Chlortetracycline

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74 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
74
Total Reports
32
Deaths Reported
4320.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Chlortetracycline

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTopical

Species Affected

Cattle 28
Unknown 22
Pig 18
Sheep 2
Horse 2
Other Birds 1
Turkey 1

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 23
Mixed (Cattle) 10
Cattle (unknown) 9
Pig (unknown) 8
Crossbred Porcine/Pig 6
Holstein-Friesian also known as Holstein 3
Cattle (other) 2
Horse (unknown) 2
Pig (other) 2
Crossbred Bovine/Cattle 1

Most Reported Reactions

Death 27
Lack of efficacy - NOS 8
Lack of efficacy (bacteria) - NOS 7
Lameness 5
NT - Abnormal necropsy finding NOS 5
Potency, Low 5
Necropsy performed 5
Granules/Powder, Abnormal 4
Accidental exposure 4
Anorexia 4
Vocalisation 4
Death by euthanasia 3

Outcome Breakdown

Died
30 (42.3%)
Outcome Unknown
24 (33.8%)
Recovered/Normal
7 (9.9%)
Euthanized
5 (7.0%)
Ongoing
4 (5.6%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (1.4%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 74
Reports involving death 32
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 4320.0%
Distinct species in reports 7
Distinct breeds in reports 18
Distinct reactions reported 20
Active ingredients on file 1

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reporting (CVM AER). Counts reflect voluntary reports only.

Chlortetracycline Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 74 adverse event reports referencing Chlortetracycline, including 32 reports in which the animal died — a 4320.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Chlortetracycline. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Topical. These numbers reflect voluntary submissions from pet owners, veterinarians, and manufacturers and therefore under-represent mild events and over-represent severe ones — a pattern the FDA has documented repeatedly for pharmacovigilance datasets.

The species most frequently named in Chlortetracycline reports are Cattle (28 reports), Unknown (22 reports), Pig (18 reports), with Cattle accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Unknown (23), Mixed (Cattle) (10), Cattle (unknown) (9) appear most often — though breed popularity and ownership density shape these counts as much as any drug-specific sensitivity. This distribution matters because the same active ingredient can behave very differently across body sizes, ages, and species physiology.

The most commonly reported clinical signs associated with Chlortetracycline are Death (27), Lack of efficacy - NOS (8), Lack of efficacy (bacteria) - NOS (7), Lameness (5). Of the 71 reports with a coded outcome, Died is the leading category at 42.3%. Because FDA adverse event data describes correlation rather than causation, these figures are best used to frame informed questions with a veterinarian and to compare reporting patterns across related products — not as a standalone safety verdict on Chlortetracycline.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports Data reflects voluntary submissions and may not represent actual incidence rates

Related

Data sourced from official AKC, AVMA, ACVO, and breed-club veterinary references. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBreed Editorial