If you suspect your pet has ingested a poison or something toxic, the first thing you need to do is call your veterinarian or veterinary emergency hospital.
This video shows one method of giving activated charcoal to a dog.
Activated charcoal adsorbs a chemical or toxicant and facilitates its excretion via the feces. It basically acts like a magnet, attracting and holding the toxicant to its surface so that it passes through the gastrointestinal tract without being absorbed by the body.
Usually after inducing vomiting, activated charcoal is given to help absorb some of the remaining poison or toxin in the gastrointestinal tract. Some products have Sorbitol added to act as a cathartic and move things more quickly through the intestinal tract, so less toxin is absorbed.
In order to give the activated charcoal the dog needs to be able to swallow. The activated charcoal can comes as a suspension, granules, in capsules, tablets and a gel as seen in the video. Giving a suspension, such as Toxiban, can be very messy and the charcoal will stain. Both a suspension and granules can be added to some food and some dogs will eat it, but many won’t or feel ill to eat. Within a veterinary hospital, commonly, a suspension is given orally, slowly via the side of the mouth or by a stomach tube. Using a stomach tube at home is not recommended and needs to be done at a veterinary facility. Using the gel, as shown in the video looks like a method that could be done in a home environment.
After administering activated charcoal your pet’s stool will be black, which is perfectly normal.
Dosage: 0.5 – 1.5 grams per pound of body weight (0.5 – 1.5 gm/lb); therefore a 5 lb dog would need 2.5 to 7.5 grams of activated charcoal. A 10 lb dog would need 5 – 15 grams. A 100 lb dog would need 50 to 150 grams. Based on these amounts you do not want to use products, such as tablets or capsules which are dosed in milligrams (mg).
Disclaimer: Please note that this content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Do not delay treatment based on this content, and when in doubt, seek veterinary professional advice!
Click here to learn about chocolate toxicity-poisoning.
Click here to learn how to induce vomiting in an emergency.
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