Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Selamectin

31,260 FDA reports name Selamectin, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#9 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
31,260
adverse-event reports
3.3%
death-coded share
Cat
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Selamectin ranks #9 of 2679 by total reports (31,260) and #891 of 1130 by death-coded share (3.3%). 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)
#9
This drug, reports of 2679
#891
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. Selamectin has 31,260 reports now versus 31,135 in that prior snapshot: 125 more (0.4%).

Report change
+125
Death-coded reports
+6
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 Selamectin changes

Signature read: 31,260 reports place Selamectin in the upper third of FDA AER volume (#9 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.
31,260
Total Reports
1,037
Deaths Reported
3.3%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Selamectin

Administration Routes

TopicalUnknownOralSubcutaneousOtherOphthalmicRespiratory (Inhalation)Auricular (Otic)IntraocularCutaneous

Species Affected

Cat 14,068
Dog 12,566
Unknown 3,783
Human 712
Rabbit 67
Ferret 17
Guinea Pig 17
Other Rodents 5
Other 4
Rat 3

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 6,749
Unknown 4,598
Domestic (unspecified) 1,991
Retriever - Labrador 1,216
Cat (other) 1,110
Cat (unknown) 1,012
Crossbred Canine/dog 939
Domestic Longhair 862
Dog (unknown) 837
Chihuahua 661

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy (ectoparasite) - flea 3,331
Application site alopecia 3,093
Vomiting 2,532
INEFFECTIVE, HEARTWORM LARVAE 2,298
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 2,293
Application site hair loss 2,262
Underfilling, Tubes 1,940
Anorexia 1,484
Diarrhoea 1,268
Lack of efficacy - NOS 1,060
Behavioural disorder NOS 957
Lack of efficacy (endoparasite) - hookworm 933

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
9,173 (41.0%)
Ongoing
8,937 (39.9%)
Recovered/Normal
3,199 (14.3%)
Died
769 (3.4%)
Euthanized
270 (1.2%)
Recovered with Sequela
25 (0.1%)

Selamectin: 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 Selamectin, 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 Selamectin (#9 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 3.3%. PlainBreed drug row · report volume stamp 31,260 · 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 →