Tonic-clonic seizure

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VeDDRA Code: 646

278 adverse event reports referencing this reaction

278
Total Reports
59
Deaths
2120.0%
Death Rate

Species Most Affected

Dog 247
Cat 20
Horse 8
Rabbit 1
Cattle 1
Human 1

Breeds Most Affected

Retriever - Labrador 26
Crossbred Canine/dog 21
Domestic Shorthair 12
Shih Tzu 11
Shepherd Dog - German 10
Collie - Border 9
Chihuahua 8
Shepherd Dog - Australian 7
Retriever - Golden 7
Spaniel - King Charles Cavalier 7

Associated Drugs

Sarolaner 32
Fluralaner Chew Tablets 31
Bedinvetmab 22
Carprofen 19
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad 15
Afoxolaner 15
Oclacitinib Maleate 14
Pyrantel Pamoate;Sarolaner 13
Ivermectin + Pyrantel As Pamoate Salt 12
Maropitant Citrate 10
Levetiracetam 9
Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride 9
Milbemycin Oxime, Lufenuron 9
Diazepam 9
Grapiprant 9
Butorphanol 8
Isoflurane 8
Selamectin 8
Gabapentin 8
Phenobarbital 7

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total reports referencing reaction 278
Reports with fatal outcome 59
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 2120.0%
Species observed 6
Breeds observed 20
Drugs associated with reaction 20

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reporting (CVM AER); reaction term coded under VeDDRA 646.

Tonic-clonic seizure Reaction Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently lists 278 adverse event reports that reference Tonic-clonic seizure as a reaction term, including 59 reports with a death outcome — a 2120.0% case-fatality figure calculated across only those events where this reaction was coded. The reaction is indexed in the openFDA system under VeDDRA code 646, the standardized veterinary dictionary used to normalize clinical signs across submitters. Because reports are voluntary and often describe multiple concurrent signs per animal, the volume here reflects reporting intensity rather than true incidence in the broader pet population.

Tonic-clonic seizure appears most frequently in reports for Dog (247 reports), Cat (20 reports), Horse (8 reports) — with Dog dominating at 247 entries. Within those species, the breeds most often named alongside this reaction are Retriever - Labrador (26), Crossbred Canine/dog (21), Domestic Shorthair (12). These distributions are influenced both by underlying breed popularity and by how veterinarians and owners code a given clinical sign, so they should be interpreted as a reporting fingerprint rather than a pure susceptibility ranking.

The drugs most commonly co-reported with Tonic-clonic seizure are Sarolaner (32 reports), Fluralaner Chew Tablets (31 reports), Bedinvetmab (22 reports), Carprofen (19 reports), with Sarolaner appearing alongside this reaction in 32 submissions. Co-reporting does not establish that any specific product caused the reaction — FDA CVM data captures temporal association only. The value of these aggregates is in flagging which therapeutic classes appear repeatedly alongside a given clinical sign, so owners and veterinarians can ask targeted questions about medications currently in use.

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