Penicillin G

Verify with FDA CVM →

43 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.
43
Total Reports
12
Deaths Reported
2790.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Penicillin G

Administration Routes

UnknownSubcutaneousIntravenousIntramuscularIntramammaryOral

Species Affected

Dog 22
Unknown 7
Cat 6
Cattle 3
Horse 2
Pig 1
Alpaca 1
Tiger 1

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 11
Domestic Shorthair 5
Retriever - Labrador 3
Pug 3
Dog (unknown) 2
Charolais 1
Dachshund (unspecified) 1
Domestic Longhair 1
Sheepdog - Shetland 1
Bichon Frise 1

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 10
Death by euthanasia 7
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 6
Seizure NOS 6
Other abnormal test result NOS 6
Death 5
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 5
Potency, Low 5
Anorexia 4
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) 4
Weight loss 4
Dehydration 4

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
12 (30.8%)
Ongoing
8 (20.5%)
Euthanized
7 (17.9%)
Died
6 (15.4%)
Outcome Unknown
6 (15.4%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 43
Reports involving death 12
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2790.0%
Distinct species in reports 8
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.

Penicillin G Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 43 adverse event reports referencing Penicillin G, including 12 reports in which the animal died — a 2790.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Penicillin G. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Subcutaneous, Intravenous, Intramuscular. 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 Penicillin G reports are Dog (22 reports), Unknown (7 reports), Cat (6 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Unknown (11), Domestic Shorthair (5), Retriever - Labrador (3) 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 Penicillin G are Vomiting (10), Death by euthanasia (7), Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (6), Seizure NOS (6). Of the 39 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 30.8%. 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 Penicillin G.

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