Is Foxglove safe for cats and dogs?
| Species | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Cats | Toxic |
| Dogs | Toxic |
Severity: Severe
Read the full first-aid guide: what to do if your pet ate something toxic
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a cottage-garden staple prized for tall spikes of spotted, tubular flowers, but in California it does not stay confined to the flower bed. The California Invasive Plant Council rates it 'Limited' - a category for species with minor but real statewide ecological impact - and documents it spreading along the central and northern California coast and into Sierra Nevada foothills, where it escapes cultivation to infest moist meadows and roadsides. That means a dog on a coastal hiking trail or a foothill roadside pull-off can encounter wild foxglove with no garden fence anywhere nearby, not just a potted specimen at home.
ASPCA lists foxglove as toxic to both cats and dogs, with cardiac glycosides as the toxic principle and cardiac arrhythmias, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and cardiac failure among the documented clinical signs - the same class of heart-active compound found in digitalis heart medication, meaning even a small amount of chewed leaf or flower can be dangerous. Because the risk is cardiac rather than just gastrointestinal, any suspected ingestion warrants an immediate call to ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888-426-4435) or Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661) rather than a wait-and-see approach.
Facts and examples
- Cal-IPC rates Digitalis purpurea 'Limited' and documents it escaping cultivation along the central and northern California coast and into Sierra Nevada foothills, infesting moist meadows and roadsides. (source, verified 2026-07-29)
- ASPCA lists foxglove as toxic to cats and dogs via cardiac glycosides, causing cardiac arrhythmias, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and cardiac failure. (source, verified 2026-07-29)
Verdict re-verified against aspca.org, 2026-07-29 — confirmed unchanged. Source
This page is for general information only and is not veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If your pet is showing symptoms, or you think they ate or touched something dangerous, contact your veterinarian or a pet poison-control hotline immediately.
Last verified 2026-07-29