory requirements. Full hazard assessment of alternative recommended before adoption to avoid regrettable substitution.

Relative cost: 1.2-2×
Firocoxib
Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.

Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is ketoprofen safe for pets?

Acute pain. Higher GI ulceration than carprofen.

See Ketoprofen in the pets app

Look up products containing ketoprofen, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

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Sources (1)

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →