Nexgard

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161 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.
161
Total Reports
7
Deaths Reported
430.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Nexgard

Administration Routes

OralUnknownTopical

Species Affected

Dog 157
Cat 4

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 25
Retriever - Golden 18
Shepherd Dog - German 12
Terrier - Bull - American Pit 11
Crossbred Canine/dog 7
Shepherd Dog - Australian 6
Terrier - Boston 4
Boxer (German Boxer) 4
Domestic Shorthair 4
Mixed (Dog) 4

Most Reported Reactions

Lack of efficacy (bacteria) - Borrelia 18
Diarrhoea 13
Seizure NOS 13
Vomiting 12
Polyuria 9
Not eating 9
Lack of efficacy (endoparasite) - heartworm 9
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 7
Weakness 7
Weight loss 6
Polydipsia 6
Lack of efficacy - NOS 6

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
108 (67.1%)
Recovered/Normal
24 (14.9%)
Outcome Unknown
22 (13.7%)
Euthanized
5 (3.1%)
Died
2 (1.2%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 161
Reports involving death 7
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 430.0%
Distinct species in reports 2
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.

Nexgard Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 161 adverse event reports referencing Nexgard, including 7 reports in which the animal died — a 430.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Nexgard. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown, Topical. 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 Nexgard reports are Dog (157 reports), Cat (4 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (25), Retriever - Golden (18), Shepherd Dog - German (12) 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 Nexgard are Lack of efficacy (bacteria) - Borrelia (18), Diarrhoea (13), Seizure NOS (13), Vomiting (12). Of the 161 reports with a coded outcome, Ongoing is the leading category at 67.1%. 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 Nexgard.

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