Tacrolimus

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210 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
210
Total Reports
24
Deaths Reported
1140.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Tacrolimus

Administration Routes

UnknownOphthalmicTopicalIntraocularOtherOralAuricular (Otic)

Species Affected

Dog 208
Unknown 1
Human 1

Most Affected Breeds

Shih Tzu 25
Shepherd Dog - German 17
Pug 14
Chihuahua 12
Dog (unknown) 10
Retriever - Labrador 9
Terrier - Yorkshire 8
Maltese 7
Bulldog 6
Terrier - West Highland White 6

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 33
Diarrhoea 23
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 18
Weight loss 18
Lack of efficacy - NOS 18
Death by euthanasia 16
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 15
Polyuria 14
Corneal ulcer 14
Behavioural disorder NOS 13
Dry eye 12
Other abnormal test result NOS 11

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
62 (29.5%)
Recovered/Normal
61 (29.0%)
Outcome Unknown
57 (27.1%)
Euthanized
17 (8.1%)
Died
7 (3.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
6 (2.9%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 210
Reports involving death 24
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 1140.0%
Distinct species in reports 3
Distinct breeds in reports 20
Distinct reactions reported 20
Active ingredients on file 1

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reporting (CVM AER). Counts reflect voluntary reports only.

Tacrolimus Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 210 adverse event reports referencing Tacrolimus, including 24 reports in which the animal died — a 1140.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Tacrolimus. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Ophthalmic, Topical, Intraocular. These numbers reflect voluntary submissions from pet owners, veterinarians, and manufacturers and therefore under-represent mild events and over-represent severe ones — a pattern the FDA has documented repeatedly for pharmacovigilance datasets.

The species most frequently named in Tacrolimus reports are Dog (208 reports), Unknown (1 reports), Human (1 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Shih Tzu (25), Shepherd Dog - German (17), Pug (14) appear most often — though breed popularity and ownership density shape these counts as much as any drug-specific sensitivity. This distribution matters because the same active ingredient can behave very differently across body sizes, ages, and species physiology.

The most commonly reported clinical signs associated with Tacrolimus are Vomiting (33), Diarrhoea (23), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (18), Weight loss (18). Of the 210 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 29.5%. Because FDA adverse event data describes correlation rather than causation, these figures are best used to frame informed questions with a veterinarian and to compare reporting patterns across related products — not as a standalone safety verdict on Tacrolimus.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports Data reflects voluntary submissions and may not represent actual incidence rates

Related

Data sourced from official AKC, AVMA, ACVO, and breed-club veterinary references. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBreed Editorial