Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Clindamycin

1,096 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Clindamycin. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

1,096
adverse-event reports
20.2%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
173
Vomiting - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
1,096
Total Reports
221
Deaths Reported
20.2%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Clindamycin

Administration Routes

OralUnknownIntravenousParenteralIntramuscularTopical

Species Affected

Dog 809
Cat 241
Unknown 43
Human 3

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 153
Retriever - Labrador 79
Unknown 50
Chihuahua 48
Crossbred Canine/dog 32
Shih Tzu 30
Terrier - Yorkshire 29
Shepherd Dog - German 27
Boxer (German Boxer) 25
Dachshund (unspecified) 24

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 173
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 164
Other abnormal test result NOS 136
Anorexia 132
Death by euthanasia 124
Death 89
Weight loss 89
Not eating 84
Ataxia 82
Emesis 74
Lack of efficacy - NOS 73
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 72

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
364 (34.6%)
Recovered/Normal
263 (25.0%)
Outcome Unknown
181 (17.2%)
Euthanized
122 (11.6%)
Died
99 (9.4%)
Recovered with Sequela
22 (2.1%)

Clindamycin Adverse Event Insights

1,096 reports name Clindamycin; 221 recorded a death outcome (20.2% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Clindamycin. Administration routes: Oral, Unknown, Intravenous, Parenteral.

By species: Dog (809 reports), Cat (241 reports), Unknown (43 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (153), Retriever - Labrador (79), Unknown (50).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (173), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (164), Other abnormal test result NOS (136), Anorexia (132). Outcome, 1,051 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 34.6%.

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.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.