Amoxicillin

Verify with FDA CVM →

1,250 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.
1,250
Total Reports
268
Deaths Reported
2140.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Amoxicillin

Administration Routes

OralUnknownSubcutaneousTopicalIntravenousRespiratory (Inhalation)Auricular (Otic)Parenteral

Species Affected

Dog 935
Cat 255
Unknown 45
Human 6
Pig 5
Other Birds 1
Other Canids 1
Monkey 1
Ferret 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 165
Domestic Shorthair 148
Unknown 53
Retriever - Golden 39
Boxer (German Boxer) 39
Crossbred Canine/dog 38
Shepherd Dog - German 36
Chihuahua 28
Shih Tzu 27
Terrier - Yorkshire 26

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 284
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 252
Anorexia 169
Other abnormal test result NOS 167
Diarrhoea 154
Death by euthanasia 144
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 134
Death 123
Weight loss 123
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) 108
Emesis 91
Elevated total bilirubin 85

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
353 (29.8%)
Outcome Unknown
289 (24.4%)
Recovered/Normal
250 (21.1%)
Euthanized
146 (12.3%)
Died
126 (10.6%)
Recovered with Sequela
22 (1.9%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 1,250
Reports involving death 268
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2140.0%
Distinct species in reports 9
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.

Amoxicillin Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 1,250 adverse event reports referencing Amoxicillin, including 268 reports in which the animal died — a 2140.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Amoxicillin. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Subcutaneous, Topical. 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 Amoxicillin reports are Dog (935 reports), Cat (255 reports), Unknown (45 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (165), Domestic Shorthair (148), Unknown (53) 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 Amoxicillin are Vomiting (284), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (252), Anorexia (169), Other abnormal test result NOS (167). Of the 1,186 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 29.8%. 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 Amoxicillin.

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