It is a human medicine. A vet may still prescribe it for a dog or cat, which is legal and common, but it means no company has proved to the FDA that it works or is safe in that animal, and there is no approved animal dose to look up. Ask your vet what they expect it to do and what to watch for.
The label says, word for word:
Human label: "Trazodone hydrochloride tablets are indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults." There is no FDA-approved animal label for trazodone.
Trazodone hydrochloride tablets are contraindicated in: Patients taking, or within 14 days of stopping, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), including MAOIs such as linezolid or intravenous methylene blue, because of an increased risk of serotonin syndrome.
WARNING: SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS. Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in pediatric and young adult patients in short-term studies. Closely monitor all antidepressant-treated patients for clinical worsening, and for emergence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Trazodone hydrochloride tablets are not approved for use in pediatric patients.
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and SSRIs, including trazodone, can precipitate serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition.
Clinical studies indicate that trazodone hydrochloride may be arrhythmogenic in patients with preexisting cardiac disease. Trazodone prolongs the QT/QTc interval.
Hypotension, including orthostatic hypotension and syncope has been reported in patients receiving trazodone hydrochloride.
Trazodone hydrochloride tablets may cause somnolence or sedation and may impair the mental and/or physical ability required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks.
Every approved medicine has a field study behind it, and the label prints what happened:
Human label: "Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 5% and twice that of placebo) are: edema, blurred vision, syncope, drowsiness, fatigue, diarrhea, nasal congestion, weight loss"
Trazodone is a human prescription drug; no FDA-approved animal drug containing trazodone was found on DailyMed or fda.gov in this research. Veterinarians may prescribe it extra-label under AMDUCA. FDA: "Congress enacted the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA), adding provisions to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) that give veterinarians the legal ability - with certain restrictions - to use approved human and animal drugs in an extra-label manner."
The emergency page sorts the signs by how long you have, and the symptom checker asks what you are seeing. Reactions to a medicine can also be reported to the FDA yourself: how to report a problem.
These answers come from the approved label on DailyMed, read on 2 October 2026. Where the label does not say, the answer says so, and the vet or the pharmacist is the one to ask.
The approved use is quoted at the top of this page. The label read for these answers is the one for trazodone hydrochloride tablets, a human prescription medicine. It is approved for major depressive disorder in adults and does not mention dogs or cats, so ask the vet what it has been prescribed for in your pet.
The label gives no time for a pet. In people, it says the level in the blood peaks about one hour after a dose taken on an empty stomach and about two hours after a dose taken with food.
The label gives doses for people only, so the amount and the timing for your pet come from the vet. For people, it says to take the tablets shortly after a meal or a light snack. It says a tablet can be swallowed whole or broken in half along the score line, and that it should not be chewed or crushed. It also says to reduce the amount gradually instead of stopping abruptly whenever possible, so ask the vet before you stop it in a pet that takes it regularly.
The label does not say what to do about a missed dose. Call the clinic or the pharmacy before you give the next one.
The studies and the warnings are quoted above. This label is written for people, and its warnings are about people. It has no advice on what to watch for in dogs or cats, so ask the vet which signs matter, and call the clinic about any new sign you see in your pet after a dose. If a person takes too much, the Medication Guide says to call their healthcare provider or the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222, or to go to the nearest emergency room right away.
The Medication Guide that is part of the label says to store the tablets between 68° and 77°F, in a tight container and out of the light, and to keep them and all medicines out of the reach of children.
The Medication Guide says to safely throw away medicine that is out of date or no longer needed. The FDA says the best way to get rid of most unused or expired medicines is a take-back option: a drug take-back location, which can be at a pharmacy or a police station, or a prepaid mail-back envelope. If you cannot use one and the medicine is not on the FDA's flush list, the FDA says to mix it, uncrushed, with something unappealing such as dirt, cat litter or used coffee grounds and to seal the mixture in a plastic bag before throwing it away. Flushing is only for medicines on that list, such as opioids. Do not give leftovers to another pet.
Write the dose, the times and the stop date here, then print this page for the fridge.
Dose and times: _____________________________________________
Stop date: _____________________________________________