Pet Drug Reports

Butorphanol Tartrate (Torbutrol, Torbugesic)adverse event reports that FDA received

Active ingredient

Also sold as: Torbutrol, Torbugesic, Torbugesic-SA, Dolorex, Torphadine, Butorphic.

The openFDA records give the value "MSK" for the brand name and for the manufacturer name of each drug. FDA says that MSK means "masked". So the site cannot count a report for a brand.

Read this first. FDA says this about the data:

An API dataset query result cannot be used to estimate the risk associated with the product or compare one drug or device product with another. When looking at the results, be aware that there is no certainty that the reported drug or device caused the adverse event. This dataset should not be the sole source of information for clinical decision-making or other assumptions about the safety or effectiveness of a product. The adverse event may have been related to an underlying disease, other drugs used at the same time or other non-drug related sources.

FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine publishes these words. Source: Adverse Event Reports for Animal Drugs and Devices, read on . The data have the reports that FDA received through .

This page is not veterinary advice. For an animal that is ill, speak to a veterinarian.

Contacting a veterinarianHow to report to FDA

From May 1987 to June 2026, FDA received 7,724 adverse event reports that name a drug with butorphanol tartrate as its active ingredient. Of the 7,724 reports, 4,468 (57.8%) are about dogs. 2,248 reports are about cats (29.1%).

In January to March 2026, FDA received 198 reports that name this drug. The signs that appear in the largest number of the 7,724 reports are "Death", "Lethargy" and "Lack of efficacy - NOS". A report is not proof that a drug caused a sign.

Reports that name this drug fell by 24.5% in the 12 months to June 2026, compared with the 12 months before. Reports for all animal drugs fell by 4.6% in the same periods. The newest months can get more reports in a later update. Reports about cats are 29.1% of the reports that name this drug, and 11% of all reports.

Since the last update of the FDA data

The site recorded an update of the FDA data on . FDA changed these counts for January to March 2026:

  • All species: from 167 to 198.
  • Dog: from 95 to 111.
  • Cat: from 63 to 75.

January to March 2026 is the latest closed quarter in the data. In that quarter FDA received 198 reports that name butorphanol tartrate: 111 dog, 75 cat, 8 horse, 4 other or not given.

All updatesFeed of updates (RSS)

Signs that the reports list

A sign is a coded term from the report. The words in brackets are a plain gloss of the term. The percentage is the share of the 7,724 reports that list the sign. One report can list more than one sign.

The sign that is in the largest number of the reports comes first.

  1. Death11.5%889 reports
  2. Lethargy[unusually tired or inactive]10.5%812 reports
  3. Lack of efficacy - NOS[the product did not have the expected effect]9.5%737 reports
  4. Vomiting8.9%685 reports
  5. Anorexia[not eating]6.2%480 reports
  6. Diarrhoea[diarrhea]5.9%453 reports
  7. Bradycardia[slow heart rate]5.7%441 reports
  8. Death by euthanasia[the animal was euthanized]5.2%401 reports
  9. Cardiac arrest5%389 reports
  10. Not eating4.8%367 reports
  11. Fever4.3%329 reports
  12. Seizure NOS[seizure, type not specified]4.2%326 reports
  13. Behavioural disorder NOS[behaviour change, type not specified]4%307 reports
  14. Ataxia[unsteady, uncoordinated movement]3.7%285 reports
Show the next 16 signs
  1. Injection site swelling[swelling where the injection was given]3.6%280 reports
  2. Tachycardia[fast heart rate]3.5%274 reports
  3. Ineffective, sedation[legacy FDA term: the product did not have the expected effect (sedation)]3.4%263 reports
  4. Vocalisation[crying out or unusual noise]3.4%259 reports
  5. Other abnormal test result NOS[abnormal laboratory result, type not specified]3.3%255 reports
  6. Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT)[a liver enzyme above the normal range]3.2%247 reports
  7. Decreased appetite3.2%244 reports
  8. Panting3.1%243 reports
  9. Pain NOS[NOS: not otherwise specified]2.9%221 reports
  10. Sedation prolonged2.8%217 reports
  11. Hypersalivation[drooling]2.8%216 reports
  12. Apnoea[breathing stopped]2.8%215 reports
  13. Weight loss2.8%213 reports
  14. Pale mucous membrane[pale gums]2.7%211 reports
  15. Recovery prolonged2.7%208 reports
  16. Abnormal radiograph finding2.7%205 reports

The list shows 30 of 1,719 coded signs. A report is not proof that a drug caused a sign. Download all signs (CSV)

Reports by species

The share is of all 7,724 reports that name butorphanol tartrate. The other reports give a different species or no species.

Reports for each month, Jul 2021 to Jun 2026

Dog2,112 reports. Largest count in one month: 69 (Dec 2024)
Cat1,026 reports. Largest count in one month: 37 (Nov 2022)
Horse128 reports. Largest count in one month: 9 (Jul 2025)
Other or not given93 reports. Largest count in one month: 6 (Feb 2025)

The month is the month in which FDA received the report. Each chart has its own scale. FDA says that a report can take 3 to 6 months to reach the public data. The newest months can get more reports in a later update.

Reports by year

  • Dog
  • Cat
  • Horse
  • Other or not given
Reports that name butorphanol tartrate, by the year in which FDA received them and by species
YearDogCatHorseOther or not givenAll species
2026208101207336
20255242483726835
20245222343017803
20234402351317705
20223071651813503
20212411091529394
2020224772627354
20192331181336400
2018222771630345
2017205105644360
20161971251116349
2015135681216231
201414243819212
201320188827324
201213760413214
20117331712123
20106462317146
2009372721581
2008261561764
2007261391563
2006202221761
2005291953386
20043836358135
20032344351121
2002353123098
2001242163586
2000171911653
199916912046
19982771742
1997171241346
19961176327
199519111132
199463009
1993534012
199252018
199130104
199051118
198940105
198800101
198700202

2026 has the reports that FDA received through Jun 2026. Download the years (CSV)

What the reports record

Outcome at the time of the report

  • Recovered/Normal31.6%2,440
  • Recovered with Sequela[recovered, with a lasting effect]0.3%25
  • Ongoing20.6%1,593
  • Died13.2%1,017
  • Euthanized5%383
  • Outcome Unknown12.3%951

An outcome in a report is not proof that the drug caused it. The person who sends the report gives the outcome. Each share is of the 7,724 reports that name butorphanol tartrate.

A report about more than one animal can have more than one outcome.

Kind of report

  • Safety issue76.9%5,938
  • Lack of expected effectiveness4.4%336
  • Both safety and lack of expected effectiveness9.9%768
  • Manufacturing or product defect8.7%675
  • Other0.1%7

6,037 reports say if the event was serious. 61% of them have the serious flag. The person who sends the report sets the flag.

Show age, weight, breed and route

Age of the animal

  • Under 1 year13.4%1,035
  • 1 to 3 years17.1%1,323
  • 4 to 7 years20.8%1,606
  • 8 to 11 years18%1,391
  • 12 years and over10.7%829
  • Age not given19.9%1,540

Weight of the animal

  • Under 5 kg (11 lb)23.3%1,800
  • 5 to 9.9 kg (11 to 22 lb)16.5%1,278
  • 10 to 24.9 kg (22 to 55 lb)14.4%1,109
  • 25 to 44.9 kg (55 to 99 lb)18.9%1,460
  • 45 kg and over (99 lb and over)5.9%459
  • Weight not given20.9%1,618

Breed, where the report gives one breed

A breed with many animals has many reports.

Route in the report

  • Intramuscular28.4%2,191
  • Intravenous15.5%1,194
  • Subcutaneous5.7%444
  • Oral3.1%242
  • Parenteral3.1%237
  • Other0.3%23

Each bar is on a scale of 0 to 100%.

Approved animal drugs with this active ingredient (FDA Green Book)

This section is reference data. It has no report count.

The openFDA records give the value "MSK" for the brand name and for the manufacturer name of each drug. FDA says that MSK means "masked". So the site cannot count a report for a brand.

Brand names

  • Torbutrol
  • Torbugesic
  • Torbugesic-SA
  • Dolorex
  • Torphadine
  • Butorphic

What the Green Book records give

Applications with an approval in force
7
Approved species
Equids, Dogs, Cats, Horses
Dose forms
Liquid (Solution), Tablet
Routes
Intravenous, Subcutaneous, Oral
Sale
RX (prescription)
Earliest approval date in the records

The species, dose forms and routes are the words of the Green Book records for all the applications together. One product can have fewer. The label of a product gives its approved use.

Applications in the Green Book of 2 Nov 2026, pioneer applications (NADA) first
Brand nameActive ingredientsSponsorApproved speciesApplication
Torbutrol InjectionButorphanol TartrateZoetis Inc.DogsNADA 102-990
Torbutrol TabletsButorphanol TartrateZoetis Inc.DogsNADA 103-390
TorbugesicButorphanol TartrateZoetis Inc.HorsesNADA 135-780
Torbugesic-SAButorphanol TartrateZoetis Inc.CatsNADA 141-047
DolorexButorphanol TartrateIntervet, Inc.HorsesANADA 200-239
TorphadineButorphanol TartrateDechra Veterinary Products LLCHorsesANADA 200-322
Butorphic InjectionButorphanol TartrateCronus Pharma Specialities India Private Ltd.HorsesANADA 200-332
Butorphanol Tartrate Injectionapproval withdrawnButorphanol TartrateDechra Veterinary Products LLCCatsANADA 200-408
Butorphineapproval withdrawnButorphanol TartrateModern Veterinary Therapeutics, LLCCatsANADA 200-446

Other pages with this ingredient

A report names a drug by its set of active ingredients. Each set has its own page. The list is in order of name.

Next in the A to Z list

All drugs by active ingredient. Brand names A to Z

FDA pages for this drug

The site checked these addresses on . The links open in a new tab.

Cite this page

Pet Drug Reports. Butorphanol Tartrate: adverse event reports that FDA received. https://petdrugreports.com/drug/butorphanol-tartrate/ Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, openFDA Animal and Veterinary adverse event reports, export of . Reports received through .

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Where the data come from

The counts come from the openFDA Animal and Veterinary adverse event files, export of 30 Oct 2026. The files have the reports that the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine received through 26 Jun 2026. The files mask brand and manufacturer names. The site counts a drug by the active ingredients that each record gives, and gives no count to a brand, an application or a company. Ingredient names and the lists of approved products follow the FDA Green Book of 2 Nov 2026. The site does not use the application number that a record has.

The site does not publish report text, lot numbers or details of a reporter. FDA's record is the authority. See how the site counts reports, the data sources and the corrections page.

Questions about these reports

Which brand are these reports about?

The openFDA records give the value "MSK" for the brand name and for the manufacturer name of each drug. FDA says that MSK means "masked". So the site cannot count a report for a brand. The Green Book section of this page lists the brand names with this active ingredient.

Do the reports show that the drug caused the signs?

No. FDA states this about the data.

When looking at the results, be aware that there is no certainty that the reported drug or device caused the adverse event.

The adverse event may have been related to an underlying disease, other drugs used at the same time or other non-drug related sources.

FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Source: Adverse Event Reports for Animal Drugs and Devices

How many reports did FDA receive in the latest 12 months?

FDA received 683 reports in the 12 months to June 2026. It received 905 reports in the 12 months before. FDA says that a report can take 3 to 6 months to reach the public data. The newest months can get more reports in a later update.

What kinds of report are in the count?

Of the 7,724 reports received from May 1987 to June 2026, 76.9% are about a safety issue only. 14.3% are about a lack of expected effectiveness, alone or with a safety issue. 8.7% are about a defect of the product or its package.