Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Butorphanol

3,869 FDA reports name Butorphanol, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#57 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
3,869
adverse-event reports
17.7%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Butorphanol ranks #57 of 2679 by total reports (3,869) and #282 of 1130 by death-coded share (17.7%). 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)
#57
This drug, reports of 2679
#282
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. Butorphanol has 3,869 reports now versus 3,769 in that prior snapshot: 100 more (2.7%).

Report change
+100
Death-coded reports
+11
Death-coded share
−0.2 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 Butorphanol changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 685 is the most distinctive stamp on Butorphanol'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.
3,869
Total Reports
685
Deaths Reported
17.7%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Butorphanol

Administration Routes

UnknownIntramuscularIntravenousParenteralSubcutaneousOralOtherIntra-ArterialSubmucosalOphthalmic

Species Affected

Dog 2,461
Cat 1,287
Horse 97
Unknown 5
Other 4
Other Equids 3
Human 2
Parrot 2
Other Birds 1
Primate 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 702
Retriever - Labrador 283
Dog (unknown) 252
Cat (unknown) 129
Domestic Longhair 117
Shepherd Dog - German 95
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 95
Chihuahua 93
Domestic Mediumhair 83
Retriever - Golden 80

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy - NOS 502
Death 401
Vomiting 395
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 296
Diarrhoea 267
Anorexia 253
Not eating 243
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 242
Bradycardia 238
Death by euthanasia 224
Behavioural disorder NOS 200
Seizure NOS 197

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
1,509 (38.8%)
Ongoing
1,030 (26.5%)
Outcome Unknown
649 (16.7%)
Died
443 (11.4%)
Euthanized
242 (6.2%)
Recovered with Sequela
14 (0.4%)

Butorphanol: high death-coded share 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 Butorphanol, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (17.7% 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 Butorphanol (#57 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 17.7%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 685 · 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 →