Is Foxglove poisonous to dogs or cats?

Foxglove

  • Scientific Name: Digitalis purpurea
  • Also Known As: Foxglove, common foxglove, long purples, dead men’s fingers
  • Is It Toxic? Yes
  • Toxins: Cardenolide cardiotoxins: up to 1% dry weight in leaves: desacetyldigilanid A, desacetyldigilanid B, glucogitaloxin; 10%-20% hydrolyzed to digitoxin, gitoxin, gitaloxin; seeds more toxic than leaves; also saponins digitonin, gitonin, tigonin
  • Symptoms: Vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, lethargy, bradycardia, ventricular arrhythmias; hyperkalemia. Ipecac emesis contraindicated because of effect of cardiac glycosides on the vagus
  • Toxic Parts:
  • General:

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) has been used as an herbal medicine for centuries for a variety of conditions, including heart conditions, high blood pressure, and pain. Digitalis toxicity in animals is uncommon, but the toxicity in dogs and cats has been documented. Digitalis is a potent chemical inhibitor of the cell membrane Na,K-ATPase pump which results in negative inotropy. The toxin also binds to cardiac cholinergic receptors in the heart to cause hyperkalemia. Clinical signs of digitalis toxicity in dogs and cats include vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, lethargy, bradycardia, ventricular arrhythmias, and hyperkalemia. Ipecac is often used to induce emesis and may have a

What is Foxglove?

Foxglove is a common name for plants in the Plantaginaceae family. These plants have white flowers and are often known as foxglove or digitalis. Digitalis is a common name for plants that are used in modern medicine. There are more than 20 species of the Digitalis genus.