Highest Death Rate Breeds

According to the U.S. FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine's voluntary adverse-event reporting program (openFDA Animal & Veterinary), more than 1,041,000 animal-drug adverse event reports were submitted across 506 breeds in the 2025 data release. PlainBreed ranks breeds by the proportion of reports ending in reported fatality (minimum 50 reports to qualify). See our methodology for refresh cadence and FDA CVM submission process.

Context: Death rate reflects the percentage of adverse event reports where the outcome was death. This does not mean the drug caused the death, nor does it represent the overall mortality rate for the breed. Minimum 50 reports required for statistical reliability.
# Breed Species Death Rate Deaths Reports Avg Age
1 Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Fish 9900.0% 96 97 0.7 yr
2 Turkey (unknown) Turkey 7120.0% 171 240 0.1 yr
3 Chicken (other) Chicken 6950.0% 91 131 0.2 yr
4 Boer Goat 6130.0% 38 62 1.5 yr
5 Chicken (unknown) Chicken 5800.0% 244 421 0.2 yr
6 Pig (unknown) Pig 5160.0% 248 481 0.7 yr
7 Red Angus Cattle 5150.0% 52 101 1.0 yr
8 Sheep (unknown) Sheep 5120.0% 130 254 0.9 yr
9 Crossbred Bovine/Cattle Cattle 4970.0% 674 1,357 1.1 yr
10 Cattle (other) Cattle 4880.0% 1,462 2,996 1.2 yr
11 Mixed (Cattle) Cattle 4740.0% 1,224 2,581 1.1 yr
12 Crossbred Porcine/Pig Pig 4400.0% 162 368 0.3 yr
13 Brangus Cattle 4310.0% 28 65 1.9 yr
14 Cattle (unspecified) Cattle 4060.0% 41 101 1.3 yr
15 Simmental Cattle 3980.0% 37 93 1.4 yr
16 Holstein-Friesian also known as Holstein Cattle 3890.0% 1,207 3,106 1.7 yr
17 Cattle (unknown) Cattle 3850.0% 934 2,424 1.2 yr
18 Jersey Cattle 3780.0% 123 325 1.7 yr
19 Rabbit (other) Rabbit 3730.0% 19 51 3.5 yr
20 Charolais Cattle 3700.0% 47 127 1.6 yr
21 Goat (unknown) Goat 3650.0% 80 219 1.2 yr
22 Aberdeen Angus Cattle 3480.0% 561 1,610 1.3 yr
23 Rabbit (unknown) Rabbit 3120.0% 44 141 3.6 yr
24 Hereford cattle Cattle 3100.0% 45 145 1.3 yr
25 Saddlebred - American Horse 1610.0% 15 93 14.7 yr
26 Miniature Horse 1570.0% 25 159 11.9 yr
27 Mixed (Horse) Horse 1550.0% 16 103 6.3 yr
28 Sphynx Cat 1480.0% 25 169 4.8 yr
29 Standardbred (unspecified) Horse 1380.0% 19 138 8.9 yr
30 Paint Horse 1360.0% 51 375 14.2 yr
31 Domestic (unspecified) Cat 1340.0% 1,012 7,559 6.5 yr
32 Rex - Devon Cat 1330.0% 11 83 7.4 yr
33 Tonkinese Cat 1270.0% 14 110 9.6 yr
34 Pony (unspecified) Horse 1240.0% 18 145 18.5 yr
35 Tennessee Walking Horse Horse 1230.0% 22 179 15.0 yr
36 Percheron Horse 1200.0% 6 50 15.4 yr
37 European Cat 1200.0% 6 50 5.3 yr
38 Mastiff (unspecified) Dog 1180.0% 52 441 5.5 yr
39 Quarter Horse Horse 1140.0% 273 2,403 12.7 yr
40 Manx Cat 1140.0% 31 273 7.2 yr
41 Collie - Smooth-haired Dog 1120.0% 17 152 6.5 yr
42 Burmese Cat 1100.0% 17 155 8.8 yr
43 Himalayan Cat 1080.0% 67 621 8.6 yr
44 Mixed (Cat) Cat 1070.0% 30 280 4.9 yr
45 Morgan Horse 1050.0% 15 143 16.6 yr
46 Mustang Horse 1040.0% 7 67 13.1 yr
47 Horse (other) Horse 1030.0% 29 281 11.6 yr
48 Appaloosa Horse 1010.0% 16 159 16.0 yr
49 Horse (unknown) Horse 1000.0% 229 2,290 13.8 yr
50 Arab Horse 1000.0% 45 451 17.0 yr
51 Domestic ferret (Pet ferret) Ferret 990.0% 15 152 4.8 yr
52 Abyssinian cat Cat 980.0% 19 193 7.5 yr
53 Cat (other) Cat 970.0% 448 4,619 7.5 yr
54 Persian Cat 960.0% 112 1,162 7.2 yr
55 Cat (unknown) Cat 930.0% 1,163 12,555 6.8 yr
56 Scottish Fold Shorthair Cat 910.0% 5 55 5.2 yr
57 Ragdoll Cat 900.0% 88 982 6.6 yr
58 Sheepdog - Old English (Bobtail) Dog 900.0% 11 122 5.7 yr
59 Pointer - English Pointer Dog 890.0% 16 179 5.5 yr
60 Dog (unknown) Dog 870.0% 4,140 47,381 5.8 yr
61 Bulldog - English Dog 870.0% 79 913 6.0 yr
62 Hound - Afghan Dog 870.0% 11 126 5.8 yr
63 Bombay Cat 870.0% 9 104 7.5 yr
64 Siamese Cat 830.0% 244 2,946 7.4 yr
65 Thoroughbred Horse 820.0% 97 1,177 11.9 yr
66 Dachshund - Standard Smooth-haired Dog 820.0% 51 621 8.8 yr
67 Pointing Dog - Italian Wire-haired Dog 820.0% 5 61 4.6 yr
68 Rottweiler Dog 810.0% 521 6,412 4.5 yr
69 Terrier - Bedlington Dog 790.0% 5 63 7.0 yr
70 Saint Bernard Dog Dog 780.0% 98 1,253 4.4 yr
71 Friesian Horse 780.0% 4 51 12.1 yr
72 Domestic Mediumhair Cat 760.0% 460 6,057 6.7 yr
73 Shar Pei Dog 760.0% 95 1,258 5.5 yr
74 American Shorthair Cat 750.0% 31 411 7.1 yr
75 Mastiff - Neapolitan Dog 750.0% 5 67 3.6 yr
76 Maine Coon Cat 740.0% 170 2,283 7.1 yr
77 Snowshoe Cat 740.0% 8 108 7.6 yr
78 Hairless Dog - Mexican Dog 730.0% 4 55 5.2 yr
79 Domestic Shorthair Cat 720.0% 4,445 61,410 7.0 yr
80 Newfoundland Dog 720.0% 91 1,261 4.8 yr
81 Russian Cat 720.0% 42 585 7.7 yr
82 Irish Wolfhound Dog 720.0% 20 277 3.9 yr
83 Carolina Dog Dog 720.0% 5 69 5.7 yr
84 Warmblood (unspecified) Horse 710.0% 36 510 12.8 yr
85 Spaniel - American Water Dog 710.0% 4 56 5.7 yr
86 Cattle Dog - Flanders (Bouvier) Dog 700.0% 20 287 5.0 yr
87 Crossbred Equine/horse Horse 700.0% 13 185 14.3 yr
88 Terrier - Kerry Blue Dog 700.0% 5 71 6.1 yr
89 Domestic Longhair Cat 690.0% 630 9,078 7.5 yr
90 American Pit Bull Terrier Dog 690.0% 91 1,326 5.5 yr
91 Spitz - Dutch (Keeshond) Dog 690.0% 23 331 6.7 yr
92 Collie - Bearded Dog 690.0% 12 173 8.0 yr
93 Shepherd Dog - Belgian Tervueren Dog 670.0% 8 119 5.9 yr
94 Sheepdog - Shetland Dog 660.0% 271 4,080 6.8 yr
95 Chow Chow Dog 640.0% 130 2,029 7.4 yr
96 Crossbred Feline/cat Cat 640.0% 35 548 6.7 yr
97 Dogue de Bordeaux Dog 640.0% 9 141 3.9 yr
98 Mastiff Dog 620.0% 182 2,952 3.4 yr
99 Bullmastiff Dog 620.0% 33 529 3.8 yr
100 Deutsche Dogge, Great Dane Dog 600.0% 255 4,227 3.5 yr