Ranitidine

Verify with FDA CVM →

56 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.
56
Total Reports
4
Deaths Reported
710.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Ranitidine

Administration Routes

OralUnknown

Species Affected

Dog 48
Human 6
Horse 1
Cat 1

Most Affected Breeds

Retriever - Labrador 7
Unknown 6
Dog (unknown) 5
Beagle 4
Shih Tzu 3
Retriever (unspecified) 3
Terrier - Yorkshire 3
Shepherd Dog - German 2
Boxer (German Boxer) 2
Doberman Pinscher 2

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 12
Emesis 11
Other abnormal test result NOS 10
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 8
Diarrhoea 6
Decreased appetite 5
Accidental exposure 5
Weakness 4
Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) 4
Death 4
Anorexia 4
Weight loss 4

Outcome Breakdown

Recovered/Normal
23 (40.4%)
Outcome Unknown
14 (24.6%)
Ongoing
11 (19.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
5 (8.8%)
Died
4 (7.0%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 56
Reports involving death 4
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 710.0%
Distinct species in reports 4
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.

Ranitidine Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 56 adverse event reports referencing Ranitidine, including 4 reports in which the animal died — a 710.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Ranitidine. Reported administration routes include Oral, Unknown. 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 Ranitidine reports are Dog (48 reports), Human (6 reports), Horse (1 reports), with Dog accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Retriever - Labrador (7), Unknown (6), Dog (unknown) (5) 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 Ranitidine are Vomiting (12), Emesis (11), Other abnormal test result NOS (10), Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') (8). Of the 57 reports with a coded outcome, Recovered/Normal is the leading category at 40.4%. 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 Ranitidine.

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