Ferret: adverse event reports for animal drugs
Species
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 FDAFrom January 1993 to May 2026, FDA received 375 adverse event reports about ferrets for animal drugs. That is under 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 15 reports about ferrets. The signs that appear in the largest number of the 375 reports are "Lack of efficacy - NOS" and "Death". A report is not proof that a drug caused a sign.
Since the last update of the FDA data
The site recorded an update of the FDA data on . No drug page with reports about ferrets has a different count. Open the update
Drug pages with reports about ferrets
The table has every drug page with 20 or more reports about ferrets, in order of name. No count decides which drug is in the table. The table has 2 drug pages.
| Active ingredients | Reports about ferrets |
|---|---|
| Deslorelin Acetate | 90 |
| Selamectin | 36 |
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.
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.
Commonly used products may have a higher number of reported adverse events due to the higher total number of animals being given the product.
FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Source: Adverse Event Reports for Animal Drugs and Devices
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 375 reports about ferrets that list the sign.
The sign that is in the largest number of the reports comes first.
- Lack of efficacy - NOS[the product did not have the expected effect]37.9%142 reports
- Death9.6%36 reports
- Anorexia[not eating]5.9%22 reports
- Lethargy[unusually tired or inactive]5.9%22 reports
- Diarrhoea[diarrhea]5.6%21 reports
- Depression[dull, quiet or withdrawn]5.1%19 reports
- Lack of efficacy[the product did not have the expected effect]4.3%16 reports
- Vomiting3.7%14 reports
- Ataxia[unsteady, uncoordinated movement]3.5%13 reports
- Weight loss3.2%12 reports
- Death by euthanasia[the animal was euthanized]2.7%10 reports
- Implant site reaction NOS[NOS: not otherwise specified]2.7%10 reports
- Hypoglycaemia[low blood sugar]2.4%9 reports
- Lack of hair regrowth2.1%8 reports
Show the next 16 signs
- Seizure NOS[seizure, type not specified]2.1%8 reports
- Aggression1.9%7 reports
- Weakness1.9%7 reports
- Hair loss NOS[NOS: not otherwise specified]1.6%6 reports
- Implant site swelling1.6%6 reports
- Pale mucous membrane[pale gums]1.6%6 reports
- Pruritus[itching]1.6%6 reports
- Accidental exposure[exposure that was not intended]1.3%5 reports
- Anaemia NOS[low red blood cell count]1.3%5 reports
- Behavioural disorder NOS[behaviour change, type not specified]1.3%5 reports
- Generalised itching1.3%5 reports
- Hyperactivity1.3%5 reports
- Hypersalivation[drooling]1.3%5 reports
- Hypothermia[low body temperature]1.3%5 reports
- Implant site abscess1.3%5 reports
- Implant site bruising1.3%5 reports
Reports by month and by year
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.
| Year | Reports |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2024 | 17 |
| 2023 | 24 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2021 | 28 |
| 2020 | 20 |
| 2019 | 19 |
| 2018 | 29 |
| 2017 | 20 |
| 2016 | 21 |
| 2015 | 33 |
| 2014 | 29 |
| 2013 | 23 |
| 2012 | 7 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2009 | 9 |
| 2008 | 8 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2006 | 7 |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2003 | 5 |
| 2002 | 4 |
| 2001 | 2 |
| 2000 | 3 |
| 1999 | 3 |
| 1996 | 2 |
| 1994 | 1 |
| 1993 | 1 |
What the reports record
Age of the animal
- Under 1 year8.3%31
- 1 to 3 years19.7%74
- 4 to 7 years50.7%190
- 8 to 11 years1.6%6
- 12 years and over0.3%1
- Age not given19.5%73
Weight of the animal
- Under 5 kg (11 lb)73.3%275
- 5 to 9.9 kg (11 to 22 lb)0%0
- 10 to 24.9 kg (22 to 55 lb)0%0
- 25 to 44.9 kg (55 to 99 lb)0%0
- 45 kg and over (99 lb and over)0%0
- Weight not given26.7%100
Outcome at the time of the report
- Reports about ferrets
- All reports
- Recovered/Normal14.4%54, All reports: 20.7%
- Recovered with Sequela[recovered, with a lasting effect]0.3%1, All reports: 2.3%
- Ongoing4%15, All reports: 17.4%
- Died10.1%38, All reports: 4.9%
- Euthanized4.3%16, All reports: 1.5%
- Outcome Unknown53.6%201, 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 375 reports about ferrets.
Kind of report
- Reports about ferrets
- All reports
- Safety issue55.7%209, All reports: 64.5%
- Lack of expected effectiveness31.7%119, All reports: 18.9%
- Both safety and lack of expected effectiveness11.5%43, All reports: 4.3%
- Manufacturing or product defect0.8%3, All reports: 12.2%
- Other0.3%1, All reports: 0.1%
Each share of age, weight and kind is of the 375 reports about ferrets. The thin bar is the same share in all 1,378,761 reports.
Ingredients, all combinations
The list has every active ingredient with 20 or more reports about ferrets, in order of name. It has 4 ingredients.
Breeds with a page
A breed has a page when 100 or more reports give that one breed. Reports about crossbred animals are in the species count only.
Cite this page
Pet Drug Reports. Ferret: adverse event reports for animal drugs. https://petdrugreports.com/species/ferret/ Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, openFDA Animal and Veterinary adverse event reports, export of . Reports received through .
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 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
- What ages are the ferrets in the reports?
The figures are shares of the 375 reports about ferrets received from January 1993 to May 2026. 50.7% give an age of 4 to 7 years. 19.7% give an age of 1 to 3 years. 19.5% give no age.
- How does the count of the latest 12 months compare with the 12 months before?
FDA received 15 reports in the 12 months to June 2026. It received 16 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 375 reports received from January 1993 to May 2026, 55.7% are about a safety issue only. 43.2% are about a lack of expected effectiveness, alone or with a safety issue. 0.8% are about a defect of the product or its package.
- Do more reports for ferrets show a higher risk for ferrets?
No. FDA states 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.
Commonly used products may have a higher number of reported adverse events due to the higher total number of animals being given the product.
FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Source: Adverse Event Reports for Animal Drugs and Devices