Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Potassium

52 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Potassium. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

52
adverse-event reports
21.2%
death-coded share
Cat
most-reported species
10
Hypokalaemia - 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.
52
Total Reports
11
Deaths Reported
21.2%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Potassium

Administration Routes

UnknownOralIntravenousSubcutaneous

Species Affected

Cat 41
Human 6
Dog 5

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 26
Domestic Mediumhair 7
Unknown 6
Cat (unknown) 2
Domestic Longhair 2
Siamese 2
Spaniel - King Charles Cavalier 1
Terrier - Rat 1
Ragdoll 1
Terrier - Yorkshire 1

Most Reported Reactions

Hypokalaemia 10
Other abnormal test result NOS 8
Hyperglycaemia 8
Death by euthanasia 8
Ketosis 8
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 8
Dehydration 7
Weight loss 6
Decreased haematocrit 6
Ataxia 5
Breathing difficulty 5
Vomiting 5

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
21 (40.4%)
Outcome Unknown
11 (21.2%)
Recovered/Normal
9 (17.3%)
Euthanized
8 (15.4%)
Died
3 (5.8%)

Potassium Adverse Event Insights

52 reports name Potassium; 11 recorded a death outcome (21.2% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Potassium. Administration routes: Unknown, Oral, Intravenous, Subcutaneous.

By species: Cat (41 reports), Human (6 reports), Dog (5 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (26), Domestic Mediumhair (7), Unknown (6).

Leading clinical signs: Hypokalaemia (10), Other abnormal test result NOS (8), Hyperglycaemia (8), Death by euthanasia (8). Outcome, 52 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 40.4%.

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.