Injection site abscess: in adverse event reports for animal drugs

Clinical sign, a VeDDRA term

In plain words: abscess where the injection was given.

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 2 Oct 2026. The data have the reports that FDA received through 26 Jun 2026.

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

Contacting a veterinarian How to report to FDA

From January 1987 to June 2026, FDA received 1,818 adverse event reports for animal drugs that list this sign. That is 0.1% of the 1,378,761 reports that FDA received from January 1987 to June 2026. In the 12 months to June 2026, FDA received 102 reports that list this sign.

Of the 1,818 reports, 60.5% are about dogs. A report can list more than one sign and more than one drug. A report is not proof that a drug caused a sign.

By number of reports in all years, this sign is number 294 of 1,149 clinical signs with a page. Reports that list this sign rose by 20.0% 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 cattle are 18.1% of the reports that list this sign, and 2.3% of all reports.

Search engines list a sign page with 3,000 reports or more in all years. The page also needs 300 reports or more in the 12 months to June 2026. This page is under one of these numbers. The site keeps the page and keeps it out of search engines.

Drug pages with reports that list this sign

The table has every drug page with 20 or more reports that list this sign, in order of name. No count decides which drug is in the table. The table has 33 drug pages.

Show the 33 drug pages

Drug pages with 20 or more reports that list this sign, in order of name
Active ingredients	Reports that list the sign
Amoxicillin Trihydrate + Clavulanate Potassium	24
Bedinvetmab	21
Buprenorphine	27
Butorphanol Tartrate	32
Carprofen	306
Cefovecin sodium	58
Ceftiofur Crystalline Free Acid	68
Desoxycorticosterone Pivalate	23
Dexamethasone	20
Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride	23
Dinoprost Tromethamine	33
Diphenhydramine	28
Doramectin	24
Enrofloxacin	51
Flunixin Meglumine	41
Gabapentin	45
Isoflurane	31
Ketamine Hydrochloride	23
Lufenuron	71
Maropitant	82
Melarsomine Dihydrochloride	209
Meloxicam	30
Methylprednisolone Acetate	27
Moxidectin	221
Oxytetracycline	21
Penicillin G Benzathine + Penicillin G Procaine	25
Penicillin G Procaine	22
Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan	36
Praziquantel	32
Prednisone	44
Propofol	28
Tigilanol tiglate	22
Vitamin E	21

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. A report can name more than one drug.

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.
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

Ingredients, all combinations

The list has every active ingredient with 20 or more reports that list this sign, in order of name. It has 37 ingredients.

Show the 37 ingredients

Reports by species

Dog60.5%1,100
Cattle18.1%329
Horse10.3%188
Cat9%164
Other0.6%10
Pig0.6%10

The share is of the 1,818 reports that list this sign. The sign is in 0.1% of all reports about the species dog. The sign is in 1% of all reports about the species cattle.

Reports by month and by year

Reports for each month, Jul 2021 to Jun 2026. The month is the month in which FDA received the report.

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 that list Injection site abscess, by the year in which FDA received them
Year	Reports
2026	40
2025	105
2024	96
2023	65
2022	78
2021	72
2020	90
2019	88
2018	65
2017	69
2016	63
2015	56
2014	76
2013	51
2012	53
2011	44
2010	50
2009	45
2008	44
2007	44
2006	37
2005	40
2004	63
2003	40
2002	43
2001	33
2000	32
1999	47
1998	47
1997	27
1996	26
1995	43
1994	13
1993	4
1992	9
1991	4
1990	4
1989	3
1988	7
1987	2

What these reports record

Outcome at the time of the report

Reports with this sign
All reports

Recovered/Normal13.4%243, All reports: 20.7%
Recovered with Sequela[recovered, with a lasting effect]0.5%9, All reports: 2.3%
Ongoing29.9%543, All reports: 17.4%
Died4.9%89, All reports: 4.9%
Euthanized1.3%24, All reports: 1.5%
Outcome Unknown13%236, All reports: 22.7%

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 1,818 reports that list this sign.

Age of the animal

Reports with this sign
All reports

Under 1 year12.3%224, All reports: 9.5%
1 to 3 years21%382, All reports: 23.9%
4 to 7 years23.6%429, All reports: 20.2%
8 to 11 years15.1%274, All reports: 15.4%
12 years and over8.9%162, All reports: 10.7%
Age not given19.1%347, All reports: 20.3%

The outcome is for the full report, not for this sign only.

Next in the A to Z list of signs

Ineffective, worms NOS[legacy FDA term: the product did not have the expected effect (worms nos)]
Infectious disease NOS[NOS: not otherwise specified]
Infertility NOS[NOS: not otherwise specified]
Injected sclera
Injection site alopecia[hair loss where the injection was given]
Injection site bleeding[bleeding where the injection was given]
Injection site bruising[bruising where the injection was given]
Injection site complication NOS[complication nos where the injection was given]

All clinical signs

Cite this page

Pet Drug Reports. Injection site abscess: adverse event reports for animal drugs. https://petdrugreports.com/reaction/injection-site-abscess/ Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, openFDA Animal and Veterinary adverse event reports, export of 30 Oct 2026. Reports received through 26 Jun 2026.

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 counts the different spellings of one VeDDRA term together.

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 this sign

What does this term mean in a report?: In plain words: abscess where the injection was given. It is a term from VeDDRA, the list of terms that FDA and drug companies use to code a report. The person who coded the report selected the term.
How does the count of the latest 12 months compare with the 12 months before?: FDA received 102 reports in the 12 months to June 2026. It received 85 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.
How many of these reports have a serious flag?: Of the 1,049 reports that say if the event was serious, 58.7% have the serious flag. The person who sends a report sets the flag.
Does a drug in the table cause this sign?: The reports do not show that. A report can name more than one drug. 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