Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Heartgard

371 FDA reports name Heartgard, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#365 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
371
adverse-event reports
5.4%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Heartgard ranks #365 of 2679 by total reports (371) and #768 of 1130 by death-coded share (5.4%). National dual: Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad is #1 of 2679 drugs by total adverse-event reports (149,624) at death-coded-share rank 965 of 1130 drugs with at least 50 reports (2.3%); separately, Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) is #1 highest death-coded share at 97.8% (report rank #821).

149,624
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad reports (#1)
97.8%
Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) death share (#1)
#365
This drug, reports of 2679
#768
This drug, death share of 1130

Report volume reflects how common a breed or drug is and how often owners and vets file — not actual risk. Death-coded share ranks are limited to entries with enough reports to be meaningful. The two maps do not agree at #1.

Release-over-release change

What changed in the latest FDA data snapshot

PlainBreed reconstructed the prior snapshot from dated openFDA partitions through 2025 Q4, then compared it with the 2026-07-27 openFDA export. Heartgard has 371 reports now versus 364 in that prior snapshot: 7 more (1.9%).

Report change
+7
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.1 pts

This compares reported-event counts in two source snapshots. It does not establish a change in real-world risk, product safety, or disease incidence.

Subscribe to Heartgard changes

Signature read: 371 reports place Heartgard in the upper third of FDA AER volume (#365 of 2,679).

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
371
Total Reports
20
Deaths Reported
5.4%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Heartgard

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTopicalSubcutaneous

Species Affected

Dog 371

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 53
Shepherd Dog - German 30
Crossbred Canine/dog 30
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 24
Retriever - Golden 19
Terrier (unspecified) 12
Boxer (German Boxer) 12
Chihuahua 9
Beagle 9
Shepherd Dog - Australian 7

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy (endoparasite) - heartworm 174
Vomiting 41
Seizure NOS 22
Diarrhoea 18
Weight loss 14
Panting 14
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 13
Death by euthanasia 13
Emesis (multiple) 13
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 13
Anorexia 12
Medication error NOS 11

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
268 (72.2%)
Recovered/Normal
48 (12.9%)
Outcome Unknown
34 (9.2%)
Euthanized
13 (3.5%)
Died
7 (1.9%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.3%)

Heartgard: low death-coded share in the FDA AER row

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, a widely-prescribed drug will rack up more raw FDA reports in a given year than a rarely-used one at an identical true rate, so we recommend comparing within similar-exposure products rather than across the full 2025 catalog.

High-volume nationwide drug peers

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Heartgard, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

What to do with this drug

A report does not prove a drug caused the reaction; consult a veterinarian before acting on this data.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (FDA CVM) for Heartgard (#365 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 5.4%. PlainBreed drug row · report volume stamp 371 · vintage 2025.

Informational only. FDA adverse-event reports are voluntary and do not prove causation; consult a veterinarian before acting on them. Verify with FDA CVM →