Distemper Vaccine

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1,117 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.
1,117
Total Reports
91
Deaths Reported
810.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Distemper Vaccine

Administration Routes

UnknownParenteralSubcutaneousOralOtherSubconjunctivalIntramuscularTopicalIntrauterineNasal

Species Affected

Dog 991
Cat 123
Unknown 3

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 117
Domestic Shorthair 89
Chihuahua 48
Shepherd Dog - German 46
Crossbred Canine/dog 44
Pit Bull 39
Retriever - Golden 38
Boxer (German Boxer) 38
Terrier - Yorkshire 33
Shih Tzu 31

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 361
Emesis 238
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 200
Diarrhoea 114
Other abnormal test result NOS 84
Behavioural disorder NOS 70
Seizure NOS 66
Not eating 59
Anorexia 48
Ataxia 48
Decreased appetite 45
Death 45

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
584 (52.4%)
Outcome Unknown
257 (23.0%)
Ongoing
128 (11.5%)
Recovered with Sequela
55 (4.9%)
Died
54 (4.8%)
Euthanized
37 (3.3%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 1,117
Reports involving death 91
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 810.0%
Distinct species in reports 3
Distinct breeds in reports 20
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.

Distemper Vaccine Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 1,117 adverse event reports referencing Distemper Vaccine, including 91 reports in which the animal died — a 810.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Distemper Vaccine. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Parenteral, Subcutaneous, Oral. 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 Distemper Vaccine reports are Dog (991 reports), Cat (123 reports), Unknown (3 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (117), Domestic Shorthair (89), Chihuahua (48) 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 Distemper Vaccine are Vomiting (361), Emesis (238), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (200), Diarrhoea (114). Of the 1,115 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 52.4%. 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 Distemper Vaccine.

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