Pet Safety / Compounds / Moxidectin

Is Moxidectin safe for dogs and cats?

Low risk for pets

FDA-approved 6/12-month injectable heartworm prevention. Safer in MDR1-mutant breeds.

What is moxidectin?

CAS number
113507-06-5
Molecular formula
C37H53NO8
Molecular weight
639.82 g/mol
SMILES
CC1CC=CC(CC(OC2CC(CC3(CC(C(C(O3)CC(C(C4C(CC(O4)C(CC=CC=CC=C1)C)C)O)C)O)O)C)OC)C)(C)O
PubChem CID
9832750

Risk for dogs

Low risk

FDA-approved 6/12-month injectable heartworm prevention. Safer in MDR1-mutant breeds.

Risk for cats

Moderate risk

Used in topical combos. Generally well-tolerated.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Moxidectin.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
FDA1997Approved vet (NADA 141-189) + human drug (NDA 210867)

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 moxidectin

  • Veterinary Medicine

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Moxidectin:

  • Ivermectin (lower cost)
    Trade-offs: Alternative approach; specific tradeoffs depend on application context, scale, and regulatory requirements. Full hazard assessment of alternative recommended before adoption to avoid regrettable substitution.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Selamectin (topical)
    Trade-offs: Alternative approach; specific tradeoffs depend on application context, scale, and regulatory requirements. Full hazard assessment of alternative recommended before adoption to avoid regrettable substitution.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is moxidectin safe for pets?

FDA-approved 6/12-month injectable heartworm prevention. Safer in MDR1-mutant breeds.

See Moxidectin in the pets app

Look up products containing moxidectin, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. —

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 →