Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Hydrocodone

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

#448 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
274
adverse-event reports
22.6%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Hydrocodone ranks #448 of 2679 by total reports (274) and #201 of 1130 by death-coded share (22.6%). 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)
#448
This drug, reports of 2679
#201
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. Hydrocodone has 274 reports now versus 270 in that prior snapshot: 4 more (1.5%).

Report change
+4
Death-coded reports
+1
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 Hydrocodone changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 62 is the most distinctive stamp on Hydrocodone'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.
274
Total Reports
62
Deaths Reported
22.6%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Hydrocodone

Administration Routes

UnknownOralTopical

Species Affected

Dog 264
Human 8
Cat 2

Most Affected Breeds

Chihuahua 30
Terrier - Yorkshire 22
Crossbred Canine/dog 17
Spitz - German Pomeranian 15
Shih Tzu 14
Maltese 14
Pug 10
Unknown 9
Shepherd Dog - Australian 8
Retriever - Labrador 8

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 46
Cough 35
Death by euthanasia 35
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 32
Diarrhoea 30
Death 26
Seizure NOS 25
Panting 24
Decreased appetite 20
Abnormal radiograph finding 18
Ataxia 17
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 17

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
77 (28.2%)
Recovered/Normal
67 (24.5%)
Outcome Unknown
62 (22.7%)
Euthanized
35 (12.8%)
Died
27 (9.9%)
Recovered with Sequela
5 (1.8%)

Hydrocodone: 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 Hydrocodone, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (22.6% 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 Hydrocodone (#448 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 22.6%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 62 · 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 →