Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Buprenorphine

7,345 FDA reports name Buprenorphine, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#35 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
7,345
adverse-event reports
14.9%
death-coded share
Cat
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Buprenorphine ranks #35 of 2679 by total reports (7,345) and #369 of 1130 by death-coded share (14.9%). National dual: Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad is #1 of 2679 drugs by total adverse-event reports (149,624) at death-coded-share rank 965 of 1130 drugs with at least 50 reports (2.3%); separately, Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) is #1 highest death-coded share at 97.8% (report rank #821).

149,624
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad reports (#1)
97.8%
Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) death share (#1)
#35
This drug, reports of 2679
#369
This drug, death share of 1130

Report volume reflects how common a breed or drug is and how often owners and vets file — not actual risk. Death-coded share ranks are limited to entries with enough reports to be meaningful. The two maps do not agree at #1.

Release-over-release change

What changed in the latest FDA data snapshot

PlainBreed reconstructed the prior snapshot from dated openFDA partitions through 2025 Q4, then compared it with the 2026-07-27 openFDA export. Buprenorphine has 7,345 reports now versus 7,105 in that prior snapshot: 240 more (3.4%).

Report change
+240
Death-coded reports
+34
Death-coded share
−0.0 pts

This compares reported-event counts in two source snapshots. It does not establish a change in real-world risk, product safety, or disease incidence.

Subscribe to Buprenorphine changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 1,094 is the most distinctive stamp on Buprenorphine's FDA AER row.

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
7,345
Total Reports
1,094
Deaths Reported
14.9%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Buprenorphine

Administration Routes

TopicalUnknownSubcutaneousIntramuscularTransdermalOralIntravenousParenteralOtherSublingual

Species Affected

Cat 5,684
Dog 1,361
Unknown 177
Human 61
Rabbit 31
Mouse 13
Rat 6
Guinea Pig 4
Horse 2
Ferret 2

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 2,994
Cat (unknown) 1,092
Domestic Longhair 403
Domestic Mediumhair 309
Unknown 262
Cat (other) 188
Siamese 166
Retriever - Labrador 137
Maine Coon 101
Chihuahua 78

Most Reported Reactions

Behavioural disorder NOS 1,069
Not eating 838
Dilated pupils 788
Anorexia 620
Hyperactivity 614
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 586
Death 582
Dysphoria 565
Vomiting 474
Death by euthanasia 454
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 430
Fever 426

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
2,247 (31.2%)
Recovered/Normal
2,105 (29.2%)
Outcome Unknown
1,725 (24.0%)
Died
641 (8.9%)
Euthanized
462 (6.4%)
Recovered with Sequela
21 (0.3%)

Buprenorphine: high report volume in the FDA AER row

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.

High-volume nationwide drug peers

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Buprenorphine, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (14.9% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

A report does not prove a drug caused the reaction; consult a veterinarian before acting on this data.

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

openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (FDA CVM) for Buprenorphine (#35 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 14.9%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 1,094 · vintage 2025.

Informational only. FDA adverse-event reports are voluntary and do not prove causation; consult a veterinarian before acting on them. Verify with FDA CVM →