Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Medetomidine

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

#752 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
108
adverse-event reports
16.7%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Medetomidine ranks #749 of 2679 by total reports (108) and #313 of 1130 by death-coded share (16.7%). 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)
#749
This drug, reports of 2679
#313
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. Medetomidine has 108 reports now versus 107 in that prior snapshot: 1 more (0.9%).

Report change
+1
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.2 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 Medetomidine changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 18 is the most distinctive stamp on Medetomidine'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.
108
Total Reports
18
Deaths Reported
16.7%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Medetomidine

Administration Routes

UnknownIntramuscularIntravenousParenteralOther

Species Affected

Dog 60
Cat 41
Deer 2
Other 2
Rabbit 1
Other Bovine 1
Unknown 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 23
Retriever - Labrador 8
Dog (unknown) 6
Pug 6
Cat (unknown) 5
Unknown 5
Boxer (German Boxer) 4
Beagle 3
Domestic Mediumhair 3
Retriever - Golden 2

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy - NOS 15
Anorexia 13
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 10
Death 10
Not eating 10
Injection site swelling 10
Vomiting 9
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 9
Hypothermia 8
Other abnormal test result NOS 8
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 8
Tachycardia 7

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
34 (31.8%)
Outcome Unknown
34 (31.8%)
Ongoing
20 (18.7%)
Died
11 (10.3%)
Euthanized
7 (6.5%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.9%)

Medetomidine: high report volume 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 Medetomidine, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

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 Medetomidine (#752 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 16.7%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 18 · 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 →