Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Ampicillin

577 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Ampicillin. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

577
adverse-event reports
40.9%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
173
Vomiting - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
577
Total Reports
236
Deaths Reported
40.9%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Ampicillin

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousSubcutaneousIntramuscularParenteralOralOther

Species Affected

Dog 445
Cat 108
Cattle 23
Horse 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 80
Retriever - Labrador 76
Retriever - Golden 22
Shih Tzu 16
Chihuahua 14
Terrier - Yorkshire 13
Shepherd Dog - German 13
Terrier - Jack Russell 13
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 12
Boxer (German Boxer) 12

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 173
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 146
Other abnormal test result NOS 144
Death by euthanasia 132
Anorexia 124
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 114
Death 103
Elevated total bilirubin 102
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) 93
Leucocytosis NOS 92
Diarrhoea 89
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 88

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
179 (30.9%)
Euthanized
132 (22.8%)
Died
104 (17.9%)
Recovered/Normal
94 (16.2%)
Outcome Unknown
68 (11.7%)
Recovered with Sequela
3 (0.5%)

Ampicillin Adverse Event Insights

577 reports name Ampicillin; 236 recorded a death outcome (40.9% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Ampicillin. Administration routes: Unknown, Intravenous, Subcutaneous, Intramuscular.

By species: Dog (445 reports), Cat (108 reports), Cattle (23 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (80), Retriever - Labrador (76), Retriever - Golden (22).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (173), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (146), Other abnormal test result NOS (144), Death by euthanasia (132). Outcome, 580 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 30.9%.

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, a widely-prescribed drug will rack up more raw FDA reports in a given year than a rarely-used one at an identical true rate, so we recommend comparing within similar-exposure products rather than across the full 2025 catalog.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.