Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Butorphanol Tartrate

2,203 FDA reports name Butorphanol Tartrate, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#103 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
2,203
adverse-event reports
17.2%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Butorphanol Tartrate ranks #103 of 2679 by total reports (2,203) and #295 of 1130 by death-coded share (17.2%). 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)
#103
This drug, reports of 2679
#295
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 Tartrate has 2,203 reports now versus 2,148 in that prior snapshot: 55 more (2.6%).

Report change
+55
Death-coded reports
+12
Death-coded share
+0.1 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 Tartrate changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 380 is the most distinctive stamp on Butorphanol Tartrate'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.
2,203
Total Reports
380
Deaths Reported
17.2%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Butorphanol Tartrate

Administration Routes

UnknownIntramuscularIntravenousSubcutaneousOralParenteralOtherOphthalmicSubconjunctivalNasal

Species Affected

Dog 1,297
Cat 543
Unknown 215
Horse 111
Human 8
Other 4
Guinea Pig 3
Rabbit 3
Donkey 3
Alpaca 2

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 260
Unknown 245
Retriever - Labrador 150
Dog (unknown) 136
Cat (unknown) 70
Domestic (unspecified) 60
Crossbred Canine/dog 56
Chihuahua 49
Shepherd Dog - German 48
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 47

Most Reported Reactions

Death 233
Vomiting 225
Lack of efficacy - NOS 169
Anorexia 154
Bradycardia 148
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 133
Diarrhoea 124
Cardiac arrest 116
Death by euthanasia 110
Seizure NOS 106
INEFFECTIVE, SEDATION 99
Not eating 93

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
713 (39.4%)
Ongoing
457 (25.2%)
Died
272 (15.0%)
Outcome Unknown
251 (13.9%)
Euthanized
108 (6.0%)
Recovered with Sequela
9 (0.5%)

Butorphanol Tartrate: 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 Tartrate, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

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 Tartrate (#103 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 17.2%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 380 · 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 →