Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Potassium Chloride

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

135
adverse-event reports
49.6%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
54
Death by euthanasia - top reaction
Verify with FDA CVM →
Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
135
Total Reports
67
Deaths Reported
49.6%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Potassium Chloride

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousSubcutaneousParenteralOralOther

Species Affected

Dog 93
Cat 38
Human 2
Horse 1
Sheep 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 23
Retriever - Labrador 13
Maltese 6
Domestic Mediumhair 5
Pointing Dog - Hungarian Short-haired (Vizsla) 5
Chihuahua 4
Shih Tzu 4
Unknown 3
Shepherd Dog - Australian 3
Poodle - Standard 3

Most Reported Reactions

Death by euthanasia 54
Vomiting 43
Other abnormal test result NOS 34
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 34
Hypokalaemia 34
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 32
Elevated total bilirubin 31
Dehydration 30
Not eating 27
Anorexia 26
Abnormal ultrasound finding 25
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 24

Outcome Breakdown

Euthanized
54 (40.0%)
Ongoing
34 (25.2%)
Recovered/Normal
18 (13.3%)
Outcome Unknown
16 (11.9%)
Died
13 (9.6%)

Potassium Chloride Adverse Event Insights

135 reports name Potassium Chloride; 67 recorded a death outcome (49.6% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Potassium Chloride. Administration routes: Unknown, Intravenous, Subcutaneous, Parenteral.

By species: Dog (93 reports), Cat (38 reports), Human (2 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (23), Retriever - Labrador (13), Maltese (6).

Leading clinical signs: Death by euthanasia (54), Vomiting (43), Other abnormal test result NOS (34), Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (34). Outcome, 135 coded reports: Euthanized leads at 40.0%.

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.