March 1997: adverse event reports received

483 reports in the openFDA release of 28 Sep 2026

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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

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483reports received

192same month a year earlier+152%

263monthly average, preceding 12 months

69.6%concern dogscats 5%

FDA's database holds 483 adverse event reports received in March 1997, against 192 in the same month a year earlier and a monthly average of 263 over the preceding 12 months.

69.6% of the month's reports concern dogs, 5% cats and 2.1% horses; the rest concern other species, exposed people, or give no species.

By active ingredient, the drugs named most often were medetomidine (209), carprofen (32) and atipamezole hydrochloride (29), and the terms listed most often were ineffective, sedation (170), death (58) and vomiting (28). Report volume has a seasonal shape, with more reports in the warmer months when parasite products are in heavier use.

The months around it

Drugs named most often, by active ingredient

Active ingredients recorded for the drug	Reports	Share of the month's reports
Medetomidine	209	43.3%
Carprofen	32	6.6%
Atipamezole Hydrochloride	29	6%
Tiletamine Hydrochloride + Zolazepam Hydrochloride	19	3.9%
Ivermectin	11	2.3%
Oxytetracycline	11	2.3%
Dichlorophene + Toluene	10	2.1%
Fenthion	10	2.1%
Penicillin G Procaine	9	1.9%
Tilmicosin Phosphate	8	1.7%
Butorphanol Tartrate	6	1.2%
Ketamine Hydrochloride	5	1%
Melarsomine Dihydrochloride	5	1%
Praziquantel	5	1%
Albendazole	4	0.8%

Ordered by report count, which follows how widely each drug was in use. FDA states that these data cannot be used to estimate risk or to compare one product with another. Brand and manufacturer names are masked by FDA in these records.

Signs listed most often

Ineffective, sedation[legacy FDA term: the product did not have the expected effect (sedation)]35.2%170
Death12%58
Vomiting5.8%28
Depression[dull, quiet or withdrawn]3.7%18
Ineffective, antidote[legacy FDA term: the product did not have the expected effect (antidote)]3.7%18
Anorexia[not eating]3.3%16
Accidental exposure[exposure that was not intended]2.9%14
Unclassifiable adverse event[event that fits no dictionary term]2.5%12
Bradycardia[slow heart rate]2.3%11
Convulsion[seizure]2.3%11
Anaphylaxis[sudden severe allergic-type reaction]2.1%10
Ataxia[unsteady, uncoordinated movement]2.1%10
No sign[no clinical sign was reported]2.1%10
Abdominal pain1.7%8
Diarrhoea[diarrhea]1.7%8

Single ingredients, pooled

Medetomidine43.3%209

Carprofen6.6%32

Atipamezole Hydrochloride6%29

Tiletamine Hydrochloride3.9%19

Zolazepam Hydrochloride3.9%19

Ivermectin2.7%13

Penicillin G Procaine2.7%13

Oxytetracycline2.3%11

Dichlorophene2.1%10

Fenthion2.1%10

Toluene2.1%10

Tilmicosin Phosphate1.7%8

Species

Dog69.6%336

Cat5%24

Horse2.1%10

Other or not given23.4%113

Questions about March 1997

How many animal drug adverse event reports did FDA receive in March 1997?

483 reports are in the openFDA release of 28 Sep 2026. The same month a year earlier has 192.

Which drugs were named most often?

By active ingredient: medetomidine (209), carprofen (32), atipamezole hydrochloride (29), tiletamine hydrochloride + zolazepam hydrochloride (19) and ivermectin (11). Brands are masked in the public data.

Which signs were listed most often?

ineffective, sedation (170), death (58), vomiting (28), depression (18) and ineffective, antidote (18).

Can the count for a month still change?

Yes. FDA posts reports quarterly with a delay of three to six months, so the newest months are incomplete and usually grow in later releases. Older months change little.

Does a busy month mean something went wrong that month?

Not by itself. The date is when FDA received the report, not when the event happened, and volume follows season, product launches and publicity. FDA states that "there is no certainty that the reported drug or device caused the adverse event" and that the event "may have been related to an underlying disease, other drugs used at the same time or other non-drug related sources."

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Animal & Veterinary adverse event bulk files released 28 Sep 2026, which hold reports FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine received through 31 Mar 2026. openFDA masks brand and manufacturer names in these files, so drugs are counted by the active ingredients each record discloses and no figure is attributed to a brand, application or company. Ingredient names, and the separate reference lists of approved products, follow the FDA Green Book as of 1 Oct 2026. The month is the date FDA first received the report, not the date of the event. No report text, lot numbers or reporter details are published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.