Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Pentobarbital/Phenytoin Inj

98 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Pentobarbital/Phenytoin Inj. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

98
adverse-event reports
80.6%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
60
INEFFECTIVE, EUTHANASIA - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
98
Total Reports
79
Deaths Reported
80.6%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Pentobarbital/Phenytoin Inj

Administration Routes

IntravenousUnknownSubcutaneousOtherTopicalIntraperitonealRespiratory (Inhalation)OphthalmicIntramuscularOral

Species Affected

Dog 58
Cat 15
Human 11
Unknown 7
Horse 5
Other Birds 1
Duck 1

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 19
Domestic Shorthair 11
Dog (unknown) 8
Crossbred Canine/dog 7
Shepherd Dog - German 4
Mixed (Dog) 4
Retriever - Golden 4
Retriever - Labrador 3
Shih Tzu 3
Horse (unknown) 2

Most Reported Reactions

INEFFECTIVE, EUTHANASIA 60
Overdose 39
Unrelated death 33
Vocalisation 24
Lack of efficacy - NOS 18
Agitation 10
Death by euthanasia 9
INEFFECTIVE, DELAYED EFFECT 8
Pain NOS 7
Accidental exposure 7
Solution, Abnormal 5
Drug administration error 5

Outcome Breakdown

Euthanized
79 (86.8%)
Ongoing
8 (8.8%)
Recovered/Normal
3 (3.3%)
Outcome Unknown
1 (1.1%)

Pentobarbital/Phenytoin Inj Adverse Event Insights

98 reports name Pentobarbital/Phenytoin Inj; 79 recorded a death outcome (80.6% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Pentobarbital/Phenytoin Inj. Administration routes: Intravenous, Unknown, Subcutaneous, Other.

By species: Dog (58 reports), Cat (15 reports), Human (11 reports). By breed: Unknown (19), Domestic Shorthair (11), Dog (unknown) (8).

Leading clinical signs: INEFFECTIVE, EUTHANASIA (60), Overdose (39), Unrelated death (33), Vocalisation (24). Outcome, 91 coded reports: Euthanized leads at 86.8%.

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.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.