Reaction profile

The FDA adverse-event record for sedation

1,426 FDA reports name sedation, a high-volume reaction in the CVM extract (VeDDRA 111). Plate stamps and neighbourhood peers follow.

#294 of 2,481
by report volume (all reactions)
1,426
reports citing this reaction
11.5%
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. Sedation has 1,426 reports now versus 1,409 in that prior snapshot: 17 more (1.2%).

Report change
+17
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.1 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 Sedation changes

FDA AER · VeDDRA plate

Code 111 VOL-MID

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

  • VOL-MID 1,426 reports
  • DEATH-ELEV 11.5%
  • UPPER-Q #294/2481
  • PHOTO-FINISH Swelling NOS
  • SPECIES-DOG Dog · 998
  • DRUG-LEAD Buprenorphine · 254
  • DESK-WIDE 20 breeds
  • BOOK-FULL 8/8 fields

Nearest volume peer: Swelling NOS (±3 reports)

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

High-volume neighbourhood around Sedation

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

Vomiting · highest174348Sedation · this reaction1426Swelling NOS · near1423Excessive licking and… · near1417Hypercalcaemia · near1415Administration error… · near1414Urinary tract neoplas… · low…10
FDA AER report volume · neighbourhood around Sedation

What the FDA AER plate says about Sedation

Signature read: 1,426 reports place Sedation in the upper third of FDA AER volume (#294 of 2,481). Report volume is upper-third scale: 1,426 named reports in the openFDA extract. 164 of 1,426 reports were death-coded (11.5% of named reports, not a population mortality rate). Nearest volume peer: Swelling NOS (±3 reports). Lead species Dog (998). Lead co-reported drug Buprenorphine (254).

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, Lead co-reported drug Buprenorphine appears in filings alongside this reaction; that is association, not causation. Browse the full reactions index or the about page for how PlainBreed frames FDA CVM extracts.

Species Most Affected

Dog 998
Cat 375
Horse 36
Rabbit 3
Ferret 3
Primate 2
Alpaca 2
Other Birds 2
Rat 2
Cattle 1

Breeds Most Affected

Domestic Shorthair 186
Dog (unknown) 89
Retriever - Labrador 82
Cat (unknown) 71
Crossbred Canine/dog 52
Chihuahua 48
Terrier - Yorkshire 47
Boxer (German Boxer) 36
Retriever - Golden 35
Shih Tzu 34

Associated Drugs

Buprenorphine 254
Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride 214
Maropitant Citrate 168
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad 127
Isoflurane 106
Gabapentin 94
Fentanyl 86
Carprofen 79
Butorphanol 70
Dexmedetomidine 69
Oclacitinib Maleate 64
Ketamine 59
Atipamezole Hydrochloride 47
Butorphanol Tartrate 43
Propofol 41
Cefovecin 39
Acepromazine 36
Meloxicam 35
Robenacoxib 31
Bedinvetmab 31

Nationwide reactions with similar profiles

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Sedation, 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 (1,426 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other reactions by death-coded share (11.5% 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 Sedation (#294 of 2,481 by report volume); death-coded 11.5%. PlainBreed reaction plate · report volume stamp 1,426 · 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 →