Reaction profile

The FDA adverse-event record for opisthotonus

211 FDA adverse-event reports reference opisthotonus (VeDDRA 644). Plate codes and volume neighbourhood below; species, breeds, and drugs follow.

#1005 of 2,481
by report volume (all reactions)
211
reports citing this reaction
35.1%
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. Opisthotonus has 211 reports now versus 207 in that prior snapshot: 4 more (1.9%).

Report change
+4
Death-coded reports
+1
Death-coded share
−0.2 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 Opisthotonus changes

FDA AER · VeDDRA plate

Code 644 VOL-LOW

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

  • VOL-LOW 211 reports
  • DEATH-HOT 35.1%
  • MID-PACK #1005/2481
  • PHOTO-FINISH Chewing - oral cavity…
  • SPECIES-DOG Dog · 163
  • DRUG-LEAD Milbemycin Oxime… · 27
  • DESK-WIDE 20 breeds
  • BOOK-FULL 8/8 fields

Nearest volume peer: Chewing - oral cavity disorder (see also 'Pruritus') (±0 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.

Report-volume neighbourhood around Opisthotonus

Highest and lowest poles plus nearest volume peers, not a full 2,500-reaction corpus board reprint.

Vomiting · highest174348Chewing - oral cavity… · near211Hyperadrenocorticism · near211Opisthotonus · this reaction211Self mutilation · near211Skin haemorrhage NOS · near211Urinary tract neoplas… · low…10
FDA AER report volume · neighbourhood around Opisthotonus

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

Signature read: Opisthotonus's 35.1% death-coded share is among the highest in the openFDA reaction corpus. Report volume sits in the middle third of the reaction corpus. Death-coded share is upper-third: 74 of 211 reports (35.1% of named reports). Nearest volume peer: Chewing - oral cavity disorder (see also 'Pruritus') (±0 reports). Lead species Dog (163). Lead co-reported drug Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad (27).

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 163
Cat 34
Cattle 9
Turkey 2
Reindeer 1
Goat 1
Fox 1

Breeds Most Affected

Crossbred Canine/dog 28
Domestic Shorthair 17
Retriever - Labrador 14
Terrier - Yorkshire 13
Maltese 9
Chihuahua 9
Shih Tzu 8
Domestic (unspecified) 6
Pug 5
Retriever - Golden 5

Associated Drugs

Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad 27
Propofol 26
Afoxolaner 16
Maropitant Citrate 14
Butorphanol 12
Spinosad 11
Carprofen 11
Isoflurane 10
Alfaxalone 10
Fluralaner Chew Tablets 9
Midazolam 9
Diazepam 7
Cefovecin 7
Buprenorphine 6
Oclacitinib Maleate 6
Sarolaner 6
Cefovecin Sodium 5
Dexmedetomidine 5
Fluralaner 13.64% 12-Week Chew 5
Meloxicam 4

Nationwide reactions with similar profiles

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

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other reactions by death-coded share (35.1% 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 Opisthotonus (#1005 of 2,481 by report volume); death-coded 35.1%. PlainBreed reaction plate · death-coded share stamp 35.1% · 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 →