Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Ractopamine

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

118
adverse-event reports
43.2%
death-coded share
Pig
most-reported species
40
Death - 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.
118
Total Reports
51
Deaths Reported
43.2%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Ractopamine

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTopicalCutaneousOther

Species Affected

Pig 54
Cattle 22
Dog 17
Turkey 7
Horse 7
Unknown 6
Human 4
Goat 1

Most Affected Breeds

Pig (unknown) 40
Cattle (unknown) 11
Unknown 10
Pig (other) 8
Turkey (unknown) 7
Crossbred Bovine/Cattle 7
Retriever - Labrador 4
Horse (unknown) 3
Crossbred Porcine/Pig 3
Dog (unknown) 3

Most Reported Reactions

Death 40
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 13
Unclassifiable adverse event 9
Behavioural disorder NOS 9
Anorexia 8
Pneumonia 8
Hyperactivity 7
Tachycardia 7
Accidental exposure 7
Lameness 7
Aggression 6
Death by euthanasia 6

Outcome Breakdown

Died
46 (44.2%)
Outcome Unknown
30 (28.8%)
Recovered/Normal
12 (11.5%)
Euthanized
8 (7.7%)
Ongoing
8 (7.7%)

Ractopamine Adverse Event Insights

118 reports name Ractopamine; 51 recorded a death outcome (43.2% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Ractopamine. Administration routes: Oral, Unknown, Topical, Cutaneous.

By species: Pig (54 reports), Cattle (22 reports), Dog (17 reports). By breed: Pig (unknown) (40), Cattle (unknown) (11), Unknown (10).

Leading clinical signs: Death (40), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (13), Unclassifiable adverse event (9), Behavioural disorder NOS (9). Outcome, 104 coded reports: Died leads at 44.2%.

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.