Pet Safety / Compounds / Salvinorin A

Is Salvinorin A safe for dogs and cats?

Moderate risk for pets

Kappa-opioid agonism produces sedation and dysphoria. Plant material ingestion unlikely but possible.

What is salvinorin a?

The IUPAC name is methyl (2S,4aR,6aR,7R,9S,10aS,10bR)-9-acetyloxy-2-(furan-3-yl)-6a,10b-dimethyl-4,10-dioxo-2,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10a-octahydro-1H-benzo[f]isochromene-7-carboxylate.

Also known as: 83729-01-5, Divinorin A, Salvinorin, (-)-Salvinorin A.

IUPAC name
methyl (2S,4aR,6aR,7R,9S,10aS,10bR)-9-acetyloxy-2-(furan-3-yl)-6a,10b-dimethyl-4,10-dioxo-2,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10a-octahydro-1H-benzo[f]isochromene-7-carboxylate
CAS number
83729-01-5
Molecular formula
C23H28O8
Molecular weight
432.5 g/mol
SMILES
CO[C@@H]1C(=O)OC[C@@H]2[C@H]1C[C@@H]1[C@@H]3CC(=O)[C@H](OC(C)=O)[C@@]3(C)CC(=O)[C@@H]21
PubChem CID
128563

Risk for dogs

Moderate risk

Kappa-opioid agonism produces sedation and dysphoria. Plant material ingestion unlikely but possible.

Risk for cats

Elevated risk

Opioid receptor sensitivity makes cats more vulnerable to kappa agonist effects.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Salvinorin A.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
DEA2010Drug and Chemical of Concern (not federally scheduled)

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 salvinorin a

  • Natural Product
  • Illicit Drug

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Salvinorin A:

  • No therapeutic alternative currently exists
    Trade-offs: Unique mechanism — selective KOR agonist without opioid receptor activity. Research compound.
    Relative cost: N/A

Frequently asked questions

Is salvinorin a safe for pets?

Kappa-opioid agonism produces sedation and dysphoria. Plant material ingestion unlikely but possible.

See Salvinorin A in the pets app

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

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Sources (1)
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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 →