Monensin

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261 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
261
Total Reports
135
Deaths Reported
5170.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Monensin

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOphthalmic

Species Affected

Cattle 189
Turkey 26
Chicken 14
Horse 10
Goat 7
Dog 4
Other 2
Sheep 2
Unknown 2
Other Birds 2

Most Affected Breeds

Crossbred Bovine/Cattle 76
Cattle (unknown) 38
Holstein-Friesian also known as Holstein 33
Turkey (unknown) 25
Unknown 17
Chicken (unknown) 14
Cattle (other) 9
Horse (unknown) 7
Aberdeen Angus 7
Jersey 6

Most Reported Reactions

Death 124
Anorexia 60
Diarrhoea 58
Lack of efficacy (protozoa) - Coccidia 50
Accidental exposure 43
Recumbency 29
Inappropriate preparation of medication 24
Bloody diarrhoea 19
Milk production decrease 17
Depression 12
Alteration of milk quality 11
PR-HEART, LESION(S) 11

Outcome Breakdown

Died
134 (78.8%)
Outcome Unknown
27 (15.9%)
Recovered/Normal
5 (2.9%)
Ongoing
2 (1.2%)
Euthanized
2 (1.2%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 261
Reports involving death 135
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 5170.0%
Distinct species in reports 10
Distinct breeds in reports 20
Distinct reactions reported 20
Active ingredients on file 1

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reporting (CVM AER). Counts reflect voluntary reports only.

Monensin Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 261 adverse event reports referencing Monensin, including 135 reports in which the animal died — a 5170.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Monensin. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Ophthalmic. These numbers reflect voluntary submissions from pet owners, veterinarians, and manufacturers and therefore under-represent mild events and over-represent severe ones — a pattern the FDA has documented repeatedly for pharmacovigilance datasets.

The species most frequently named in Monensin reports are Cattle (189 reports), Turkey (26 reports), Chicken (14 reports), with Cattle accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Crossbred Bovine/Cattle (76), Cattle (unknown) (38), Holstein-Friesian also known as Holstein (33) appear most often — though breed popularity and ownership density shape these counts as much as any drug-specific sensitivity. This distribution matters because the same active ingredient can behave very differently across body sizes, ages, and species physiology.

The most commonly reported clinical signs associated with Monensin are Death (124), Anorexia (60), Diarrhoea (58), Lack of efficacy (protozoa) - Coccidia (50). Of the 170 reports with a coded outcome, Died is the leading category at 78.8%. Because FDA adverse event data describes correlation rather than causation, these figures are best used to frame informed questions with a veterinarian and to compare reporting patterns across related products — not as a standalone safety verdict on Monensin.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports Data reflects voluntary submissions and may not represent actual incidence rates

Related

Data sourced from official AKC, AVMA, ACVO, and breed-club veterinary references. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBreed Editorial