Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Chlorhexidine Digluconate

120 FDA reports name Chlorhexidine Digluconate, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#709 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
120
adverse-event reports
4.2%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Chlorhexidine Digluconate ranks #708 of 2679 by total reports (120) and #834 of 1130 by death-coded share (4.2%). 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)
#708
This drug, reports of 2679
#834
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. Chlorhexidine Digluconate has 120 reports now versus 119 in that prior snapshot: 1 more (0.8%).

Report change
+1
Death-coded reports
+0
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 Chlorhexidine Digluconate changes

Signature read: 120 reports place Chlorhexidine Digluconate in the upper third of FDA AER volume (#709 of 2,679).

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
120
Total Reports
5
Deaths Reported
4.2%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Chlorhexidine Digluconate

Administration Routes

TopicalUnknownOphthalmicOral

Species Affected

Dog 101
Cat 14
Human 5

Most Affected Breeds

Crossbred Canine/dog 18
Dog (unknown) 11
Retriever - Labrador 10
Unknown 6
Cat (unknown) 6
Mixed (Dog) 5
Chihuahua 5
Domestic Shorthair 4
Terrier - Yorkshire 4
Shih Tzu 4

Most Reported Reactions

Application site erythema 30
Application site pruritus 11
Application site irritation 11
Application site hair change 7
Lack of efficacy - NOS 6
Application site pain 6
Application site reddening 5
Application site inflammation 5
Vomiting 4
Drooling 4
Licking at application site 4
Panting 4

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
61 (50.8%)
Recovered/Normal
37 (30.8%)
Outcome Unknown
17 (14.2%)
Died
3 (2.5%)
Euthanized
2 (1.7%)

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

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (120 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (4.2% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

  • Compare Chlorhexidine Digluconate's report volume and death-coded share against similar drugs nationwide. See similar drugs
  • Read how death-coded share differs from a mortality rate before drawing conclusions. Understanding adverse events
  • Browse the full drug directory to compare report counts across products. All drugs

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 Chlorhexidine Digluconate (#709 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 4.2%. PlainBreed drug row · report volume stamp 120 · 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 →