Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Methadone

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

#398 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
325
adverse-event reports
23.7%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Methadone ranks #398 of 2679 by total reports (325) and #188 of 1130 by death-coded share (23.7%). 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)
#398
This drug, reports of 2679
#188
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. Methadone has 325 reports now versus 310 in that prior snapshot: 15 more (4.8%).

Report change
+15
Death-coded reports
+5
Death-coded share
+0.5 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 Methadone changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 77 is the most distinctive stamp on Methadone'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.
325
Total Reports
77
Deaths Reported
23.7%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Methadone

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousIntramuscularParenteralSubcutaneousOtherOral

Species Affected

Dog 227
Cat 93
Human 2
Deer 1
Pig 1
Rabbit 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 50
Retriever - Labrador 31
Dog (unknown) 17
Crossbred Canine/dog 13
Retriever - Golden 12
Domestic Longhair 12
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 8
Beagle 7
Mixed (Dog) 6
Boxer (German Boxer) 6

Most Reported Reactions

Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 52
Not eating 45
Death by euthanasia 41
Diarrhoea 37
Vomiting 36
Death 35
Hypotension 32
Fever 30
Anorexia 27
Pain NOS 27
Other abnormal test result NOS 26
Bradycardia 25

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
112 (34.3%)
Ongoing
81 (24.8%)
Outcome Unknown
55 (16.8%)
Euthanized
40 (12.2%)
Died
37 (11.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
2 (0.6%)

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

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (325 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (23.7% 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 Methadone (#398 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 23.7%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 77 · 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 →