Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Dimethyl Sulfoxide

20 FDA reports name Dimethyl Sulfoxide, a lower-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#1788 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
20
adverse-event reports
15.0%
death-coded share
Horse
most-reported species
Verify with FDA CVM →

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Dimethyl Sulfoxide ranks #1778 of 2679 by total reports (20). Death-coded-share rank requires at least 50 reports. 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)
#1778
This drug, reports of 2679

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. Dimethyl Sulfoxide has 20 reports now versus 20 in that prior snapshot: 0 the same number of (0.0%).

Report change
+0
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 Dimethyl Sulfoxide changes

Signature read: report volume at 20 is the most distinctive stamp on Dimethyl Sulfoxide'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.
20
Total Reports
3
Deaths Reported
15.0%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Administration Routes

TopicalUnknownIntravenousOralAuricular (Otic)

Species Affected

Horse 10
Dog 6
Unknown 1
Human 1
Other 1
Cat 1

Most Affected Breeds

Thoroughbred 4
Bulldog 4
Horse (unknown) 3
Unknown 3
Crossbred Equine/horse 1
Warmblood (unspecified) 1
Retriever - Golden 1
Ragdoll 1
Quarter Horse 1
Bulldog - American 1

Most Reported Reactions

Ataxia 3
Cutaneous calcinosis 3
Bacterial skin infection NOS 2
Hind limb ataxia 2
Odor, Abnormal 2
Increased sweating 2
Lack of efficacy - NOS 2
Injection site swelling 2
Decreased urine concentration 2
Muscle stiffness 1
Lameness 1
Gait abnormality 1

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
11 (57.9%)
Ongoing
4 (21.1%)
Died
2 (10.5%)
Euthanized
1 (5.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (5.3%)

Dimethyl Sulfoxide: lower report volume 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.

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 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (#1788 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 15.0%. PlainBreed drug row · report volume stamp 20 · 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 →