Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Anesthetic

1,527 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Anesthetic. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

1,527
adverse-event reports
15.7%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
299
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.
1,527
Total Reports
240
Deaths Reported
15.7%
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%)

Anesthetic Adverse Event Insights

1,527 reports name Anesthetic; 240 recorded a death outcome (15.7% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Anesthetic. Administration routes: Unknown, Respiratory (Inhalation), Intravenous, Subcutaneous.

By species: Dog (1,167 reports), Cat (356 reports), Horse (1 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (187), Retriever - Labrador (162), Dog (unknown) (82).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (299), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (293), Anorexia (194), Other abnormal test result NOS (158). Outcome, 1,530 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 52.7%.

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.