Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Ceftiofur

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

#282 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
553
adverse-event reports
37.4%
death-coded share
Cattle
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Ceftiofur ranks #282 of 2679 by total reports (553) and #88 of 1130 by death-coded share (37.4%). 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)
#282
This drug, reports of 2679
#88
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. Ceftiofur has 553 reports now versus 551 in that prior snapshot: 2 more (0.4%).

Report change
+2
Death-coded reports
+0
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 Ceftiofur changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 207 is the most distinctive stamp on Ceftiofur'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.
553
Total Reports
207
Deaths Reported
37.4%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Ceftiofur

Administration Routes

IntramuscularUnknownSubcutaneousParenteralIntravenousOralIntra-ArterialSubconjunctivalIntradermalOphthalmic

Species Affected

Cattle 235
Horse 198
Unknown 69
Human 23
Pig 14
Dog 9
Goat 3
Cat 2

Most Affected Breeds

Cattle (unknown) 96
Unknown 93
Quarter Horse 56
Cattle (other) 44
Horse (unknown) 41
Thoroughbred 41
Crossbred Bovine/Cattle 36
Holstein-Friesian also known as Holstein 34
Horse (other) 14
Aberdeen Angus 13

Most Reported Reactions

Injection site swelling 134
Lack of efficacy (bacteria) - NOS 116
Death 103
Injection site pain 63
Unclassifiable adverse event 52
DEATH-TREATMENT FAILURE 47
Fever 39
Lack of efficacy - NOS 34
Injection site inflammation 33
Depression 31
Death by euthanasia 31
Diarrhoea 28

Outcome Breakdown

Died
202 (68.0%)
Outcome Unknown
42 (14.1%)
Recovered/Normal
22 (7.4%)
Euthanized
17 (5.7%)
Ongoing
14 (4.7%)

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

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (37.4% 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 Ceftiofur (#282 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 37.4%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 207 · 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 →