Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Plant safety · Deadly

Is Foxglove Poisonous to Alpacas?

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) — a garden / wild plant. Here is what alpaca owners need to know.

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team
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Yes — foxglove is highly poisonous. Small amounts can kill.

Keep alpacas completely away from this plant, including clippings and fallen leaves.

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). Photo: Honza Groh, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Status
Deadly
Scientific name
Digitalis purpurea
Family
Plantaginaceae
Plant type
Garden / wild plant
Toxic parts
All parts, fresh or dried
Toxic compound
Cardiac glycosides (digitoxin)

Why it matters

A garden escapee common along woodland edges in the Pacific Northwest, the UK and Europe. It stays toxic in hay.

Signs of foxglove poisoning in alpacas

  • Sudden death (often the first sign)
  • Slow, irregular or very fast heartbeat
  • Weakness, trembling, collapse
  • Diarrhea and colic
  • Cold extremities

Signs can appear within minutes (cyanide, cardiac toxins) or only after weeks of exposure (liver toxins). Many poisoned camelids are simply found dead, so prevention is everything.

What to do if your alpaca ate foxglove

  1. Move the herd away and remove any remaining plant material, clippings or fallen leaves.
  2. Call your veterinarian immediately, even if the alpaca looks normal. Say what was eaten, roughly how much and when.
  3. Bring a sample or clear photo of the plant to help identification.
  4. Do not give home remedies, oils or try to make the alpaca vomit unless your vet tells you to.
  5. Keep the animal quiet, in shade or shelter, with water available. Write down the time and every symptom you see.
  6. Check every other alpaca that had access, then remove the plant permanently (including roots).

Emergency: call your veterinarian immediately. If you cannot reach them, contact an animal poison control service (in the U.S., the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center or Pet Poison Helpline; fees may apply). Bring a sample or photo of the plant.

About the plant

Digitalis purpurea, the foxglove or common foxglove, is a toxic species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae, native to and widespread throughout most of temperate Europe. It has also naturalized in parts of North America, as well as some other temperate regions. The plant is a popular garden subject, with many cultivars available. It is the original source of the heart medicine digoxin. This biennial plant grows as a rosette of leaves in the first year after sowing, before flowering and then dying in the second year. It generally produces enough seeds so that new plants will continue to grow in a garden setting.From Wikipedia — “Digitalis purpurea”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it grows

GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, holds 566,611 recorded observations of Digitalis purpurea L. worldwide, including 17,660 in the United States. It belongs to the Plantaginaceae family, together with Narrowleaf Plantain. See the occurrence map on GBIF.

Frequently asked questions

Is foxglove poisonous to alpacas?
Yes. Yes — foxglove is highly poisonous. Small amounts can kill. A garden escapee common along woodland edges in the Pacific Northwest, the UK and Europe. It stays toxic in hay.
What part of foxglove is toxic to alpacas?
All parts, fresh or dried.
What are the symptoms of foxglove poisoning?
Sudden death (often the first sign), slow, irregular or very fast heartbeat, weakness, trembling, collapse, diarrhea and colic and cold extremities.
Is dried foxglove safe?
No — the toxin in this plant remains active when dried, so contaminated hay and dried clippings are still dangerous.

Keeping pastures safe

  • Walk every paddock and fence line each season and remove toxic plants, including roots.
  • Never throw garden, hedge or lawn clippings over the fence.
  • Check pastures after storms for fallen branches (cherry, red maple).
  • Buy hay from known sources and inspect it for weeds.
  • Keep pastures well managed — hungry alpacas eat plants they would normally avoid.

Browse the full toxic plant checker, the printable list of poisonous plants and the list of safe plants.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.

Data: plant status compiled from veterinary toxicology references (see sources); taxonomy and occurrences from GBIF; identifiers from Wikidata Q157555.