Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Penicillin

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

#356 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
393
adverse-event reports
28.8%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Penicillin ranks #356 of 2679 by total reports (393) and #131 of 1130 by death-coded share (28.8%). 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)
#356
This drug, reports of 2679
#131
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. Penicillin has 393 reports now versus 392 in that prior snapshot: 1 more (0.3%).

Report change
+1
Death-coded reports
+1
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 Penicillin changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 113 is the most distinctive stamp on Penicillin'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.
393
Total Reports
113
Deaths Reported
28.8%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Penicillin

Administration Routes

UnknownSubcutaneousParenteralIntramuscularOralOtherTopicalSubconjunctival

Species Affected

Dog 242
Cat 109
Cattle 21
Horse 7
Rabbit 5
Pig 4
Goat 1
Rat 1
Human 1
Other Canids 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 70
Retriever - Labrador 30
Domestic Longhair 18
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 10
Chihuahua 9
Pit Bull 9
Shepherd Dog - German 8
Cat (unknown) 8
Shepherd Dog - Australian 8
Boxer (German Boxer) 8

Most Reported Reactions

Death 75
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 70
Vomiting 60
Anorexia 57
Other abnormal test result NOS 57
Death by euthanasia 34
Ataxia 33
Diarrhoea 33
Not eating 33
Seizure NOS 31
Weight loss 31
Behavioural disorder NOS 29

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
119 (29.3%)
Recovered/Normal
104 (25.6%)
Died
81 (20.0%)
Outcome Unknown
61 (15.0%)
Euthanized
34 (8.4%)
Recovered with Sequela
7 (1.7%)

Penicillin: 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 Penicillin, 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 Penicillin (#356 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 28.8%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 113 · 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 →