Pet Safety / Compounds / Digoxin (Digitalis cardiac glycoside)

Is Digoxin (Digitalis cardiac glycoside) safe for dogs and cats?

High risk for pets

Dogs are susceptible to cardiac glycoside toxicity from foxglove (Digitalis purpurea, D. lanata) plant ingestion and from accidental ingestion of human digoxin tablets — a common scenario when cardiac patients have dogs that access medication. Foxglove plants are frequently used in ornamental gardening in temperate climates; all parts are toxic, with the highest glycoside concentration in leaves. Clinical signs in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, bradycardia, AV conduction block, ventricular arrhythmias, and collapse. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center lists foxglove as causing severe toxicosis in dogs, with cardiac arrhythmias as the primary life-threatening complication. Treatment with digoxin-specific Fab antibody fragments is highly effective when promptly administered; supportive cardiac monitoring and antiarrhythmic therapy are also required. Recovery is good with prompt treatment; delayed presentation of significant ingestion carries poor prognosis.

What is digoxin (digitalis cardiac glycoside)?

The IUPAC name is 3-[(3S,5R,8R,9S,10S,12R,13S,14S,17R)-3-[(2R,4S,5S,6R)-5-[(2S,4S,5S,6R)-5-[(2S,4S,5S,6R)-4,5-dihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-4-hydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-4-hydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-12,14-dihydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,15,16,17-tetradecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-17-yl]-2H-furan-5-one.

Also known as: 3-[(3S,5R,8R,9S,10S,12R,13S,14S,17R)-3-[(2R,4S,5S,6R)-5-[(2S,4S,5S,6R)-5-[(2S,4S,5S,6R)-4,5-dihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-4-hydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-4-hydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-12,14-dihydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,15,16,17-tetradecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-17-yl]-2H-furan-5-one, digoxin, Lanoxin, Dilanacin.

IUPAC name
3-[(3S,5R,8R,9S,10S,12R,13S,14S,17R)-3-[(2R,4S,5S,6R)-5-[(2S,4S,5S,6R)-5-[(2S,4S,5S,6R)-4,5-dihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-4-hydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-4-hydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-12,14-dihydroxy-10,13-dimethyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,15,16,17-tetradecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-17-yl]-2H-furan-5-one
CAS number
20830-75-5
Molecular formula
C41H64O14
Molecular weight
780.9 g/mol
SMILES
CC1C(C(CC(O1)OC2C(OC(CC2O)OC3C(OC(CC3O)OC4CCC5(C(C4)CCC6C5CC(C7(C6(CCC7C8=CC(=O)OC8)O)C)O)C)C)C)O)O
PubChem CID
2724385

Risk for dogs

High risk

Dogs are susceptible to cardiac glycoside toxicity from foxglove (Digitalis purpurea, D. lanata) plant ingestion and from accidental ingestion of human digoxin tablets — a common scenario when cardiac patients have dogs that access medication. Foxglove plants are frequently used in ornamental gardening in temperate climates; all parts are toxic, with the highest glycoside concentration in leaves. Clinical signs in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, bradycardia, AV conduction block, ventricular arrhythmias, and collapse. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center lists foxglove as causing severe toxicosis in dogs, with cardiac arrhythmias as the primary life-threatening complication. Treatment with digoxin-specific Fab antibody fragments is highly effective when promptly administered; supportive cardiac monitoring and antiarrhythmic therapy are also required. Recovery is good with prompt treatment; delayed presentation of significant ingestion carries poor prognosis.

Risk for cats

High risk

Cats are sensitive to cardiac glycoside toxicity from Digitalis plants and from digoxin tablet ingestion. Additional cardiac glycoside plant risks for cats include lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) and Kalanchoe species, which are common houseplants containing related cardiac glycosides. ASPCA lists all cardiac glycoside-containing plants as causing severe toxicosis in cats. The mechanism and clinical presentation mirror those in dogs — bradycardia, AV block, ventricular arrhythmias. Treatment with digoxin-specific Fab fragments is the primary therapeutic approach. Cats that accidentally ingest their owner's digoxin medication represent a clinically significant exposure scenario given the drug's narrow therapeutic index.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Digoxin (Digitalis cardiac glycoside). The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / IARC—Group 2B - Possibly carcinogenic to humans
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: SkinIrr2 (score: high)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter digoxin (digitalis cardiac glycoside)

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Digoxin (Digitalis cardiac glycoside):

  • Avoidance (no chemical substitute)
    Trade-offs: Direct chemical substitution requires verification that the replacement does not introduce new hazards (regrettable substitution). Conduct full hazard assessment of proposed alternative before adoption.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is digoxin (digitalis cardiac glycoside) safe for pets?

Dogs are susceptible to cardiac glycoside toxicity from foxglove (Digitalis purpurea, D. lanata) plant ingestion and from accidental ingestion of human digoxin tablets — a common scenario when cardiac patients have dogs that access medication. Foxglove plants are frequently used in ornamental gardening in temperate climates; all parts are toxic, with the highest glycoside concentration in leaves. Clinical signs in dogs include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, bradycardia, AV conduction block, ventricular arrhythmias, and collapse. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center lists foxglove as causing severe toxicosis in dogs, with cardiac arrhythmias as the primary life-threatening complication. Treatment with digoxin-specific Fab antibody fragments is highly effective when promptly administered; supportive cardiac monitoring and antiarrhythmic therapy are also required. Recovery is good with prompt treatment; delayed presentation of significant ingestion carries poor prognosis.

What products contain digoxin (digitalis cardiac glycoside)?

Digoxin (Digitalis cardiac glycoside) appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

See Digoxin (Digitalis cardiac glycoside) in the pets app

Look up products containing digoxin (digitalis cardiac glycoside), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

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Sources (2)
  1. US FDA: Digoxin — Narrow Therapeutic Index Drug Safety Communication, Therapeutic Range, Drug Interaction Risk, and Digoxin-Specific Fab Antidote Use (2016) (2016) — regulatory
  2. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Foxglove (Digitalis spp.) and Related Cardiac Glycoside Plants — Digoxin-Type Toxicity in Dogs and Cats, Clinical Presentation, and Treatment Outcomes (2019) — veterinary

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →