Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Insulin

1,053 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Insulin. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

1,053
adverse-event reports
15.7%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
240
Hyperglycaemia - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
1,053
Total Reports
165
Deaths Reported
15.7%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Insulin

Administration Routes

UnknownSubcutaneousParenteralIntravenousIntramuscularSubconjunctivalOtherOralTopicalCutaneous

Species Affected

Dog 737
Cat 311
Human 4
Unknown 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 217
Retriever - Labrador 64
Chihuahua 54
Terrier - Yorkshire 40
Schnauzer - Miniature 39
Shih Tzu 32
Pug 29
Pinscher - Miniature 28
Maltese 28
Dog (unknown) 27

Most Reported Reactions

Hyperglycaemia 240
Vomiting 185
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 141
Weight loss 115
Other abnormal test result NOS 107
Hypoglycaemia 106
Anorexia 101
Death by euthanasia 95
Diarrhoea 95
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 84
Not eating 78
Decreased appetite 72

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
371 (35.4%)
Outcome Unknown
326 (31.1%)
Recovered/Normal
170 (16.2%)
Euthanized
91 (8.7%)
Died
74 (7.1%)
Recovered with Sequela
17 (1.6%)

Insulin Adverse Event Insights

1,053 reports name Insulin; 165 recorded a death outcome (15.7% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Insulin. Administration routes: Unknown, Subcutaneous, Parenteral, Intravenous.

By species: Dog (737 reports), Cat (311 reports), Human (4 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (217), Retriever - Labrador (64), Chihuahua (54).

Leading clinical signs: Hyperglycaemia (240), Vomiting (185), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (141), Weight loss (115). Outcome, 1,049 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 35.4%.

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.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.