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Activated Charcoal for Parvo - #1 Most Popular Remedy

| Modified on Aug 31, 2024
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Activated Charcoal for Parvo.

Learn how Earth Clinic readers used Activated Charcoal to save dogs with Parvo after being sent home from the vet. Activated charcoal is the key ingredient to saving dogs from this deadly virus. It is often combined with an electrolyte solution.

One of the Earth Clinic's top pet contributors, Theresa from MN, explains how to use the activated charcoal remedy in her reply to a reader in 2014.

Responding to Rebekah (Oklahoma City)

I have a 7 week old pitbull puppy he about 8 pounds, he's showing every sign of parvo and its hitting him quick. I need to know how much activated carbon I should give him with water and gatorade?

You can find Activated Charcoal (AC) at your local drug store; aquariums stores have some in a pinch, but it's granulated and you would need to use a coffee grinder or food processor to pulverize it into fine powder.

Activated Charcoal works especially well when used with electrolytes to combat the dehydration that occurs with the diarrhea. If you can't find Pedialyte or Gatorade, you can make this recipe at home:

Homemade Pedialyte:

4 cups of water (boiled or bottled drinking water) 1/2 teaspoon Morton lite salt (because it has potassium in it as well as sodium chloride) Can use regular table salt if you have to. 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon flavored jello or sodium free broth to add some flavor

Start with 1 cup of electrolyte solution in a small jar with a lid; add 2 heaping tablespoons of AC and then put the lid on and shake to blend. This goes into a syringe well and then can be placed into your dog's mouth; tip the head back and gently depress the plunger to allow him to drink it slowly.

Dose him 10cc every 2-4 hours for the first 48 hours.

If your dog has an appetite, you can mix the AC into canned dog food and make that a bit wetter and sloppier by adding the electrolyte solution to the wet food.

It is key to understand that the virus generally does not kill the dog – its the resulting dehydration that does the damage – so make sure you get those electrolytes down.

If he is taking food and appears to be bouncing back after the first regime of 48 hours, give your dog the wet AC and electrolyte loaded food am and pm for 5 days and up to 7 days. If he is hungry between meals, give him extra AC and electrolyte feedings.

Continue reading below for helpful feedback and tips from Earth Clinic readers who have used the activated charcoal remedy for Parvo.

Related Links:

Natural Parvo Treatment for Dogs

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Posted by KossakPrincess (Ensenada, Mexico) on 06/24/2023
 ★★★★★

CHARCOAL: We Lost Time on Veterinary Diagnoses ( = should have just started the treatment)

I followed the Activated Charcoal remedy religiously, word for word, and it was a miracle!

The only thing I regret was waiting for a Veterinary Diagnosis before starting the Charcoal Treatment.

Out of 5 puppies, Princepessa (our only female), was the first to start showing symptoms. I took her to an emergency Vet on a Sunday afternoon, and when the Vet suggested keeping her overnight on an IV until the results were in the next morning, I assumed that Princepessa would be safer, and better off, with the profesional help she'd be getting there.

***NOTE: As we were discussing the possibility of an overninght stay, Princepessa suddenly leaned into me -- as if she understood what we were talking about, but was indicating that she referred to go home with me -- and she was right! I should have paid more attention to, and respected, the animal's wishes!

The next day, when the positive Parvo results were in, we returned for Princepessa, only to discover that she was so much worse off! What the vet forgot to mention, was that the IV fluid was the ONLY thing Princepessa would be getting, for the entire time we left here there! In other words, I'd just lost nearly 24-hours of time that I could have been administering Activated Charcoal (and in fact, was already doing so with the other 4 puppies at home).

As soon as I held Princepessa, I knew that I'd most likely now be fighting a (losing) battle for her life -- as her entire body, and even her breathing, now had that distinct Parvo smell, which I'll never forget and will forever haunt me!

I rushed Princepessa home, frantically doing everything I could -- but it was too late -- so we lost our only little girl-Pup the very next afternoon :(......

For the next week, it was touch-and-go with Princepessa's 4 brothers, but eventually they all pulled throught, thanks to the Activated Charcoal remedy.
I also gave the Puppies Oregano Essential Oil (dilluted in Water) when they were at their sickest; and I added 1/3 Teaspoon of Baking Soda to their food, several times, once they started eating again.

For anyone who might be reading this: There is Hope! Just don't waste time on the Vets, and their ineffective pharmaceutical treatments. The medication I'd been given by the Vet, supposedly to help the puppies' digestive tracts absorb and retain more Food & Liquids, only succeeded in making them much, much worse on the few occasions when I tried administering it. Meanwhile, Activated Charcoal is totally harmless, good for pretty much everyone, has no side effects, and can be taken as a general supplement (no need to be sick, let alone getting a Medical Diagnosis, to start taking it! )

I will always regret what happened and blame myself, never forgetting my little Princepessa -- whom I ended up losing, because she trusted me more than I trusted myself!

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Asia (California ) on 05/09/2020
 ★★★★★

This article saved my dobie!

I had just got my baby and the person who I got him from claimed he was 9 weeks and I took him to the vet to find out he was only 6 weeks and need to be dewormed. While after being dewormed, he wouldn't eat or drink anything, he had lost 1lb in a day and you could see his hip bones! I immediately took him back to the vet and he said he had all the signs of parvo and that it would cost me $280 just to do the tests! Normally that wouldn't have been an issue but I had just moved into my new house with my 3 young daughters and being a full time college student with the new semester starting $280 was a lot at the moment.

The vet gave me some medicines to take home and give him, I started him on the medicines and it seemed to have made him worse! He started throwing up everywhere and just wanted to sleep. So frantically I googled for ways to treat him naturally and came across this post at 3 am, I immediately wrote everything down and went to my local health foods store at 9 am.

I bought the activated charcoal, coconut water, sovereign silver and ACV. By the 2nd does he was up eating and walking around! Today is now day 3 and he's put some weight back on , he's jumping around playing , he's getting back to his normal self.

This natural remedy works and I'm so thankful for these posts because without it I probably would have lost my little boy.

Replied by Carol D.
(San Felipe, BC MX)
06/08/2021

Does this work for distemper as well? If not any recommendations. We lose about 70 puppies every year to distemper.

Replied by Eileen
(Sumter SC)
12/11/2021

I have an 8 weeks old Doberman that has possibly been exposed to parvo 2 days ago. She seems healthy still. Has had first vaccination. 2nd due Wednesday. Should I start giving her the charcoal now? Will it help prevent her from getting it or lessen symptoms? Had a puppy who died from it at 8 weeks a few months ago. Breeder sold her with parvo. Was sick within 3 hrs of getting her. Only lived 3 days with treatment. Should I use the 1 tablespoon or 2 tablespoon formula?

Mama to Many
(TN)
12/13/2021
★★★★★

Dear Eileen,

I would definitely use charcoal to prevent parvo.

We had parvo run through a litter of puppies we had. We used charcoal as a preventative in puppies that were well. I think it kept them from getting sick.

There is little risk and abundant benefit.

You can refer to this page for dosing information.

Activated Charcoal for Pets (earthclinic.com)

~Mama to Many~

Replied by Lori
(Tennessee)
05/08/2023

I'm starting this with 6 week litter of Toy Aussies. One got the smelly diarrhea we started treating everyone hope it helps. They have had 2 vaccines. Though we had parvo in our yard just last year we think mom tracked it in to them.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Tebogo (South Africa, Pretoria) on 01/02/2020
 ★★★★★

After having lost five puppies from parvo I searched the internet hysterically for anything that can save remaining puppies. I came across a post about activated charcoal and I tried it and alternated with giving my puppies raw eggs after every two hours. Even though the puppies exhibited severe symptoms of Parvo (foaming from the mouth, vomiting and blood stained diahorrea but one pulled through...I continued rehydrating the puppy with salt and sugar water for five days. The puppy is now three months old and showing no signs of illness.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Rosendo (Visalia, Ca) on 09/16/2019
 ★★★★★

Thank you so much for being here for my puppies, mom and me, lost one of my puppies to parvo and had my other two puppies and thier mother get parvo, vet wanted $2500 per dog to give them meds that were not a guaranty that they would make it but gave one puppy not chance to live, left the vets office with sad news that we could not save any of them, wrong!!!!!! My pups and mom are doing great!!! Thanks to you folks , may the good Lord bless your work and your lives, thank you thank you, THANK YOO!!

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Tanya S. (Australia) on 08/20/2019
 ★★★★★

My 8wk old Cocker Spaniel puppy tested positive to parvovirus two days after he arrived on a Thursday. Come Saturday he had diarrhea with a streak of blood (which I thought was parasites/change in diet/environment – so I wormed him). Sunday morning I woke to him heaving/vomiting foam and a smelly white and bloody watery stool. I took him to the vet that morning and after a positive parvo test I opted for an anti-nausea injection, an antibiotic injection, sub cutaneous fluids and then conservative treatment at home (because I knew about the earth clinic remedy as I had saved some puppies with it a few years back).

I had my husband purchase Activated Charcoal powder, a bottle of Hydralyte and a small bottle of colloidal silver for me whilst I was on my way home from the vet.

Lunch time Sunday, puppy got his first dropper full of silver and 5ml of the charcoal/hydrlyte solution. I gave the char/hydr solution every 2 hours and the dropper of silver 3 x per day.

Puppy slept all day, had no more diarrhea and no more vomiting. In the afternoon, about 3 hours after his first dose, he was up and ate a few of his fave kibbles and drank some water. I put a raw egg yolk (organic free range) in his mouth and he swallowed most of it. After the egg, he really picked up and had a bit of energy until falling asleep again. He woke when we were eating dinner (some thai food chicken stir fry and rice). He really wanted our food so I washed off a couple small pieces of chicken and he ate 5 of them before falling asleep again. I continued to wake him if necessary to give him a dose of charcoal/hydralyte every 2 hours until about 11pm and he slept fine and I started dosing again at 6am the next morning. By 7am he did a normal (black coloured) poop and a big light coloured wee. All Monday he slept a lot but got up to play a few times, ate his kibbles and drink water on his own. I put another raw egg yolk down his throat Monday afternoon. He played quite vigorously that afternoon with his toys and did another normal poop before going to bed at 10pm and sleeping well. It's Tuesday, and I am dosing every 3 hours now. He is playing, eating, sleeping and seems happy, albeit a bit lethargic. I am really encouraged by his quick recovery. I am planning to keep dosing but move to 4 hourly tomorrow and then twice per day thereafter, watching him closely.

Thank you earth clinic for the remedy.

Replied by Melanie
(Georgia)
05/22/2023

I also opted to treat my 10 week old puppy with the injections, non vomiting meds, etc that the veterinarian supplied me with. I'm planning to start her on the charcoal. Did you continue with the vet's protocol while doing the charcoal/silver/electrolyte regimen?

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Rene (Philippines) on 07/29/2018
 ★★★★★

Earth Clinic tnx for the info. You saved our puppies and dogs parvo infected. and please allow me to share this to others and surely we can help them to treat their dogs from Parvo.

tnx and God bless to all to our lovely pets.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Phyllis (In) on 07/03/2018
 ★★★★★

I literally only used activated charcoal caps from Walmart with 1 cup Pedialyte and 1 cup bottled water. My pup tested positive for parvo yesterday but showed symptoms since Saturday. Charcoal had her back to normal overnight. Got meds at the vet but haven't given them yet, no diarrhea no vomiting or anything since giving charcoal. Poop is normal now, eating and drinking fine no iv or special diet just charcoal and Pedialyte.

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
07/05/2018

Hey Phyllis,

Glad to hear your pup is bouncing back! I just want to stress that even though all appears fine now that the virus is still in his/her system and you should continue treating for at least 10 more days. Also, your pup is shedding the live virus and should not be taken out into the public where you may inadvertently infect other dogs. Please keep us posted!

Replied by Kristie
(De Soto, Mo)
07/15/2018

Where can I find activated charcoal for my pup?

EC: Pharmacies and grocery stores sell activated charcoal tablets in the medical section for poisoning, which you can grind into a fine powder. Otherwise, health food stores such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Erewhon typically carry at least one brand of powdered activated charcoal.

Replied by Jaelin
(Paris ar)
04/28/2022

I have been giving my puppy charcoal and Pedialyte and water and he has parvo he is pooping straight blood out and he hasn't threw up anymore but he don't look good he was throwing up all night Tuesday and yesterday he pooped straight blood and it had a bad smell to it and we knew right then it was parvo I have given him three charcoal pills and he does not seem to be doin that good.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Janelle (Trinidad And Tobago) on 04/29/2018
 ★★★★★

April 2018

Hi Guys.

On Wednesday, one of our rescue puppies started showing symptoms of Parvo. By the end of that day, we were devastated and ready to put her to sleep because we were informed that we could not help her without hospitalization which we could not afford as we have many other rescues at our shelter to consider. I thought that was it.

Today is Sunday and the puppy has now made a full recovery (mostly thanks to the internet) here is what I did.

First of all, keep the puppy in a room by themselves and be sure to continuously bleach clean where ever they poop. They must be in a clean and sanitized environment. Make sure its confortable as well as I personally believe that TLC gives them the will to want to stay alive.

Things you need (just for the record I am obviously not a vet):

1.Saline solution
2.Amoxicilin (I used 250 mg)- tell the pharmacist what it's for
3.Activated Black Charcoal (i used nature's way)
4.Echinacea (also nature's way)
5. Pedialyte
6.Coconut water
7. A cup to measure the amount of liquid you are going to put into your puppy. Eg. I used a big shot glass for a 1.5 pound puppy. Use your discretion.
8. Dropper
9. 12 ml Syringe and 22 gage needle.

Mix pedialyte, coconut water, black charcoal and echinacea. Administer this every hour. Yes every single hour. Take time off from work if you can.

Every 3 hours administer saline solution into their "scruff". Pick up the extra skin on the back of their neck and stick the needle in. If you dont know how to do this, ask someone for help. I administered 10 ml for this pup. Yours may need a lot more because this puppy was TINY.

0.5 ml amoxcicilin at 7 a.m and again at 7 p.m

I really hope this helps. I had lost hope and was ready to give up. Please try for your puppy by doing these cheap and simple at home remedies. Be prepared to give up ur time to this pup for about 3 days but it will be worth it!

Replied by Eileen
(Puerto Rico)
06/25/2018

Question!

We are giving our puppies this mixture, but they vomit it right away!!! Did that happened with your?

We already lost 2 puppies. Now we have found this website and we are going to try this remedy with these other two puppies and we don't want lo loose them.
They are vomiting and lethargic but no blood in their poop yet, so I think we are good on timing. But how did you administer the mixture without them vomiting?

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
06/25/2018

Hey Eileen,

Not the OP, but my advice is to cut out everything but the pedialyte/electrolyte solution and just a pinch of the activated charcoal. The most critical thing at this point is to keep them hydrated. If you can give fluids under the skin that would help very much. Keep checking their hydration and keep them warm.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Janneke (Philippines) on 02/25/2018
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I cannot thank this website enough! Thank you for being a source for pets and owners who go through such a stressful time with parvo. I have 4 dachshund puppies who contracted the virus and exhibited symptoms after they got their vaccine and deworming at the vet. It was heartbreaking to have the all suffer. Unfortunately, I didn't think it was parvo in the beginning and lost one of my pups, my beloved Oreo. His death however gave me the strength to fight for the remaining three, had two who were very weak on IV for 1-2days. The other one who was a bit strong and eating, I monitored and made sure she was hydrated, but I know she was still in pain and was still having dark and runny poo. Morning after Oreo died (yesterday, Sunday), I read this post and went off to look for Activated Charcoal, bought Gatorade, Pedialyte, syringe. Then checked out my two other pups - it was too expensive to keep them in the clinic -, and bought multivitamins. Last night until this morning I did the Activated Charcoal mix with Apple Cider and Gatorade. Then I kept wet beef dog food available (remainder of what was given at the clinic) throughout the wee hours and the three of them gobbled most of it by dawn. In the morning, cooked liver with broth and served it to them with white rice.

Again, the three almost finished everything. I am so happy and relieved that we pulled through and now on their way to recovery! We'll folow the rest of the advice here and continue to give them the mixture for a week. Thank you to everyone who contributed! You are all heroes to my three pups: Muffin, Coco, and Kitkat. on hindsight, I know I would have been able to save Oreo with this had I reacted swiftly enough and understood the early warning signs of parvo.

To anyone reading this, going through what we all did - don't hesitate, save your puppies and doggos by strictly following this regimen/treatment!

Replied by Stacey
(Pyatt, Arkansas)
05/03/2018

What brand of charcoal did you use??

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Oscar (Tucson Az) on 12/19/2017
 ★★★★★

Wow!! I couldnt believe it!! My puppy even tho vaccinated was showing all symtoms of parvo...i took him to vet where they put him on nausea meds and antacid..didnt help..if anything he got worse...called vet hospital where they estimated cost at 900 to 2000 dollars to try and help him...long story short...active charcoal works!!! My pup looked awful...no appetite period..diarrhea...went to walgreens picked up charco-caps..after opening up caps mixed 2 with cup of gatorade and injected 5ml.into his mouth down his throat...every 2 hrs..to my amazement...after 2nd dose...looked more alive...after a few more doses..gave him chicken and totally devoured it even whined for more.....by end of day..he was back to being pesky little pup...it works!!!

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Loretta (Hemet, Ca) on 09/12/2017
 ★★★★★

My pup is 12 weeks and the day before thurs her 2nd shot she got sick so the next she was worse vomiting everywhere and stinky runs I tried and tried to call my vet but no one answered just to reschedule her appt. Well sat came and it was horrible curling up into a ball throwing up not eating poor thing every time she drank she threw up that's when I started googleing found out it be a lot of money for her vet. so I did more looking, found this site after a remomendationg for using active charcoal, so I figured with all her weight loss maybe 10 pounds so I got charcoal caps from Walmart and pedialyte unflavored did one cup for every capsule one cup and 1 capsule was more than enough. Room temp for the next 12hrs .05tsp/2.5ml

After a few hrs, she stopped throwing up still no poo. Once the throwing up was completely over I did .05 charcoal and the filled the rest well to 1tsp with more pedialyte till I went to bed she did poo out side before bed straight like pee dark Burgundy color I'm assuming blood and charcoal so I thought to myself if she makes it through the night without vomiting or just through the night she may have a chance and she did :) so I did the same process only 1tsp of charcoal and filled the rest with more pedialyte to 2tsp/10ml, only every hour (keep in mind she has never stopped drinking water on her own((although very dehydrated)) then in the afternoon since there had been no throwing up I added in a 1/2tsp of plain Greek yougurt with probiotics and add pedialyte to it just enough that it liquidy to go into the syringe filled it up to 2tsp (I forgot to add I was rubbing molasses on her gums with every dose) she kept it down then did the same again and then did a mix of pumpkin she kept it down so I thought OK I'm trying some wet dogfood with pedialyte just a small amount 1tsp alright she was peeing clear by 5pm lol.

My hubby offered her a healthy dog treat she ate two and was doing great so today is Tuesday its been 3days she finally started eating dry dogfood on her own just a few pieces still drinking licking me jumping around she's still curling up ever so often so I m assuming its when her tummy turns I'm still giving the charcoal but only every 3 to 4 hrs and its 1tsp followed by 2tsp of just pedialyte. I did give 0.5 of pumpkin also still giving molasses and she pooed awesome first part runny and black then soft half normal looking and half black:).

I am going to continue to give this and yogurt for another day 3 times then 2 times Thursday if things are still doing well and Friday I'm taking her to the vet. I forgot to mentione I had some clindamycin left from my foster kittens being sick I also gave her that 2 times a day I had enough for 2 days I figured any kind of antibiotic med I had laying around with a google of how much to give could nt hurt a pup that may die.

Before a Friday pic and this morning pic. I know still a long recovery 2 weeks and a chance she may get sick again and pass but one day at a time. For today she is awesome and ACTIVE CHARCOAL SAVED MY DOGS LIFE!!! <3:) PS DONT WAIT TILL ITS TOO LATE!!! GIVE EXTRA LOVE AND ATTENTION!! So they will fight to live!!!

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Davianawdon (Los Angeles, Ca) on 09/25/2015
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

So it'll be officially 7days tomorrow since my 3 month Maltese started showing Parvo symptoms & let me tell you it's been the longest week of my life. Parvo is not a joke, I almost lost my dog by the 3rd day. I took her to the vet & of course she tested positive for Parvo, they didn't give me anything to treat her just recommended i'd take her to another vet & have them hook her up with an I.v . My sister in law took her to another vet & they basically told her the same thing if she doesn't get hooked on to an I.V she could die in 72 hours or less . Any pet owner that hears that would get overwhelmed shoot just knowing your beloved pet is sick could get anyone overwhelmed. So the treatment was denied & I did my research back and forth thru sites desperate to find something for my little pup & well here are a list of things I recommend I can't guarantee it'll workout for your pup But it's a start

-Syringe

-Pedialyte

-Gatorade

-Cephalexin or Amoxicillin

-Pepto Bismol

-Nutri-Cal either for a pup or an adult dog

-Chicken Broth

-Activated Charcoal

Those are basically all the things I used.

The Pedialyte & the Gatorade are to keep your dog hydrated & give them some electrolytes I would give her tablespoon or 2 every half hour with a syringe, I tried not to rush her so she could hold it down. You have to force feed them so don't be afraid to hold the sides of their jaws open & put the syringe down on the side to make sure they swallow it. P.S the syringe you could buy it at a petco or any pet store. & when they say be prepared not to sleep it's serious, this a 24/7 thing, not a oh I'll take care of her/him in a little bit. They have to stay hydrated all the dehydration is what kills them. If you can't take off of work just call it a quit.

The cephalexin or amoxicillin are antibiotics, I already had some Cephalexin from a previous time I took one of my other dogs to the vet I'm sure if you were to ask the vet could hook you up with some. I tried not to give her so much of it since it doesn't do anything towards the parvo it's just to prevent a secondary infection in their intestine but when I did give it to her it was every 8 hours, I stopped after the 4th day.

The Pepto bismol they say it's to coat their belly and intestine to control the diarrhea and vomiting I tried my best to give her some every two hours but I failed at that I was more worried of keeping her hydrated plus she's so young I didnt want to keep giving her so much medicine but when I did give it to her I tried to do it at least 3 times a day I would give her half a table spoon with the syringe.

The nutri-cal I've used previously on my other dog when she was pregnant she wasn't eating so she had no nutrients in her. I bought the nutri-cal supplement for my pup I gave her 1/4 tablespoon 3x a day once in the morning, noon, and evening. It won't make them eat but it's just so they have some type of nutrients in them. & also you have to force it to them just dab it on your finger & try to put on the roof of their mouth.

The chicken Broth I didn't try giving it to her until the 4th day which is also when I started giving her the nutri-cal I made sure I gave her the broth first then the nutri-cal ... I would only feed her a tablespoon of the broth 3x a day just to see if she could hold it down.

The Raw Egg ... Man this was a tough one I only gave her a tablespoon of it I was pretty grossed out by it but I was doing whatever could get my dog back to health. I cracked one raw egg & fed her a tablespoon of it once again I tried not to rush her to eat since its so slimy I wanted to make sure she was able to swallow it, then I would wash it down with half a tablespoon of pedialyte. I only tried this once just to see if she would get better, I tried it 3x in one day she kept it down the first time & the third but the 2nd time she didn't. I tried this but I felt like it didn't help I've read stories of other where it has worked but I'm just throwing what I experienced with at home with my pup, so it might work for yours but I suggest you do it if you see they're some what holding things down.

Last but not least, The Activated Charcoal. I was reading about this back and forth. I thought I was suppose to get a prescription for it until I read it's an over the counter vitamin & well I read more into it & decided to give it a try I figured it wouldn't hurt to try what do I got to lose she'd probably just yak it back up. So I did more research on it because some didn't specify exactly what it looked like & well I decided to go buy some I didn't buy the powder one they have for fish tanks I was scared to buy it and make my dog feel worse , they have charcoal tabs at Walgreens but they're like 22 bucks, Walmart was out of stock so I went to CVS Pharmacy and bought ACTIVATED CHARCOAL CAPS they were like 11-12 bucks. I took them home cracked to caps I suggest you put some paper wherever you plan to crack them open they could be pretty messy to clean up.

Anyways 2 caps cracked open 1 Ounce of pedialyte I threw a splash of gatorade in their just cause I thought it looked gross so I felt bad for my pup having to taste that awful looking drink. I gave her 1 tablespoon of it once again I tried not to rush her so she could hold it down and she was doing pretty good after the egg so I figured she'd do good with keeping it down I don't recommend you give your dog this if they're not keep anything down it'll just come right up. It's already the 5th day with my pup feeling like this, I let 2hours go by and she got up to drink some water which she had already been doing on the 4th day after I had given her the nutri-cal and the broth I guess it would get stuck in her mouth so she'd feel like washing it down to get the taste off. I waited 2 hours to give her some more & here come my nieces they opened the door to my room and once she saw them she began to wag her little tail which she hadn't done since a week ago she was being playful so I decided to make her something to eat I made her a scrambled egg & fried some ham for her I didn't add anything to it just cooked it . & boy did she tear it up her eyes got so wide when she smelled the food my poor baby ate everything like she hadn't ate in years she ate so much she couldn't stand so I picked her up and put her back in her bed.

About 3am she woke up crying wanting me to sleep in my bed so I did she was being a wild sleeper as she usually was before she got sick. & well I kept an eye on her the next day I fed her the same thing that morning then I fed her the same for lunch for dinner I smashed up some of her kibble and added a little bit of water in it I didn't give her any tap water, I kept giving her filtered water she ate it right up she was back to her usual self I left for a few hours came back home to her wagging her tail waiting for me to get in the house lol im still keeping a close eye on her to see if any of the symptoms are coming back. I have to say the charcoal did work but also the hydration with the pedialyte helped a lot I could've lost my dog if I didn't get right to it..... I hope this is helpful for anyone .... I did a lot of praying too & also I would give her lots of TLC they need to know youre there for them & that you love them that they're not ready to go yet ....

Replied by Piper Mom
([email protected])
07/12/2016

Just left the vets office with my 4 1/2 month old Red Heeler. Diagnosis is Parvo! They gave her a large dose of fluids and send me home with an antiobotic and anti-nausea meds. Even the vet said she doesn't act like a parvo puppy but the test was positive. She does drink some water but hasn't eaten in 12 hours now. She just threw up for the second time and its only a quarter size flem. No diarrhea. Any suggestions? I'm thinking I need some charcoal but not for sure about the dosing.. Please help,,, This is my baby!

Replied by Suseeq
(Sydney, Australia)
07/13/2016

There is plenty of info on this site for treating parvo. Also give colloidal silver 3x day 10mls, vit c 500gms 2x per day keep the fluid up liquid chicken stock with no salt.

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
07/14/2016

Hey Piper's Mom!

2 tablespoons to 2 cups of pedialyte/electrolyte solution is a general starting point; if that seems too concentrated try 2 teaspoons to 2 cups of pedialyte. Work on getting small amounts down I e 2cc's, not the entire 2 cups at once. Dose often, hourly, and keep your baby warm. Focus on getting the liquids in over feeding/solid food. Please report back!

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Myah (Greensboro, North Carolina) on 09/17/2015
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

My dog Sage caught parvo when she was a puppy and we took her to the vet and followed through that procedure the first time. It cost $800 and they said it's still a 50/50 chance of recovery.

Two years later Sage caught it again, she start not eating her food or drinking and throwing up and there was blood in her stool. We knew we couldn't afford it again so I started doing research and I came along activated charcoal.

So we gave it a shot, here's the steps

1) Get activated charcoal in the caps, then get Pedialyte (clear), white rice, beef or chicken broth, and a one ounce syringe

2) You don't want to give them the capsules until they can hold something down so every 30 minutes for two hours give them one ounce of Pedialyte. After they are not throwing up the Pedialyte, break two capsules open and mix it with ounce of Pedialyte and give them this solution every 30minutes for 4hrs

3) Just in case they want to eat or drink, keep water and rice with the broth in their bowl.

4) When they begin to become more active, only give the dosage once a hour and every other hour replace Pedialyte with cold water

5) When they are eating and drinking again and their stool doesn't contain blood and starts hardening up again you can stop the charcoal treatment.

6) Continue the rice and broth 7 days after the symptoms are gone and switch back to dog food.

Sage made a full recovery and is about to turn 3.

Replied by B W
(Orlando)
01/17/2016

Warning! Do not give dogs cold water. It is better to use room temperature water. Especially in summer.

Replied by Stephanie
(Nc)
09/22/2016

Hi, after you give them the charcoal for 4 hours, what do you do?

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
09/22/2016

The Original Poster dosed it hourly after the 4 hours of dosing every 30 minutes.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Codi (Mo) on 09/05/2015
 ★★★★★

I want to thank everyone on this site. This works. My pit bull was his beath bed. We were losing hope till we found this. We tried everything nothing seemed to be helping. Bought active charcoal

After 2 days my dog is up and walking around. I'm so thankful. We still have a ways to go to get him back up to weight but we are very blessed to still have our dog alive.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Kml (Philippines) on 08/14/2015
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Two weeks ago our dog Zoe was not active and didn't have an appetite. The next morning she was vomiting and pooping blood. She was diagnosed with Parvo by the vet and said she had 50/50 chance to live depending on how strong her immune system is. She was immediately given IV fluids to avoid dehydration and IV medications such as anti-emetic drugs and antibiotics.

I fed her every hour with 5cc gatorade. I was losing hope because she was always lethargic and didn't react even if we injected her with medicine. I saw this website and learned about activated charcoal. It was very hard to find activated charcoal here in the Philippines because the drugstores don't usually sell it but I managed to find one in a City nearby.

I mixed the activated charcoal with gatorade as what I have read here, fed her 10cc of the mixture every 2 hours. I wasn't able to sleep for a couple of days but it was all worth it.

Zoe is back to her old self after 7 days of home treatment. Thank you for this article our dog is still alive. Please don't let your dogs suffer this illness and have them vaccinated. Don't give up them because they will never give up on you.

Replied by Cody
(Philippines)
08/20/2015

Hey. Please help me where can I buy an activated charcoal?

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
08/21/2015

Hey Cody!

Look for Activated Charcoal at your pharmacy, drugstore, or in an aquarium store.

Replied by Kml
(Philippines)
08/25/2015

Hi Cody!

For us here in the Philippines, what I did was search in olx.com for activated charcoal. You can have it picked up or shipped to you.

Replied by Pearl
(Carmina Cavite, Philippines)
08/31/2015

Could you please tell me where you were able to buy the activated charcoal?

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
09/01/2015

Hey Pearl!

I buy mine online/Amazon - but you can also find it in health food stores or if desperate at an aquarium store in larger pellet form that you must grind in to a fine powder before using.

Replied by Christelle
(Philippines)
11/16/2015

Hello! I'd like to ask the measurement you used for the gatorade and activated charcoal. I hope my puppy will recover soon, we lost his sister 2 days ago. Thank you!

Replied by Juliet
(Cagayan De Oro, Philippines)
01/26/2016

Hi, I just want to know where did you bought the activated charcoal? What specific pharmacy? I am desperate right now because its been 3 days that my 2 months puppy is very ill. We check it with our municipal vet and he was given a parvo shot but it does't do anything good to him. He is too weak, he didnt eat, he always vomit and have diarrhea. Since I couldnt find activated charcoal yet, I opt to use apple cider vinegar. Please tell me what specific pharmacy where activated charcoal is available..thank you in advance. GOD BLESS

Replied by Mama To Many
(Tennessee)
01/26/2016

Dear Juliet,

If you cannot find it, you could consider making it, that is what I would do in an emergency.

How to Make Charcoal Powder

~Mama to Many~

Replied by Jessica
(Los Angeles, Ca)
04/02/2016

Hello I have a puppy who was diagnosed with parvo on Thursday and I've given him Activated Charcoal mixed with Pedialyte and he keeps throwing it back up. What can I do? Did your pet ever throw the Gatorade mixed with Activated Charcoal back up?

Replied by Suseeq
(Sydney, Australia)
04/02/2016

Hi Jessica, try colloidal silver give 3 times a day - 5mls.

Replied by Donald
(General Santos City, Philippines)
09/13/2017

Activated charcoal with name of "Blackforce Activated Charcoal" is available in Brigada News Fm or Brigada Healthline Clinic in your area. Or your may try to ask in pharmacy distributors in your area.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Carmen (Detroit) on 07/10/2015
 ★★★★★

After treating my pitt Oreo activated charcoal caps as well as pedialyte through the turkey baster, today he woke up waggin his tail, not throwing up, and ate a some rice!

I'm in tears! It works! I'm gonna keep him on this regimen until he starts eating really good! Thank you all! I didn't give up on my best friend, and you don't either!

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
07/10/2015

Hey Carmen!

I LOVE those pibbles! :-)

Keep Oreo on the activated charcoal for 5-7 days AFTER he seems completely back to normal so he does not have a relapse. Keep feeding him good groceries to build his strength back up.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Momndani (Las Vegas, Nevada) on 12/30/2014
 ★★★★★

I just wanted to share my story too. Our beloved dog of 11 years passed away this Fall. My mom got us 2 puppies, brother and sister chi-weenies, to help my children with the absence. They seemed like very healthy, energetic pups. About 2 weeks ago, I rescued another pup from a busy street and had him for about 72 hours. They all played so well together. No issues. 5 days after he left, our girl pup started throwing up. (This was two days after Christmas). I made some rice with chicken broth and kept her near the fire...thinking she had eaten a piece of candy or something she shouldn't have. She was dead Sunday morning, only 24 hours after symptoms started. I was shocked! I had not realized how ill she was. I found this site and cried! I wish I had known! Then, Sunday night, little boy started throwing up! I ran immediately over to the nearest Walgreens and bought Charcoal, unflavored pedialyte and a syringe. We started the charcoal about 45 minutes after his first throw up. We tried the 10 ccs, but that made him immediately throw up. So after two episodes, I lowered it to 5 ccs. That did the trick. He stopped throwing up about midnight. By Monday morning, he was trying to drink tiny amounts of pedialyte on his own, and by that afternoon he ate a bit of rice with chicken. He seemed so much better by evening, that we decided to let him sleep all night, rather than keep up the charcoal. That was a mistake. He started throwing up the next morning (today, Tuesday). I immediately gave him 5 ccs of charcoal water...he promptly threw it up, but went over and drank some pedialyte on his own an hour later. Thats a good sign.

Now I know...keep up the charcoal no matter what for the first 48 hours. I just really wanted to thank you for this post! I really appreciate your willingness to share this info so we can help our sweet family members!!!

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Victoria (New Orleans, US) on 12/07/2014
 ★★★★★

Please, , if you havent tried the charcoal with Pedialyte, please do. I would suggest that if your puppy/dog is having trouble holding anything down, don't give it to him/her until you have given an enema of electrolytes.

Here is my story..We were getting a new Papillion and ended up with two, a half brother and sister, after we lost our family dog(a papillion) to trauma about a year ago. Anyhow, they are almost 7 months old and have had all shots but are due their 6 month shots. :( Roux, the male got really sick almost a week ago, it got so bad, the throwing up and diarrhea that I really thought I was going to lose him that nite.. I tried keeping him hydrated..nothing was working. I brought him to the vet and he tested positive for parvo. They said if I didnt bring him to the Animal emergency hospital, he wasnt going to make it. I had no choice, , to the tune of $2,000. Money I really don't have, , he is still there.

Bella, the female began to get sick Friday nite.. I tried everything and was trying to figure out what I could sell to get her into the hospital when I happened upon this site. she was going down.. I tried the enema of pedialyte, she stopped long enough at 4am for me to get to the 24 hour drugstore where I got the charcoal in vitamin form, broke it open and mixed 2 tablespoons with 1 cup of pedialyte. She has not thrown up or had diarrhea since. she is getting up. She still looks like hell but she is not dehydrated and shes moving around. ITS UNBELIEVABLE... but I really believe if theyre not keeping anything down, the enema gave me the ability to get the charcoal in her system to do its thing. I will let you know if anything else changes. I believe its saving her life.. I really do.

Replied by Amy
(West Plains, Missouri)
05/07/2015

How long does it take for the activated charcoal mixture to work?

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
05/07/2015

Hey Amy!

It depends - on the particular dog or puppy, on how long the symptoms were present before treatment began and the current condition of the pet.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Blondy (Trinidad, Wi) on 11/22/2014
 ★★★★★

Thank you all for the help. I did the activated charcoal in electrolytes and it worked on my 2 and a half month old blue pitt bull. Thanks so much, he is back to his self.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Josh (San Antonio, Texas) on 06/19/2014
 ★★★★★

I have a 11 week old English bulldog named Diesel that just got Parvo. I have had a pitbull puppy die before so I know how quickly this virus effects puppies. I woke up at 5am to find my boy had thrown up several times and did not want to eat or drink. Yesterday he ate but not at his usual rate (usually scarfs his food down). I began searching online and came across this website. I went to Walmart due to noticing an earlier post the activate charcoal which is also called activate carbon is sold in the fish section. It cost me $6USD to purchase, I also purchased pedialite and Gatorade. Once home I poured some Gatorade, pedialite, and two tablespoons of activated carbon into my blender. The carbon was in chunks and needs to be powdered for easy consumption. My buddy drank it right up and not even 30min. later was running around and playing. A complete 180 degree from where he was this morning. Thank you everybody and this method does work!! Don't give up on your best friend.

Replied by Mae Angeles
(Philippines)
11/27/2014

Hi.. My 3 months old puppy has been lethargic this morning and vomitted twice.. He hasn't eaten the whole day.. I am not sure if he is showing symptoms of Parvo or distemper. But I have read this thread and I am wondering if the electrolyte with activated charcoal would also help solve distemper issue.. Please help. We have lost a puppy due to parvo.. Please.. I don't want to lose another baby and I am definitely sure my mom will be depressed if we lose Coby..

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
11/27/2014

Hey May Angeles!

If this were my puppy I would not hesitate to give him the AC & electrolyte solution -and right away. If your puppy is not acting right, and you suspect parvo or distemper - go with your gut and begin treating right away.

Replied by Mae
(Philippines)
11/28/2014
★★★★★

Hi there!!! Thank you for your response. Yesterday we started giving him the apple cider vinegar solution, seen slight change on him. This morning we gave the electrolyte solution with AC.. He seems to start recuperating by drinking a lot of water on his own again.. Yay!! Thank you so much!! I hope he gets well continuously. I will share this and your page to all my friends. :)

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Pamela (Austin, Texas) on 05/20/2014
 ★★★★★

I lost two puppies last week to parvo. I spent over $1,000 to have them in the animal hospital for fluids, only to have my heart broken when they sent them home and they passed away. I had no idea what parvo was or how deadly it was. The next day, their dad was sick with it. I went on line and found this web site and immediately started treating him. I gave him pedialite, every half an hour, activated charcoal, colliodial silver, one raw egg every morning, and a bit of honey (to keep his sugar levels up). Today is day 6 of him being sick and I am happy to report that just as I am typing this, he ran up to me and jumped on my leg. He isn't eating on his own yet, but he is getting back to normal.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Andrea (Austin,Tx) on 04/02/2014
 ★★★★★

Activated charcoal worked with my 2 and half yr old australian shep pup who had parvo.

Replied by Ruby M
(Stockton)
05/02/2014

My 4 month old puppy is very sick, I bought charcoal but she threw up clear with a little black, I've been giving her gatorade every 20-30 minutes ): any more advice ? I really don't want to lose her):

Replied by Tiffyb1414
(Durant, Ok)
05/03/2014

Switch to Pedialyte...it's in the baby section at any grocery store. It will help her tremendously. Keep us updated!

Replied by Denise
(Vancouver, B.C.)
05/03/2014

Take the puppy to the vet, mine two of six of my pups had parvo they require iv meds and hydration! Unfortunately I lost one but saved the other just in time. Good luck

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Jazzii09 (Sydney, Australia) on 10/17/2013
 ★★★★★

I found out a week ago on a Saturday that my 8 week old Maltese X Shih tzu, Lexi, had parvo. I couldn't afford the vet bill to keep her there and get the help she needed and they basically told me if I took her home she most likely would not survive through the night. I decided to take her home and try my best to nurse her back to health, the vet gave her an antibiotic needle and one to help with nausea, he also gave a sachet of Lectade which is mixed with water. I was petrified I'd lose her, I wanted to try as many things that I could try to help my puppy. That same day I found this site and heard about active charcoal and the amount of people who used it on they're dogs and got great results, so I tried it on Lexi. I gave her the Lectade water every 30mins to keep her hydrated and then every 2hrs gave her the active charcoal mixed with water and gatorade, the next day I woke up and she was still not great but had started eating bland chicken I had given her, she started walking around a lot more also and later that afternoon had started to get her energy back. That night we were still worried and weary to sleep as she still wasn't drinking by herself, we kept giving her water through the syringe and by Wednesday morning I woke up to a crazy Lexi who was fully of life, running around and jumping and just started eating and drinking by herself.

If I didn't find this site I would never have heard about active charcoal, we don't know 100% which exact remedy we used that helped her, but either the Lactade or Active Charcoal had some kind of effect and I'm so grateful for it. If it wasn't for either, I could have lost my puppy.

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
11/14/2013

Hey Jewilin!

I'm sorry your baby is going through this infection.

Activated Charcoal has worked for folks, and also supplementing with electrolytes to combat the dehydration that occurs with the diarrhea. If you can mix and administer the AC with Lectade - an electrolyte formula for pets, or make this recipe at home:

Homemade Pedialyte

4 cups of water (boiled or bottled drinking water)
1/2 teaspoon Morton lite salt (because it has potassium in it as well as sodium chloride) Can use table salt if you have to.
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon flavored jello or a little juice (I used sodium free broth to add some flavor)

Dissolve the ingredients in the boiling water and cool before serving. You can also freeze it into cubes.

Another contributer used Colloidal Silver [available online or even at your local drug store] to cure a litter of pups with Parvo:

The silver was 70 to 100 PPM [the drug store variety is usually 10 ppm - if its the only one you can, get it and use it]
Given twice a day for a week
Feed canned wet food

Keep us posted on your baby please!

Replied by Catrina
(Lakeland, FL)
06/07/2014

Where can I get the activated charcoal, and how do I mix it for my dog

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
06/07/2014

Hey Catrina!

Many drug stores and health food stores or whole foods type stores carry activated charcoal in tablet or loose powder form. Aquarium and pet stores also carry activated charcoal in a granulated form. To treat a dog with parvo you need to either crush the granules or dissolve the tablets, or start with the loose powder form.

Activated Charcoal works especially well when used with electrolytes to combat the dehydration that occurs with the diarrhea. You can make this recipe at home:

Homemade Pedialyte
4 cups of water (boiled or bottled drinking water) 1/2 teaspoon Morton lite salt (because it has potassium in it as well as sodium chloride) Can use regular table salt if you have to. 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon flavored jello or sodium free broth to add some flavor

Start with 1 cup of electrolyte solution in a small jar with a lid; add 2 heaping tablespoons of AC and then put the lid on and shake to blend. This goes into a syringe well and then can be placed into your dog's mouth; tip the head back and gently depress the plunger to allow him to drink it slowly. If your dog won't take this concentration, use 2 cups of electrolyte solution and 2 heaping tablespoons of AC. For a small dog such as a Chihuahua I would try to get 2cc's down at a time, every half hour for the first three hours; for a larger breed like a pit bull I would try 10cc's for a dose.

If your dog has an appetite, you can mix the AC into canned dog food and make that a bit wetter and sloppier by adding the electrolyte solution to the wet food. The virus generally does not kill the dog - its the resulting dehydration that does the damage - so make sure you get those electrolytes down.

Give your dog the wet AC and electrolyte loaded food am and pm for 5 days and up to 7 days. If he is hungry between meals, give him extra AC and electrolyte feedings.

Replied by Cherisse
(South Africa)
08/19/2014

hi,vwhen you used MMS with parvo, what protocol did you use?? for how long?? with a viral life threatening infection you have to dose for 8 hours for 3 weeks..I used CDS with distemper and it worked wonders. I use it on myself as well.

Replied by Om
(Hope, Bc Canada)
08/19/2014

Cherisse, South Africa --- MMS for parvo. It has cured a dog by just giving a few drops for three days and he was fine at day three. I buy my vegan supplies from Real Raw Food and they are giving this info about their dog at the bottom of their products line. I bought MMS from them. They are trustworthy people.

Namaste, Om

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Jasmine (Australia) on 10/12/2013

I just recently got a Maltese X shih tzu puppy thats 9weeks old last Wednesday, I took her to get her vaccination on the Friday and the vet had said she was healthy and everything was fine. Saturday night she started vomiting andlater on had diarrhea that entire day she was so tired and wouldn't eat or drink, took her to the vet today and found out she has parvo and its a high chance she got it from her last owner. I've heard a lot about active charcoal working well for puppies with parvo, I just want to know how much can be given to her? She weighs 1kg. I've been feeding her water mixed with Lectade, that the vet gave, every 30 minutes to every hour. She had an antibiotic shot and another shot to help with vomiting all for 24hrs. If there's anything else we can try to make her better please let me know. I don't want to have to put her down, I want to try everything I can to nurse her back to health

Replied by Hennie
(Pretoria, South Africa)
10/13/2013
Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
10/13/2013

Hey Jasmine!

Sorry to hear about your sick puppy.

Did your vet confirm the parvo with a snap test or fecal float? It is important to not misdiagnose parvo with the canine crud or Campylobacter [more below].

It is important to inform your breeder as the virus may have been contracted by another puppy buyer visiting the litter; the sooner all puppy buyers know about the virus the sooner all can start treating their puppies.

You may find good results with a homeopathic product "Parvaid" by Amber Technologies. Another remedy is "Tamiflu" - read up here:

http://www.dalmatianrescue.org/info/parvo.pdf

More on the "crud": http://www.dogstuff.info/dog_show_crud.html

More on campylobacter: http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_multi_campylobacteriosis#.Ulra0N4o7b0

These are time sensitive conditions and the sooner you get a handle on it the better.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Ortizse (Chino, Ca, Usa) on 03/08/2013
 ★★★★★

My husband and I finally decided to buy my five year old her first puppy. We bought Django (Boxer, Lab, Shepard Mix) when he was 9 weeks old on a Sunday he ate that night. The next day we were scheduled to take him to the Vet for his 2nd set of shots, the Vet was concerned with his calm manner and asked how he has been. He had thrown up before we went to the Vet and hadn't eaten anything all day, he also had slight diarrhea. The Vet told us he was very concerned he may have Parvo. We were on a tight budget and couldnt afford the treatments if the test was positive so we took him home. I came online and found this remedy using Activated Charcoal. Wednesday night he still hadn't eaten anything so I went out and bought the activated charcoal as recommended and mixed it with gatorade and water. By the next afternoon he was starting to eat and by thursday evening his appetite was back. It's now Friday and he is playful and full of life! I wouldnt have believed it... We are so happy! What could have cost us $1200 for treatment only cost us $10 and he is happy as can be! Thank you soooo much!!!!


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