Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Anesthesia

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

267
adverse-event reports
16.1%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
45
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.
267
Total Reports
43
Deaths Reported
16.1%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Anesthesia

Administration Routes

UnknownRespiratory (Inhalation)OtherSubcutaneousOral

Species Affected

Dog 178
Cat 88
Horse 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 48
Retriever - Labrador 22
Retriever - Golden 12
Domestic Longhair 10
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 10
Shih Tzu 9
Cat (unknown) 9
Boxer (German Boxer) 8
Crossbred Canine/dog 8
Pit Bull 6

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 45
Diarrhoea 28
Anorexia 27
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 26
Death 22
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 22
Death by euthanasia 20
Not eating 19
Fever 19
Other abnormal test result NOS 15
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 14
Ataxia 13

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
107 (40.1%)
Recovered/Normal
71 (26.6%)
Outcome Unknown
45 (16.9%)
Died
25 (9.4%)
Euthanized
18 (6.7%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.4%)

Anesthesia Adverse Event Insights

267 reports name Anesthesia; 43 recorded a death outcome (16.1% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Anesthesia. Administration routes: Unknown, Respiratory (Inhalation), Other, Subcutaneous.

By species: Dog (178 reports), Cat (88 reports), Horse (1 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (48), Retriever - Labrador (22), Retriever - Golden (12).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (45), Diarrhoea (28), Anorexia (27), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (26). Outcome, 267 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 40.1%.

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.