Terbinafine

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82 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.
82
Total Reports
7
Deaths Reported
850.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Terbinafine

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTopical

Species Affected

Dog 68
Cat 14

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 9
Shih Tzu 7
Crossbred Canine/dog 5
Retriever - Labrador 5
Shepherd Dog - German 4
Retriever - Golden 4
Pit Bull 4
Dog (unknown) 4
Terrier - Yorkshire 4
Cattle Dog - Australian (blue heeler, red heeler, Queensland cattledog) 3

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 15
Lack of efficacy - NOS 12
Diarrhoea 9
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 8
Other abnormal test result NOS 8
Not eating 8
Fungal skin infection NOS 8
Weight loss 7
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 7
Pruritus 6
Bacterial skin infection NOS 6
Anorexia 5

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
28 (34.1%)
Outcome Unknown
25 (30.5%)
Recovered/Normal
20 (24.4%)
Euthanized
6 (7.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
2 (2.4%)
Died
1 (1.2%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 82
Reports involving death 7
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 850.0%
Distinct species in reports 2
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.

Terbinafine Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 82 adverse event reports referencing Terbinafine, including 7 reports in which the animal died — a 850.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Terbinafine. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Topical. 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 Terbinafine reports are Dog (68 reports), Cat (14 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (9), Shih Tzu (7), Crossbred Canine/dog (5) 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 Terbinafine are Vomiting (15), Lack of efficacy - NOS (12), Diarrhoea (9), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (8). Of the 82 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 34.1%. 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 Terbinafine.

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