Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Gentamicin

115 FDA reports name Gentamicin, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#728 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
115
adverse-event reports
20.0%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Gentamicin ranks #726 of 2679 by total reports (115) and #242 of 1130 by death-coded share (20.0%). 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)
#726
This drug, reports of 2679
#242
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. Gentamicin has 115 reports now versus 102 in that prior snapshot: 13 more (12.7%).

Report change
+13
Death-coded reports
+3
Death-coded share
+0.4 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 Gentamicin changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 23 is the most distinctive stamp on Gentamicin'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.
115
Total Reports
23
Deaths Reported
20.0%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Gentamicin

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousTopicalAuricular (Otic)OtherIntramuscularIntra-ArticularParenteralIntrauterineOphthalmic

Species Affected

Dog 59
Horse 36
Unknown 10
Cat 7
Pig 3

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 14
Unknown 10
Quarter Horse 7
Thoroughbred 6
Domestic Shorthair 6
Horse (unknown) 6
Shih Tzu 4
Warmblood (unspecified) 4
Retriever - Golden 4
Maltese 2

Most Reported Reactions

Other abnormal test result NOS 16
Diarrhoea 13
Vomiting 13
Abnormal ultrasound finding 13
Death by euthanasia 12
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 12
Death 10
Fever 9
Abnormal radiograph finding 9
Lack of efficacy - NOS 8
Not eating 8
Pain NOS 7

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
34 (30.6%)
Outcome Unknown
30 (27.0%)
Ongoing
22 (19.8%)
Died
13 (11.7%)
Euthanized
12 (10.8%)

Gentamicin: high death-coded share 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 Gentamicin, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (20.0% 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 Gentamicin (#728 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 20.0%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 23 · 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 →