Reaction profile

The FDA adverse-event record for melaena

1,182 FDA reports name melaena, a high-volume reaction in the CVM extract (VeDDRA 317). Plate stamps and neighbourhood peers follow.

#343 of 2,481
by report volume (all reactions)
1,182
reports citing this reaction
31.5%
death-coded share
Dog
most-affected species

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. Melaena has 1,182 reports now versus 1,171 in that prior snapshot: 11 more (0.9%).

Report change
+11
Death-coded reports
+3
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 Melaena changes

FDA AER · VeDDRA plate

Code 317 VOL-MID

VOL-MID · DEATH-HOT · UPPER-Q · PHOTO-FINISH · SPECIES-DOG · DRUG-LEAD · DESK-WIDE · BOOK-FULL

  • VOL-MID 1,182 reports
  • DEATH-HOT 31.5%
  • UPPER-Q #343/2481
  • PHOTO-FINISH Eosinophilia
  • SPECIES-DOG Dog · 1,136
  • DRUG-LEAD Carprofen · 372
  • DESK-WIDE 20 breeds
  • BOOK-FULL 8/8 fields

Nearest volume peer: Eosinophilia (±1 reports)

Upper-third death-coded share drives the outcome stamps on this plate; volume band, corpus rank, and co-report peers follow. Not a clinical diagnosis.

High-volume neighbourhood around Melaena

Upper-third volume poles plus nearest peers, not a full reaction corpus board reprint.

Vomiting · highest174348Hind limb paralysis · near1193Bone and joint disord… · near1189Eosinophilia · near1183Melaena · this reaction1182Musculoskeletal pain · near1177Urinary tract neoplas… · low…10
FDA AER report volume · neighbourhood around Melaena

Melaena: high death-coded share in the FDA AER plate

Signature read: 372 death-coded reports is a heavy tail count for Melaena in the CVM extract. Report volume is upper-third scale: 1,182 named reports in the openFDA extract. Death-coded share is upper-third: 372 of 1,182 reports (31.5% of named reports). Nearest volume peer: Eosinophilia (±1 reports). Lead species Dog (1,136). Lead co-reported drug Carprofen (372).

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, A high death-coded share in FDA filings does not prove causation; co-reporting is voluntary temporal association only. Browse the full reactions index or the about page for how PlainBreed frames FDA CVM extracts.

Species Most Affected

Dog 1,136
Cat 35
Cattle 7
Human 1
Other Birds 1
Pig 1
Ferret 1

Breeds Most Affected

Retriever - Labrador 207
Crossbred Canine/dog 109
Terrier - Yorkshire 42
Retriever - Golden 40
Shepherd Dog - German 32
Boxer (German Boxer) 32
Chihuahua 27
Dog (unknown) 26
Shih Tzu 26
Dachshund (unspecified) 23

Associated Drugs

Carprofen 372
Deracoxib 113
Maropitant Citrate 111
Meloxicam 98
Firocoxib 83
Sucralfate 59
Grapiprant 55
Famotidine 50
Gabapentin 47
Tramadol 46
Afoxolaner 42
Moxidectin 38
Prednisone 30
Metronidazole 27
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad 26
Fluralaner Chew Tablets 26
Enrofloxacin 25
Firocoxib 227 Mg Chewable 25
Trilostane 24
Bedinvetmab 24

Nationwide reactions with similar profiles

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Melaena, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass (the volume chart above is the unfloored photo-finish strip).

Similar report volume

Nearest other reactions by FDA report count (1,182 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other reactions by death-coded share (31.5% here), distinct from the volume row.

What to do with this reaction

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 Melaena (#343 of 2,481 by report volume); death-coded 31.5%. PlainBreed reaction plate · death-coded report count stamp 372 · 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 →