Veterinary Medicines
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Transportation & Substances · CPSC Code 1914
Down 17% over 5 years
The verdict
Veterinary Medicines carry a danger score of 31/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 255 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 17% over the last five years.
- 31/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 255
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 9.0%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1914 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for veterinary medicines - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume255 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)9.0%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-17%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Veterinary Medicines (CPSC product code 1914, in the Transportation & Substances category) generate an estimated 255 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 5,096 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 31/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 17% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2005 (556 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2018 (30 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for veterinary medicines is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 4,907 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burn, chemical to the eyeball (191 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 5,097 cases over the NEISS window, and females appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 9.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how veterinary medicines fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 2,544 | 2,553 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Eyeball | Burn, Chemical |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
2YOM P/W POSSIBLE INGESTION AT HOME, MOM CAME HOME FATHER WAS SLEEPING, MOM FOUND WHITE PASTE AROUND PT'S LIPS, MOM FOUND BOTTLE OF VETERINARY TRAZODONE 100MG TABS, MIXED W/ FATHER'S COLOGNE IN CUP, UNK AMOUNT OF PILLS PREVIOUSLY IN CONTAINER, AS PER MOM PT IS ACTING SLEEPLY, DX:INGESTION OF UNK MEDICATION
2 YOF MOTHER FOUND WITH SYRINGE OF MED FOR CAT 0.6MG BUPRENORPHINE DX INGESTION SUBSTANCE, PT LEFT AMA
2YOF GOT INTO AN OPEN BOTTLE OF THE DOG'S MEDICATION CARPROFEN 100 MILLIGRAMS UNKNOWN HOW MANY WERE TAKEN DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
12MOF INGESTED THE DOG'S MEDICATION OF PIMOBENDAN 1.25 MILLIGRAMS DX: INGESTION OF A SUBSTANCE
19MOM BROUGHT IN BY MOTHER AND AU PAIR FOR CONCERNS OF FUSSINESS AFTER POTENTIAL INGESTION OF FENBENDAZOLE. MOTHER REPORTS THAT SHE LEFT A TUBE OF THE MEDICINES AND HE PICKED IT UP AND LICKED/ATE THE SMALL AMOUNT OF MEDICINE REMAINING. POTENTIAL TIME OF INGESTION WAS 730 THIS MORNING. DX: ACCIDENTAL INGESTION
2YOF PT'S MOM FOUND PT WITH OPEN BOTTLE OF CAT MEDICATION WITH 1 TABLET RIPPED OPEN AND POWDER ON THE FLOOR DX: INGESTION OF SUBSTANCE #
19MOF CHILD WAS FOUND WITH A OPEN BOTTLE OF PET MEDICATION CARPROFEN, UNKNOWN IF CHILD INGESTED DX: DRUG INGESTION, ACCIDENTAL OR UNINTENTIONAL
16 MOF presents after an accidental ingestion of 25 mg *** that was meant for the dog. Pt is staying with her grandmother while her parents are moving into a new house for several days. The pill was in the bowl for dog food and dog ate the food but left the pillDX: Accidental ingestion of substance
17 MOM PRESENTS WITH POSSIBLE ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION S/P FATHER FOUND PATIENT WITH GABAPENTIN AND TRAZODONE TABLETS IN HIS HANDS AT HOME THAT WERE ON THE FLOOR AND ARE THEIR DOG'S MEDICATIONS. DX: ACCIDENTAL DRUG INGESTION
17MOM ACCIDENTALLY ATE THE DOGS DILTIAZEM DX: INGESTION OF A SUBSTANCE
2 YOF INGESTED AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF DOGS THYROID MEDS ON MONDAY DX ACCIDENTAL INGESTION
2YOM was w/ his grandmother and he ingested x1 capsule of *** flea protection for dogs this afternoon at home. Mom is certain it was only x1 capsule because there were x5 left in the bottle, previously x6. DX: Accidental ingestion
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to veterinary medicines on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are veterinary medicines?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, veterinary medicines have a danger score of 31/100 (low risk). An estimated 255 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from veterinary medicines?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 4,907 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from veterinary medicines increasing or decreasing?
Down 17% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for veterinary medicines injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 5,097 cases recorded over 20 years. Females are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by veterinary medicines?
Of all ER visits involving veterinary medicines, approximately 9.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (91.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with veterinary medicines?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Transportation & Substances
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 31/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 0-4 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
