Xylazine Hcl

Verify with FDA CVM →

121 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.
121
Total Reports
31
Deaths Reported
2560.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Xylazine Hcl

Administration Routes

IntravenousUnknownIntramuscularSubcutaneousIntra-ArterialIntraperitoneal

Species Affected

Horse 51
Dog 34
Cat 24
Rat 3
Rabbit 2
Pig 2
Other Birds 1
Mouse 1
Other Rodents 1
Cattle 1

Most Affected Breeds

Horse (unknown) 21
Quarter Horse 17
Domestic Shorthair 13
Thoroughbred 7
Retriever - Labrador 7
Dog (unknown) 5
Unknown 4
Boxer (German Boxer) 4
Cat (other) 4
Domestic Longhair 3

Most Reported Reactions

INEFFECTIVE, ANESTHESIA 19
Death 15
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 11
Death by euthanasia 10
Other abnormal test result NOS 9
Lack of efficacy - NOS 9
Tachycardia 9
Hypothermia 8
Seizure NOS 8
Behavioural disorder NOS 8
INEFFECTIVE, SEDATION 7
Anorexia 6

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
68 (54.4%)
Died
20 (16.0%)
Ongoing
16 (12.8%)
Euthanized
11 (8.8%)
Outcome Unknown
10 (8.0%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 121
Reports involving death 31
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2560.0%
Distinct species in reports 10
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.

Xylazine Hcl Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 121 adverse event reports referencing Xylazine Hcl, including 31 reports in which the animal died — a 2560.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Xylazine Hcl. Reported administration routes include Intravenous, Unknown, Intramuscular, Subcutaneous. 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 Xylazine Hcl reports are Horse (51 reports), Dog (34 reports), Cat (24 reports), with Horse accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Horse (unknown) (21), Quarter Horse (17), Domestic Shorthair (13) 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 Xylazine Hcl are INEFFECTIVE, ANESTHESIA (19), Death (15), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (11), Death by euthanasia (10). Of the 125 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 54.4%. 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 Xylazine Hcl.

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