Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Salicylic Acid

170 FDA reports name Salicylic Acid, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#581 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
170
adverse-event reports
5.3%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Salicylic Acid ranks #580 of 2679 by total reports (170) and #776 of 1130 by death-coded share (5.3%). 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)
#580
This drug, reports of 2679
#776
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. Salicylic Acid has 170 reports now versus 158 in that prior snapshot: 12 more (7.6%).

Report change
+12
Death-coded reports
+1
Death-coded share
+0.2 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 Salicylic Acid changes

Signature read: 170 reports place Salicylic Acid in the upper third of FDA AER volume (#581 of 2,679).

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
170
Total Reports
9
Deaths Reported
5.3%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Salicylic Acid

Administration Routes

Auricular (Otic)UnknownTopicalOther

Species Affected

Dog 151
Cat 18
Human 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 19
Domestic Shorthair 15
Chihuahua 8
Pit Bull 7
Retriever - Golden 6
Pug 6
Shih Tzu 6
Dachshund (unspecified) 5
Shepherd Dog - Australian 5
Crossbred Canine/dog 4

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy - NOS 31
Loss of hearing 31
Ear discharge 20
Deafness 15
Head shake - ear disorder 14
Not eating 14
Ataxia 13
Head tilt - ear disorder 13
Behavioural disorder NOS 13
Vestibular disorder NOS 11
Corneal ulcer 11
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 11

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
84 (49.4%)
Ongoing
40 (23.5%)
Recovered/Normal
31 (18.2%)
Recovered with Sequela
6 (3.5%)
Died
5 (2.9%)
Euthanized
4 (2.4%)

Salicylic Acid: low death-coded share 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 Salicylic Acid, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (5.3% here), distinct from the volume row.

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 Salicylic Acid (#581 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 5.3%. PlainBreed drug row · report volume stamp 170 · 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 →