Famotidine

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2,893 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.
2,893
Total Reports
698
Deaths Reported
2410.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Famotidine

Administration Routes

UnknownOralSubcutaneousIntravenousParenteralIntramuscularOtherTopicalTransdermalIntradermal

Species Affected

Dog 2,504
Cat 377
Human 9
Parrot 2
Ferret 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 373
Domestic Shorthair 247
Crossbred Canine/dog 95
Chihuahua 87
Retriever - Golden 86
Boxer (German Boxer) 84
Terrier - Yorkshire 77
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 76
Shih Tzu 76
Shepherd Dog - German 61

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 864
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 667
Diarrhoea 510
Anorexia 486
Other abnormal test result NOS 412
Death by euthanasia 411
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 341
Weight loss 281
Decreased appetite 274
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) 270
Death 269
Not eating 257

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
954 (32.9%)
Recovered/Normal
633 (21.9%)
Outcome Unknown
575 (19.8%)
Euthanized
414 (14.3%)
Died
286 (9.9%)
Recovered with Sequela
35 (1.2%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 2,893
Reports involving death 698
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2410.0%
Distinct species in reports 5
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.

Famotidine Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 2,893 adverse event reports referencing Famotidine, including 698 reports in which the animal died — a 2410.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Famotidine. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Oral, Subcutaneous, Intravenous. 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 Famotidine reports are Dog (2,504 reports), Cat (377 reports), Human (9 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (373), Domestic Shorthair (247), Crossbred Canine/dog (95) 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 Famotidine are Vomiting (864), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (667), Diarrhoea (510), Anorexia (486). Of the 2,897 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 32.9%. 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 Famotidine.

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