Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Doxycycline

3,954 FDA reports name Doxycycline, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#56 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
3,954
adverse-event reports
14.5%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Doxycycline ranks #56 of 2679 by total reports (3,954) and #385 of 1130 by death-coded share (14.5%). 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)
#56
This drug, reports of 2679
#385
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. Doxycycline has 3,954 reports now versus 3,860 in that prior snapshot: 94 more (2.4%).

Report change
+94
Death-coded reports
+15
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 Doxycycline changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 573 is the most distinctive stamp on Doxycycline'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.
3,954
Total Reports
573
Deaths Reported
14.5%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Doxycycline

Administration Routes

OralUnknownIntravenousTopicalSubcutaneousPeriodontalIntramuscularAuricular (Otic)OphthalmicParenteral

Species Affected

Dog 3,701
Cat 222
Unknown 15
Horse 14
Human 2

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 500
Crossbred Canine/dog 207
Shepherd Dog - German 199
Beagle 170
Chihuahua 163
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 162
Retriever - Golden 131
Domestic Shorthair 130
Dog (unknown) 107
Terrier (unspecified) 106

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy (endoparasite) - heartworm 1,187
Vomiting 585
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 458
Other abnormal test result NOS 367
Death by euthanasia 324
Anorexia 292
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 282
Lack of efficacy - NOS 261
Diarrhoea 260
Death 236
Cough 228
Anaemia NOS 224

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
1,899 (48.3%)
Outcome Unknown
879 (22.3%)
Recovered/Normal
555 (14.1%)
Euthanized
318 (8.1%)
Died
256 (6.5%)
Recovered with Sequela
27 (0.7%)

Doxycycline: high 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.

High-volume nationwide drug peers

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Doxycycline, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (3,954 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (14.5% here), distinct from the volume row.

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 Doxycycline (#56 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 14.5%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 573 · 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 →