Meclizine

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109 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
109
Total Reports
22
Deaths Reported
2020.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Meclizine

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOphthalmic

Species Affected

Dog 94
Cat 13
Human 2

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 12
Domestic Shorthair 9
Crossbred Canine/dog 6
Shepherd Dog - German 5
Shih Tzu 4
Pug 4
Terrier (unspecified) 4
Spaniel - Cocker American 3
Beagle 3
Pinscher - Miniature 3

Most Reported Reactions

Ataxia 44
Nystagmus 39
Vestibular disorder NOS 37
Vomiting 29
Head tilt - neurological disorder (see also Head tilt - ear disorder) 27
Head tilt - ear disorder 24
Anorexia 22
Diarrhoea 19
Behavioural disorder NOS 18
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 17
Death by euthanasia 15
Not eating 15

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
36 (32.7%)
Ongoing
36 (32.7%)
Euthanized
15 (13.6%)
Recovered/Normal
14 (12.7%)
Died
7 (6.4%)
Recovered with Sequela
2 (1.8%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 109
Reports involving death 22
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2020.0%
Distinct species in reports 3
Distinct breeds in reports 20
Distinct reactions reported 20
Active ingredients on file 1

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reporting (CVM AER). Counts reflect voluntary reports only.

Meclizine Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 109 adverse event reports referencing Meclizine, including 22 reports in which the animal died — a 2020.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Meclizine. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Ophthalmic. These numbers reflect voluntary submissions from pet owners, veterinarians, and manufacturers and therefore under-represent mild events and over-represent severe ones — a pattern the FDA has documented repeatedly for pharmacovigilance datasets.

The species most frequently named in Meclizine reports are Dog (94 reports), Cat (13 reports), Human (2 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (12), Domestic Shorthair (9), Crossbred Canine/dog (6) appear most often — though breed popularity and ownership density shape these counts as much as any drug-specific sensitivity. This distribution matters because the same active ingredient can behave very differently across body sizes, ages, and species physiology.

The most commonly reported clinical signs associated with Meclizine are Ataxia (44), Nystagmus (39), Vestibular disorder NOS (37), Vomiting (29). Of the 110 reports with a coded outcome, Outcome Unknown is the leading category at 32.7%. Because FDA adverse event data describes correlation rather than causation, these figures are best used to frame informed questions with a veterinarian and to compare reporting patterns across related products — not as a standalone safety verdict on Meclizine.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports Data reflects voluntary submissions and may not represent actual incidence rates

Related

Data sourced from official AKC, AVMA, ACVO, and breed-club veterinary references. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBreed Editorial