Anesthetic

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1,527 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.
1,527
Total Reports
240
Deaths Reported
1570.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Anesthetic

Administration Routes

UnknownRespiratory (Inhalation)IntravenousSubcutaneousNasalEpiduralIntradermalParenteralTopicalOral

Species Affected

Dog 1,167
Cat 356
Horse 1
Guinea Pig 1
Rabbit 1
Hedgehog 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 187
Retriever - Labrador 162
Dog (unknown) 82
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 58
Retriever - Golden 49
Cat (other) 46
Chihuahua 45
Shepherd Dog - German 41
Boxer (German Boxer) 40
Terrier - Yorkshire 34

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 299
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 293
Anorexia 194
Other abnormal test result NOS 158
Diarrhoea 155
Death 120
Death by euthanasia 110
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 107
Decreased appetite 100
Lack of efficacy - NOS 88
Seizure NOS 84
Anaemia NOS 83

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
806 (52.7%)
Recovered/Normal
318 (20.8%)
Outcome Unknown
161 (10.5%)
Died
130 (8.5%)
Euthanized
111 (7.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
4 (0.3%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 1,527
Reports involving death 240
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 1570.0%
Distinct species in reports 6
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.

Anesthetic Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 1,527 adverse event reports referencing Anesthetic, including 240 reports in which the animal died — a 1570.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Anesthetic. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Respiratory (Inhalation), Intravenous, Subcutaneous. 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 Anesthetic reports are Dog (1,167 reports), Cat (356 reports), Horse (1 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (187), Retriever - Labrador (162), Dog (unknown) (82) 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 Anesthetic are Vomiting (299), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (293), Anorexia (194), Other abnormal test result NOS (158). Of the 1,530 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 52.7%. 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 Anesthetic.

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