Acetaminophen

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59 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.
59
Total Reports
14
Deaths Reported
2370.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Acetaminophen

Administration Routes

OralUnknown

Species Affected

Dog 49
Human 10

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 17
Unknown 10
Bulldog 3
Retriever - Golden 3
Poodle - Standard 3
Shepherd Dog - Australian 3
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 2
Bulldog - American 2
Shar Pei 2
Dog (unknown) 1

Most Reported Reactions

Death by euthanasia 10
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 8
Vomiting 7
Weakness 7
Lack of efficacy - NOS 7
Abnormal radiograph finding 7
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 7
Anaemia NOS 6
Diarrhoea 6
Accidental exposure 6
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 6
Ataxia 6

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
20 (33.9%)
Ongoing
14 (23.7%)
Recovered/Normal
11 (18.6%)
Euthanized
10 (16.9%)
Died
4 (6.8%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 59
Reports involving death 14
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2370.0%
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.

Acetaminophen Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 59 adverse event reports referencing Acetaminophen, including 14 reports in which the animal died — a 2370.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Acetaminophen. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown. 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 Acetaminophen reports are Dog (49 reports), Human (10 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (17), Unknown (10), Bulldog (3) 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 Acetaminophen are Death by euthanasia (10), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (8), Vomiting (7), Weakness (7). Of the 59 reports with a coded outcome, Outcome Unknown is the leading category at 33.9%. 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 Acetaminophen.

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