Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Spironolactone

196 FDA reports name Spironolactone, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#540 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
196
adverse-event reports
20.9%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Spironolactone ranks #538 of 2679 by total reports (196) and #228 of 1130 by death-coded share (20.9%). 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)
#538
This drug, reports of 2679
#228
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. Spironolactone has 196 reports now versus 184 in that prior snapshot: 12 more (6.5%).

Report change
+12
Death-coded reports
+6
Death-coded share
+1.9 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 Spironolactone changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 41 is the most distinctive stamp on Spironolactone's FDA AER row.

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
196
Total Reports
41
Deaths Reported
20.9%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Spironolactone

Administration Routes

OralUnknownRectal

Species Affected

Dog 176
Cat 16
Human 4

Most Affected Breeds

Maltese 18
Chihuahua 18
Domestic Shorthair 14
Crossbred Canine/dog 13
Shih Tzu 8
Spitz - German Pomeranian 8
Shepherd Dog - Australian 8
Dog (unknown) 7
Spaniel - King Charles Cavalier 6
Unknown 6

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 50
Diarrhoea 28
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 27
Death by euthanasia 26
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 26
Anorexia 20
Decreased appetite 19
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 19
Elevated creatinine 17
Weight loss 16
Death 16
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 15

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
60 (30.5%)
Outcome Unknown
55 (27.9%)
Recovered/Normal
37 (18.8%)
Euthanized
25 (12.7%)
Died
16 (8.1%)
Recovered with Sequela
4 (2.0%)

Spironolactone: high 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 Spironolactone, 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 Spironolactone (#540 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 20.9%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 41 · 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 →