Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Cefazolin

523 FDA reports name Cefazolin, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#293 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
523
adverse-event reports
37.1%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Cefazolin ranks #293 of 2679 by total reports (523) and #91 of 1130 by death-coded share (37.1%). 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)
#293
This drug, reports of 2679
#91
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. Cefazolin has 523 reports now versus 514 in that prior snapshot: 9 more (1.8%).

Report change
+9
Death-coded reports
+2
Death-coded share
−0.3 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 Cefazolin changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 194 is the most distinctive stamp on Cefazolin'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.
523
Total Reports
194
Deaths Reported
37.1%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Cefazolin

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousParenteralSubcutaneousIntramuscularOtherOralOphthalmic

Species Affected

Dog 414
Cat 107
Horse 1
Unknown 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 66
Retriever - Labrador 60
Crossbred Canine/dog 29
Retriever - Golden 17
Boxer (German Boxer) 15
Bulldog 12
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 12
Terrier - Yorkshire 11
Shepherd Dog - German 11
Shepherd Dog - Australian 11

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 100
Death 98
Other abnormal test result NOS 95
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 91
Death by euthanasia 90
Anorexia 82
Not eating 70
Fever 50
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 48
Weight loss 46
Hypothermia 46
Leucocytosis NOS 45

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
130 (24.6%)
Ongoing
120 (22.7%)
Died
106 (20.0%)
Euthanized
89 (16.8%)
Outcome Unknown
79 (14.9%)
Recovered with Sequela
5 (0.9%)

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

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (37.1% 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 Cefazolin (#293 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 37.1%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 194 · 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 →