Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Tobramycin

168 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Tobramycin. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

168
adverse-event reports
18.5%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species
39
Corneal ulcer - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
168
Total Reports
31
Deaths Reported
18.5%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Tobramycin

Administration Routes

OphthalmicUnknownTopicalIntraocularOtherSubcutaneous

Species Affected

Dog 109
Cat 56
Rabbit 1
Unknown 1
Monkey 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 38
Retriever - Labrador 11
Shih Tzu 10
Chihuahua 10
Domestic Longhair 6
Domestic Mediumhair 6
Boxer (German Boxer) 4
Bulldog 4
Retriever - Golden 4
Maltese 4

Most Reported Reactions

Corneal ulcer 39
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 35
Ocular discharge 28
Anorexia 27
Other abnormal test result NOS 27
Corneal disorder NOS 25
Neutrophilia 21
Death by euthanasia 20
Vomiting 20
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca 18
Lack of efficacy - NOS 16
Blepharospasm 16

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
67 (40.1%)
Outcome Unknown
34 (20.4%)
Recovered/Normal
29 (17.4%)
Euthanized
21 (12.6%)
Died
10 (6.0%)
Recovered with Sequela
6 (3.6%)

Tobramycin Adverse Event Insights

168 reports name Tobramycin; 31 recorded a death outcome (18.5% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Tobramycin. Administration routes: Ophthalmic, Unknown, Topical, Intraocular.

By species: Dog (109 reports), Cat (56 reports), Rabbit (1 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (38), Retriever - Labrador (11), Shih Tzu (10).

Leading clinical signs: Corneal ulcer (39), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (35), Ocular discharge (28), Anorexia (27). Outcome, 167 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 40.1%.

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.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.