Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Pimobendan

5,839 FDA reports name Pimobendan, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#38 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
5,839
adverse-event reports
12.1%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Pimobendan ranks #38 of 2679 by total reports (5,839) and #455 of 1130 by death-coded share (12.1%). 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)
#38
This drug, reports of 2679
#455
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. Pimobendan has 5,839 reports now versus 5,737 in that prior snapshot: 102 more (1.8%).

Report change
+102
Death-coded reports
+13
Death-coded share
+0.0 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 Pimobendan changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 704 is the most distinctive stamp on Pimobendan'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.
5,839
Total Reports
704
Deaths Reported
12.1%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Pimobendan

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTopicalOtherSubcutaneousCutaneousTransdermalVaginalOphthalmicRectal

Species Affected

Dog 4,808
Unknown 857
Cat 130
Human 38
Other Birds 2
Rabbit 2
Macaw 1
Chinchilla 1

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 904
Chihuahua 544
Crossbred Canine/dog 462
Dog (unknown) 414
Spaniel - King Charles Cavalier 394
Shih Tzu 218
Maltese 196
Terrier - Yorkshire 183
Beagle 168
Spitz - German Pomeranian 136

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 827
Diarrhoea 742
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 452
Tablets, Abnormal 380
Death 361
Cough 352
Death by euthanasia 337
Anorexia 310
Seizure NOS 222
Lack of efficacy - NOS 204
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 203
Decreased appetite 198

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
1,896 (40.8%)
Recovered/Normal
1,402 (30.2%)
Ongoing
611 (13.2%)
Died
408 (8.8%)
Euthanized
297 (6.4%)
Recovered with Sequela
28 (0.6%)

Pimobendan: high report volume 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 Pimobendan, 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 Pimobendan (#38 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 12.1%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 704 · 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 →