Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Heartworm Prevention (Unknown)

987 FDA reports name Heartworm Prevention (Unknown), a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#183 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
987
adverse-event reports
2.7%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Heartworm Prevention (Unknown) ranks #183 of 2679 by total reports (987) and #937 of 1130 by death-coded share (2.7%). 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)
#183
This drug, reports of 2679
#937
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. Heartworm Prevention (Unknown) has 987 reports now versus 983 in that prior snapshot: 4 more (0.4%).

Report change
+4
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.0 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 Heartworm Prevention (Unknown) changes

Signature read: 987 reports place Heartworm Prevention (Unknown) in the upper third of FDA AER volume (#183 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.
987
Total Reports
27
Deaths Reported
2.7%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Heartworm Prevention (Unknown)

Administration Routes

UnknownOralTopical

Species Affected

Dog 978
Cat 8
Unknown 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 101
Chihuahua 55
Crossbred Canine/dog 49
Terrier - Yorkshire 45
Shih Tzu 44
Shepherd Dog - German 43
Retriever - Golden 35
Pit Bull 32
Maltese 29
Boxer (German Boxer) 22

Most Reported Reactions

Emesis 232
Lack of efficacy (ectoparasite) - flea 160
Vomiting 146
Lack of efficacy (endoparasite) - heartworm 134
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 104
Lack of efficacy - NOS 57
Diarrhoea 44
Other abnormal test result NOS 33
Behavioural disorder NOS 32
Decreased appetite 27
Seizure NOS 26
Lack of efficacy (flea) 22

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
418 (42.4%)
Recovered/Normal
406 (41.2%)
Ongoing
78 (7.9%)
Recovered with Sequela
57 (5.8%)
Died
22 (2.2%)
Euthanized
5 (0.5%)

Heartworm Prevention (Unknown): 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 Heartworm Prevention (Unknown), both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (987 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other drugs by death-coded share (2.7% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this drug

  • Compare Heartworm Prevention (Unknown)'s report volume and death-coded share against similar drugs nationwide. See similar drugs
  • Read how death-coded share differs from a mortality rate before drawing conclusions. Understanding adverse events
  • Browse the full drug directory to compare report counts across products. All drugs

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 Heartworm Prevention (Unknown) (#183 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 2.7%. PlainBreed drug row · report volume stamp 987 · 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 →