Activated Charcoal for Parvo - #1 Most Popular Remedy

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.

31 User Reviews


Posted by Melissa (Apple Valley, Ca) on 10/13/2012
★★★★★

Re: Charcoal for Parvo

I just got some charcoal last night. You can get it at a drug store. We gave it to our 10 week old pitbull. It came in capsule form. We opened the capsule, added a little pepto bismo, and diluted it with water. Used a dropper to administer some. He is sooo much better today.


Activated Charcoal
Posted by Zaylow22 (College Park, Georgia) on 09/03/2012

My 2 year old dog got jumped by another dog and 2 days later he started throwing up, diarrhea with blood not eating or drinking hardly anything. ( I know he has Parvo cause all the dogs around the neighborhood been spreading it around). Symptoms just started I gave him some 1tbls charcoal. 12 oz of water and 2 oz of gatorade (you can free hand the gatorade, might help to get him to drink it) in a bottle giving it to him every 2hrs waiting to see what will happen hope he gets better. Wish me luck.

Replied by Chelle
(Clovis, Ca, United States)
10/13/2012

Thank you, we did find the charcoal tabs. We have been desperately trying to save this puppy. The one with Parvo isnt mine, he is the sibling of mine. I have been going over to my friends house two and three times a day to help administer fluids and do the subcutaneous fluid on his neck. He is still alive but now we are about 7 days into this and he is a bag of bones, the anti-vomiting fluid doesnt seem to be working any longer either. I have forced pedialyte, chicken broth, protein shake, water, you name it we have tried it. He also has blood in his urine as well as stool. I just dont know what else to do, we have done about three doses of the charcoal but that doesnt stay down either. This is so heart breaking. Any one have any other ideas? I am thinking that he just might be too far gone to save. All the other puppies died very quickly within a day or two, this one has now been fighting for a week. I go through quite a cleaning ritual every time I go to their house and back to mine to make sure I dont bring the virus into my home and infect my baby. I am so scared to bring it home, but cant bear not going and trying to help save this puppy, he is the brother of mine. And so far mine is showing no symptoms, but I am watching him like a hawk. Mine has had his first set of shots and receives his second tomorrow. I desperately want to save his brother.

Replied by Michelle
(Chicago, Il)
10/17/2012

Hopefully this puppy didnt die yet. Sub Q fluids is not working. If it was the puppy should have been better by now. If there is blood in the urine go to the vet. Are you sure it is urine? Sometimes the stool is so watery that it looks like urine. I went through the same thing with 5 puppies and after the first one died I learned quickly what to do.

You need to give pedialyte in an enema form to help it absorb into the body. Obviously if the puppy isnt keeping anything down go a different route. In a puppy I would only give 1 to 2 teaspoons with a syringe , without a needle, of pedialyte in an enema. Do this every hour. Dont give the puppy a protein shake. Get some pureed liver and pureed banana and mix it together and give a teaspoon to the puppy a few times a day. Fluids need to be given more than 3 times a day. At least every hour. Try to get an antibiotic for bacteria to give to the puppy. The puppy will die from the bacteria before the parvo. I am not a vet! I am a dog owner that had the same problem and this worked for me. Dont wait until puppies start dying to try to fix the problem. Also take a cup of hot pedialyte add two tea bags of chamomile tea, 2 bags of bigelow mint medley tea, two bags on echinacea tea and a teaspoon of FRESH chopped garlic. Let it sit until it cools and strain out the garlic pieces and remove the bags. Give a teaspoon orally 4 times a day to your puppy. This will help sooth the stomach. I did these things and my puppies were fine in a couple of days. Also put a little of molasses on the gums everytime you give fluids to help keep the glucose levels up.

Replied by Raza
(Pakistan)
03/31/2017

Give him probiotics... it will helpful to improve his intestines bacteria.

Use any antibiotic to prevent other diseases. And if he is feeding than just gave him warm chicken broth.

And also continue infusion to counter dehydration.

Replied by Penny
(Oregon)
10/08/2017

Most important thing to do is make them drink about every 15 minutes...do not let them get dehydrated......if they do they will die.


Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
01/11/2014

Hey Randy!

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. Thin if this is too thick for your dog to swallow easily. Depending on the size of the puppy/dog, for a smaller breed or tiny pup, you might consider 2 cc's of the pedialyte every 20 minutes, and then 2cc's of the AC/electrolyte mixture every 2 hours for 6-8 hours/first night.

Activated Charcoal
Posted by Catherine (Greenville, Sc) on 07/15/2011
★★★★☆

This website saved my sanity. We somehow brought parvo into our pack (7 dogs) during a time when we had a visiting dog. The 14 month old dogs were the ones who came down with it. The 1st one recovered on her own after 3 days. Her main symptoms were she would not eat or drink. The second one spent 3 days at the vets office getting IV fluids and antibiotics because she was dehydrated (main symptom was bloody diarrhea). She also did not want to swallow the fluids I was trying to give her. So the guest dog went home and then got sick so I had them bring him back so I could keep him hydrated. He vomited all day -- more than I could get in him. I was really scared. Then I found your website and read about giving the activated charcoal. I gave it every 2 hours and after the 3rd dose Barley licked his leg where some of the liquid fell. So I put water and aloe vera juice in a bowl and he lapped it up. He has gone back to not drinking (or eating), but he has not vomited at all and I am able to keep him hydrated.


Activated Charcoal
Posted by Scorpioempress (Ridgecrest, Ca) on 05/02/2011
★★★★★

I have seen parvo too many times. I live in the Mojave desert where it is rampant. My little chihuahua mix, who hasn't yet gotten all her shots, came down with it yesterday morning. By dinner, I knew for sure it was parvo and came to this site. I found charcoal as a remedy and rushed to Walgreens. I bought Charcotabs for $20.00. I gave Wolfie about a quarter can of beef broth mixed with the charcoal of 3 tabs (took the tabs apart)... Yuck.

This morning she was happy, wagging her tail, and jumping on my leg. I have given her 2 more doses today because she is still feverish. But I know that IF you can keep a dog eating and drinking, they live. I think it isn't the bacteria that kills but the toxin that is released when the body kills the parvo. However, according to my theory, the charcoal bonds to the toxin rather than letting it circulate in the body and is pooped out. Black poops EVERYWHERE! Lol (Sound reasonable?? lol) It worked for me!

Replied by Jon
(Ridgecrest, Ca)
05/04/2011

I live in ridgecrest as well and noticed my pup was acting a little weird this morning and kept a close eye on him most the day. He was acting a little lazy so I took him in and he tested positive for parvo and the vet said I caught it very early and gave him an iv and some shot and sent us home with tamiflu. He seemed very interested and excited to see what this tamiflu would do at such an early onset. All that being said if walgreens wasn't all ready closed I'd be giving him charcoal as well...

Replied by Monica
(San Antonio, Tx)
05/17/2012

Well I'm reading about the Charcoal and I cant believe how I never heard about that. I have a miniture Datson and she was just over a yr old , about going on 2weeks she became fatigued and would not eat or drink, I took her to vet hospital and she was diagnosed with parvo, I new I could not afford a vet bill like that, I am a single mother of three, and she had become our family... I shed tears like u would not believe and even spend my last to get the antibiodic and pills for nausea, including Dr. Visit for them to tell me she would not survive at home and all I could do is try. But I was gona try it anyway... The pills thy gave her made her have seizures and she bcame worse. I didnt now what to do, then my mom told me to stop giving her the medicine and give her whats called [colloidal silver]

And unbeilieveable!!!! Within the second day, bloody stools, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue was going away. She started to drink more and to this day is starting to eat on her own, she lost alot of wieght but we are working on tht. And I am disinfecting yard and house. I really thought we were gonna lose her, but she is doing better, yet I feel like I need to educate myself more about parvo, she had her shots whn it hit her so not sure why it did. but learning about charcoal stunned me, we will see what the future holds .....

Replied by Om
(Hope, Bc, Canaada)
06/12/2013

Re dog parvo: Yes, colloidal silver will kill viruses and bacteria. Excellent choice including rehydration and activated charcoal.

Remember, honey and royal jelly in warm water will kill bacteria and are a food. Another option for rehydration would be coconut water. Giving antibiotics in addition to these options is not necessary.

It just is soo upsetting that vets will clean out their clients or even send them away if the money is not forthcoming. Stay tuned in on EC; it will save not only money but your pet will not be harmed by harsh and ineffective drugs. Hope the best. Om

Replied by Adriana
(Texas)
05/17/2015

Hello I have a 3 month Chihuahua and I think it may be having symptoms of parvo.. Can someone please tell me what exact charcoal I can safely give him....????? PLEASE HELP....!!!

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
05/18/2015

Hey Adriana!

Start small - mix up 1 teaspoon in to 1 cup of broth and shake well to mix and see if he will tolerate that. The key is to dose often so he does not get dehydrated.

Replied by Lisa
(Sweetwater, Tx.)
02/11/2017

Yes I have a 3 1/2 month old puppy. He had had his first shots. But just last night he started throwing up and will not eat drink any fluids. Reading about this colloidal silver.

Replied by Stellaluna
(Oregon)
02/19/2017

My pup was sooo sick when we got her, (she was too young and not properly weaned we discovered after we got her home, so sad! ) colloidal silver was a lifesaver for her, INSTANT progress! Bonus - she LOVED it! - I put it in a tiny mist sprayer and sprayed her open mouth (most of the time she would just lick it up) and I sprayed her nose so she could inhale it.

Also, I fed pureed squash or pumpkin with tumeric and warm broth and she would eat that with some rice. Now if she sees that small little mist sprayer she comes and just sits at my feet and stares, hoping to get a little spray...lol--Good Luck to you!


Activated Charcoal
Posted by Vicky (Banning, California USA) on 04/17/2009
★★★★★

Six months old puppy diagnosed by Vet as Parvo. Had been sick one day when taken to Vet. Took her home and mixed up one tablespoon activated charcoal in 12 ounces of water. Using a large barrel syringe I slowly put the charcoal into the backside of her mouth so she would have to swallow it. Even though she is 75 pounds, one glass of this mixture made a great difference within one hour. I gave her two more doses at 2 hour intervals and she was by this time drinking on her own and no vomiting or diarrhea [since the first dose] so put a little charcoal in her drinking water. She was eating a little by the next day and by the third day was back to full normal. I continues to add some charcoal to her drinking water for four more days [not much because then she wouldn't drink much of it, just enough to make it cloudy, mildly gray]. I have also used it the same way when my dogs have been poisoned with rat poison, with the same excellent results.

Replied by Tyler
(San Jacinto, Ca)
05/05/2012

Hello everyone I just wanted to thank everyone who posted about the activated charcoal and my buddy Tank thanks you to I spent the day at the vet for them to tell me tank had gotten parvo. I was already giving him the pedialyte cuz he wouldnt eat or drink I didnt know what else to do other then keeping him hydrated then I found this site about the charcoal and thought I had to try it so I ran out and found them came home and mixed it with water like everyone said and fed it to him with a baby dropper he kept it down and a few hours later I gave it to him again and like others had said you could see a diffrence in him with in hours and today he is eating well and seems happy im gonna put a little bit in his water bowl just to be on the safe said I never post on anything but I really felt I needed to thank all of you for the info so thanks again from Tank and Tyler ill post in a few days to let you know how its going thanks again.

Replied by Courtney
(Bradford, Ontario)
06/05/2012
★★★★★

My 9 month old dog was diagnosed with parvo on Sunday night. His symptoms started on Friday, when we came home from work and found he had vomited every where. He continued to vomit periodically throughout Friday evening. On Saturday, he did not vomit, but did have some diarrhea (no blood), however by this time he would not eat or drink anything (not even table scraps! ), which is completely out of character. Also at 9 months, he is almost always full of energy and life, so when he started sleeping constantly, and acting depressed, we knew something was up.

On Sunday during the day, he vomited up some grass, and he had diarrhea (still no blood). By Sunday evening, he was so lethargic however he would not even move. He would barely even lift his head and I worried he would not make it through the night so I took him to an emergency vet clinic. It cost me $250 for the vet to test his feces, and tell me he was positive for parvo. She gave me two options. He could stay the rest of the night, at a cost of $1200.00 and they would treat him with IV and blood tests and we would have to pick him up in the morning and take him to another clinic, or we could put him to sleep.

Prior to taking him to the vet, I did not know what parvo was, but I googled his symptoms and ended up at this site. I had a pretty good idea my dog had parvo. I had read about this charcoal thing and tried unsuccessfully to find it at Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, or any health food store. But when our only options were to fork out thousands of dollars or put him to sleep, we just paid the $250 for the visit, and brought him home against medical advice.

I stayed up most of Sunday evening trying to get my dog to drink water, and around 2:30 in the morning, he started to swallow instead of spit it out. I woke up at 5 in the morning, and he was still alive. I continued to push fluids on him and throughout the day, after drinking, he was able to eat a little bit without vomiting it up.

Because we couldn't find any charcoal, my boyfriend bought Active Carbon, which is supposedly the same thing as Charcoal, from Walmart in the Aquarium Section! It is used to clean fish tanks. It cost him 4 dollars. We bought some Gatorade and made a mixture of Gatorade, Water, and Charcoal, and used a syringe to get him to swallow this at first. Within a half an hour, his appetite was in full force, and so was his energy level. We continued to feed him this gatorade, water, charcoal mix throughout the night, and today - Tuesday - he is nearly 100%. While he is still laying down relaxing more than he typically would, he is wide awake, fully alert, and eating anything and everything we will let him (we are going easy as he hadn't ate in so long and don't want to upset his stomach). He is chasing the cat, playing, and running around like a lunatic (like he normally does).

About an hour ago, Animal Control showed up at my house. The vet had called them on us because we had gone against medical advice, and if he was not treated, he would "suffer". One knock on the door, and my dog booked it to the door barking and wagging his tail at Animal Control. The lady at the door was baffled. "This is the dog that was diagnosed with Parvo on Sunday evening?" I told her yes, and she said he seemed fine. She said it was incredibly rare for him to bounce back like this, and most puppies are dead within 24 hours of diagnosis. And of course, she let me keep my dog, because it is very clear he is not suffering.

So THANK YOU so, so much for writing about this remedy. A treatment that was going to cost us thousands of dollars ended up costing us about 10 in total, aside from the initial vet visit, and if we didn't see this site, we probably would have had to put him down because we couldn't afford the treatment. While our dog can drive us crazy with his hyperactivity and spunk some days, we have never been happier to see him acting so nuts. Something tells me our boy is going to be getting extra spoiled for a long time, we are so grateful and happy that he made it through.



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