openFDA Animal & Veterinary — Free Pet Drug Adverse Event API (No Key)

TL;DR

openFDA's Animal & Veterinary endpoint provides access to adverse event reports for animal drugs — think flea treatments, heartworm preventatives, antibiotics, and vaccines for pets and livestock. Each report includes the animal species (dog, cat, horse, etc.), drug product, reaction description, and outcome. It's an essential resource for veterinarians, pet owners, and animal health researchers tracking medication safety.

Quick start: https://api.fda.gov/animalandveterinary/event.json

No API key needed — just make a request!

How to Use This API

1. Get All Veterinary Events (Latest)

https://api.fda.gov/animalandveterinary/event.json?limit=5

Returns recent adverse event reports with animal species, drug names, reactions, and outcomes sorted by received date.

2. Search by Animal Species — Dog

https://api.fda.gov/animalandveterinary/event.json?search=animal.species:dog&limit=10

Filter events by species: dog, cat, horse, cow, swine, chicken, etc.

3. Search by Drug Name

https://api.fda.gov/animalandveterinary/event.json?search=products.brand_name:Bravecto

Look up adverse events for a specific veterinary drug product.

4. JavaScript — Veterinary Drug Checker

async function checkVeterinaryDrug(brandName) {
  const resp = await fetch(
    `https://api.fda.gov/animalandveterinary/event.json` +
    `?search=products.brand_name:${encodeURIComponent(brandName)}&limit=20`
  );
  const data = await resp.json();
  if (!data.results) return { total: 0, events: [] };
  
  const speciesCount = {};
  data.results.forEach(r => {
    const species = r.animal?.species?.[0] || 'unknown';
    speciesCount[species] = (speciesCount[species] || 0) + 1;
  });
  
  return {
    total: data.meta.results.total,
    species: speciesCount,
    recent: data.results.slice(0, 3).map(r => ({
      species: r.animal?.species?.[0],
      reaction: r.reactions?.map(rec => rec.reaction)?.join(', '),
      outcome: r.serious
    }))
  };
}

checkVeterinaryDrug('Bravecto').then(console.log);

5. Python — Species Breakdown

import requests

def species_event_count(species='dog'):
    resp = requests.get(
        'https://api.fda.gov/animalandveterinary/event.json',
        params={
            'search': f'animal.species:{species}',
            'count': 'products.brand_name.exact'
        }
    )
    data = resp.json()
    print(f"Top drugs with adverse events in {species}s:")
    for item in data.get('results', [])[:10]:
        print(f"  {item['term']}: {item['count']} reports")

species_event_count('cat')

Try veterinary events: https://api.fda.gov/animalandveterinary/event.json

Try This URL Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What animal species are covered?: Primarily companion animals (dogs, cats, horses) and production animals (cattle, swine, poultry, fish). Reports cover the most common veterinary drug users.
How is this different from the main openFDA API?: This is a separate FDA dataset specifically for animal/veterinary products. Human drug adverse events are in the /drug/event.json endpoint under the main openFDA API.
What data fields are available per event?: Each event includes: animal species, breed, age, sex, weight, drug products (brand, generic, manufacturer), reactions, outcomes (death, recovered, recovered with sequelae), and report source.
Are pet food recalls included here?: No, pet food recalls fall under the /food/enforcement.json endpoint. This endpoint covers drugs and vaccines only.
How frequently is the data updated?: Veterinary adverse event data is updated on a regular schedule as the FDA processes reports from manufacturers and veterinarians.
Can I search by breed within a species?: Yes, the animal.breed field is available. Example: search=animal.species:dog+AND+animal.breet:golden+retriever.

API Details

API URL: https://api.fda.gov/animalandveterinary
Documentation: open.fda.gov/apis/animalandveterinary
Category: Health
Authentication: Not Required
Geographic Coverage: US — FDA-regulated animal drugs

What You Can Build

Pet medication safety checker for veterinarians and pet owners
Animal drug adverse event dashboard by species
Veterinary research tool for treatment outcome analysis
Pet owner education app showing reported side effects for common drugs
Comparative safety analysis across flea/tick prevention brands