Pet Safety / Compounds / Ptaquiloside

Is Ptaquiloside safe for dogs and cats?

Moderate risk for pets

Not veterinary or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a veterinarian — consult one about your animal. Full disclaimer →

Bracken fern ingestion uncommon in dogs; chronic exposure causes bone marrow suppression (thiaminase effect + ptaquiloside toxicity).

What is ptaquiloside?

CAS number
87625-62-5
Molecular formula
C20H30O8
Molecular weight
398.45 g/mol
PubChem CID
13962857

Risk for dogs

Moderate risk

Bracken fern ingestion uncommon in dogs; chronic exposure causes bone marrow suppression (thiaminase effect + ptaquiloside toxicity).

Risk for cats

Moderate risk

Rarely exposed; would show similar bone marrow and bladder effects as cattle if chronically exposed.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory body has classified Ptaquiloside.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IARC1987Group 3 — not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans (ptaquiloside, IARC Monographs Vol 40 / Supplement 7, 1987; limited evidence in experimental animals). The parent plant bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is a separate IARC agent classified Group 2B in the same evaluation (sufficient evidence in animals); ptaquiloside is its principal carcinogenic constituent but IARC graded the isolated compound separately. Group 3 is "not classifiable", not a finding of safety.

Where pets encounter ptaquiloside

  • Natural Product
  • Food Contaminant

Safer alternatives

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

  • Avoid bracken fern consumption
    Trade-offs: Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) is consumed as vegetable in Japan (warabi) and Korea (gosari). Blanching reduces but doesn't eliminate ptaquiloside.
    Relative cost: N/A

Frequently asked questions

Is ptaquiloside safe for pets?

Bracken fern ingestion uncommon in dogs; chronic exposure causes bone marrow suppression (thiaminase effect + ptaquiloside toxicity).

See Ptaquiloside in the pets app

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

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. —
  2. IARC Monographs Vol 40 / Supplement 7: Bracken fern and some of its constituents — ptaquiloside (CAS 87625-62-5) Group 3, not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans (limited evidence in experimental animals); the parent plant bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is a separate agent classified Group 2B (sufficient evidence in animals) (1987) (1987) — iarc_monograph

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 →