Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Ketamine Hydrochloride

1,823 FDA reports name Ketamine Hydrochloride, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#117 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
1,823
adverse-event reports
23.9%
death-coded share
Cat
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Ketamine Hydrochloride ranks #117 of 2679 by total reports (1,823) and #186 of 1130 by death-coded share (23.9%). 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)
#117
This drug, reports of 2679
#186
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. Ketamine Hydrochloride has 1,823 reports now versus 1,790 in that prior snapshot: 33 more (1.8%).

Report change
+33
Death-coded reports
+7
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 Ketamine Hydrochloride changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 436 is the most distinctive stamp on Ketamine Hydrochloride'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.
1,823
Total Reports
436
Deaths Reported
23.9%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Ketamine Hydrochloride

Administration Routes

UnknownIntramuscularIntravenousIntraperitonealSubcutaneousOtherParenteralOphthalmicIntrapleuralOral

Species Affected

Cat 704
Dog 520
Horse 283
Unknown 136
Rat 34
Mouse 33
Rabbit 22
Other 17
Monkey 16
Pig 9

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 258
Domestic Shorthair 220
Domestic (unspecified) 190
Cat (unknown) 163
Dog (unknown) 134
Horse (unknown) 100
Quarter Horse 65
Retriever - Labrador 48
Crossbred Canine/dog 44
Domestic Longhair 33

Most Reported Reactions

INEFFECTIVE, ANESTHESIA 340
Death 337
Lack of efficacy - NOS 210
INEFFECTIVE, SEDATION 185
Cardiac arrest 131
Apnoea 96
Seizure NOS 86
Recovery prolonged 85
Fever 73
Death by euthanasia 58
Hyperthermia 58
Convulsion 57

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
656 (50.3%)
Died
374 (28.7%)
Outcome Unknown
134 (10.3%)
Ongoing
74 (5.7%)
Euthanized
62 (4.8%)
Recovered with Sequela
3 (0.2%)

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

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (1,823 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (23.9% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

  • Compare Ketamine Hydrochloride's report volume and death-coded share against similar drugs nationwide. See similar drugs
  • Read how death-coded share differs from a mortality rate before drawing conclusions. Understanding adverse events
  • Browse the full drug directory to compare report counts across products. All drugs

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 Ketamine Hydrochloride (#117 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 23.9%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 436 · 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 →