Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Xylazine

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

#319 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
466
adverse-event reports
31.5%
death-coded share
Horse
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Xylazine ranks #319 of 2679 by total reports (466) and #116 of 1130 by death-coded share (31.5%). 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)
#319
This drug, reports of 2679
#116
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. Xylazine has 466 reports now versus 460 in that prior snapshot: 6 more (1.3%).

Report change
+6
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.4 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 Xylazine changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 147 is the most distinctive stamp on Xylazine'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.
466
Total Reports
147
Deaths Reported
31.5%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Xylazine

Administration Routes

UnknownIntravenousIntramuscularParenteralIntraperitonealSubcutaneousOralOther

Species Affected

Horse 159
Dog 117
Cat 86
Unknown 36
Mouse 18
Cattle 16
Rat 7
Pig 6
Goat 5
Human 4

Most Affected Breeds

Unknown 92
Quarter Horse 48
Domestic Shorthair 43
Horse (unknown) 28
Cat (unknown) 27
Dog (unknown) 23
Retriever - Labrador 13
Shepherd Dog - German 9
Paint 9
Horse (other) 7

Most Reported Reactions

Death 94
Lack of efficacy - NOS 93
INEFFECTIVE, SEDATION 58
INEFFECTIVE, ANESTHESIA 36
Death by euthanasia 31
Seizure NOS 30
Ataxia 19
Color, Abnormal 19
Recovery prolonged 18
Anorexia 18
Behavioural disorder NOS 17
Vomiting 16

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
223 (50.7%)
Died
99 (22.5%)
Euthanized
49 (11.1%)
Outcome Unknown
43 (9.8%)
Ongoing
23 (5.2%)
Recovered with Sequela
3 (0.7%)

Xylazine: 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 Xylazine, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (466 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (31.5% here), distinct from the volume row.

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 Xylazine (#319 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 31.5%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 147 · 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 →