Reaction profile

The FDA adverse-event record for unexplained death

550 FDA reports name unexplained death, a high-volume reaction in the CVM extract (VeDDRA 985). Plate stamps and neighbourhood peers follow.

#609 of 2,481
by report volume (all reactions)
550
reports citing this reaction
98.7%
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. Unexplained death has 550 reports now versus 536 in that prior snapshot: 14 more (2.6%).

Report change
+14
Death-coded reports
+14
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 Unexplained death changes

FDA AER · VeDDRA plate

Code 985 VOL-MID

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

  • VOL-MID 550 reports
  • DEATH-HOT 98.7%
  • UPPER-Q #609/2481
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fly biting behaviour
  • SPECIES-DOG Dog · 282
  • DRUG-LEAD Milbemycin Oxime… · 65
  • DESK-WIDE 20 breeds
  • BOOK-FULL 8/8 fields

Nearest volume peer: Fly biting behaviour (±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.

High-volume neighbourhood around Unexplained death

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

Vomiting · highest174348Gastric ulcer · near551Fly biting behaviour · near550Increased borborygmus · near550Pallor · near550Unexplained death · this rea…550Urinary tract neoplas… · low…10
FDA AER report volume · neighbourhood around Unexplained death

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

Signature read: Unexplained death's 98.7% death-coded share is among the highest in the openFDA reaction corpus. Report volume is upper-third scale: 550 named reports in the openFDA extract. Death-coded share is upper-third: 543 of 550 reports (98.7% of named reports). Nearest volume peer: Fly biting behaviour (±0 reports). Lead species Dog (282). Lead co-reported drug Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad (65).

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 282
Cattle 124
Cat 82
Horse 24
Sheep 11
Pig 8
Goat 3
Chicken 3
Buffalo 2
Rabbit 2

Breeds Most Affected

Dog (unknown) 59
Domestic Shorthair 51
Mixed (Cattle) 41
Cattle (other) 31
Retriever - Labrador 19
Holstein-Friesian also known as Holstein 15
Aberdeen Angus 15
Unknown 14
Shepherd Dog - German 13
Terrier - Yorkshire 12

Associated Drugs

Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad 65
Tulathromycin 46
Ivermectin + Pyrantel As Pamoate Salt 28
Ceftiofur Crystalline Free Acid 25
Spinosad 24
Milbemycin Oxime + Praziquantel 19
Nitenpyram 18
Carprofen 18
Albendazole 16
Moxidectin 16
Cefovecin 16
Meloxicam 15
Maropitant Citrate 14
Afoxolaner 14
Doramectin 14
Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan 12
Bovine Parainfluenza 3, Pi3 Ebk-1/Ebht-1 Strain Al-Im;Infectious Bovine Rhinotra 12
Selamectin 11
Lasalocid Sodium 11
Gabapentin 10

Nationwide reactions with similar profiles

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Unexplained death, 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 (550 here).

Similar death-coded share

Nearest other reactions by death-coded share (98.7% 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 Unexplained death (#609 of 2,481 by report volume); death-coded 98.7%. PlainBreed reaction plate · death-coded share stamp 98.7% · 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 →