Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Azithromycin

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

137
adverse-event reports
22.6%
death-coded share
Cat
most-reported species
25
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.
137
Total Reports
31
Deaths Reported
22.6%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Azithromycin

Administration Routes

UnknownOralSubcutaneous

Species Affected

Cat 75
Dog 57
Human 3
Horse 1
Unknown 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 42
Retriever - Labrador 8
Domestic Mediumhair 7
Pug 5
Chihuahua 5
Unknown 4
Cat (unknown) 4
Domestic Longhair 4
Beagle 4
Persian 3

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 25
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 24
Not eating 17
Death by euthanasia 15
Death 14
Other abnormal test result NOS 13
Diarrhoea 12
Decreased appetite 12
Anorexia 11
Nasal discharge 11
Weight loss 10
Lack of efficacy - NOS 9

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
46 (34.1%)
Outcome Unknown
33 (24.4%)
Recovered/Normal
23 (17.0%)
Died
16 (11.9%)
Euthanized
15 (11.1%)
Recovered with Sequela
2 (1.5%)

Azithromycin Adverse Event Insights

137 reports name Azithromycin; 31 recorded a death outcome (22.6% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Azithromycin. Administration routes: Unknown, Oral, Subcutaneous.

By species: Cat (75 reports), Dog (57 reports), Human (3 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (42), Retriever - Labrador (8), Domestic Mediumhair (7).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (25), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (24), Not eating (17), Death by euthanasia (15). Outcome, 135 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 34.1%.

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.