Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Oxytetracycline

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

#467 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
257
adverse-event reports
32.7%
death-coded share
Cattle
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Oxytetracycline ranks #467 of 2679 by total reports (257) and #109 of 1130 by death-coded share (32.7%). 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)
#467
This drug, reports of 2679
#109
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. Oxytetracycline has 257 reports now versus 256 in that prior snapshot: 1 more (0.4%).

Report change
+1
Death-coded reports
+1
Death-coded share
+0.3 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 Oxytetracycline changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 84 is the most distinctive stamp on Oxytetracycline'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.
257
Total Reports
84
Deaths Reported
32.7%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Oxytetracycline

Administration Routes

UnknownSubcutaneousIntramuscularIntravenousOphthalmicParenteralOralTopicalIntradermalUnassigned

Species Affected

Cattle 115
Unknown 65
Horse 19
Cat 16
Human 12
Dog 9
Goat 8
Pig 6
Sheep 4
Other 1

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 93
Crossbred Bovine/Cattle 19
Aberdeen Angus 18
Cattle (other) 18
Cattle (unknown) 17
Holstein-Friesian also known as Holstein 12
Domestic Shorthair 9
Mixed (Cattle) 6
Goat (unknown) 6
Quarter Horse 5

Most Reported Reactions

Death 58
Injection site swelling 35
Lack of efficacy (bacteria) - NOS 21
Color, Abnormal 19
Death by euthanasia 15
Solution, Abnormal 14
Collapse (see also 'Cardio-vascular' and 'Systemic disorders') 13
Anorexia 11
Anaphylaxis 10
Injection site pain 10
Accidental exposure 10
Vials, Leaking 10

Outcome Breakdown

Died
73 (39.0%)
Recovered/Normal
58 (31.0%)
Outcome Unknown
23 (12.3%)
Ongoing
18 (9.6%)
Euthanized
12 (6.4%)
Recovered with Sequela
3 (1.6%)

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

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (32.7% 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 Oxytetracycline (#467 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 32.7%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 84 · 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 →