Activated Charcoal - How to Administer
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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.
Good luck and please keep us posted!
(Ontario, CA)
09/04/2014
(Mpls., Mn)
09/04/2014
Hey Marybeth!
You may be doing everything right; it is just that your puppy cannot keep it down because he is ill.
Consider giving him an OTC anti nausea remedy such as kaopectate. Dose this and wait before trying the AC/pedialyte.
Keep an eye out for dehydration; use the pinch test to check: Pinch with two fingers the skin on the scruff or back of your pup's neck and pull it up, so it forms a tent or peak -and then let go. It should *snap* right back rapidly. If it slowly sinks back down or takes a few seconds to settle back down then your puppy is dehydrated.
If you are dealing with dehydration your best bet is to see the vet. Some EC contributors have had success using sterile saline solution for contact lenses and injecting it under the skin with a hypodermic needle and syringe to re-hydrate a parvo pup, but again the best thing to do might be to see the vet if you are dealing with a dehydrated pup.
(Alabama, US)
10/28/2014
So Sunday morning my pup was fine, but Sunday night I came home and he had nothing to do with his food or water. Same for Monday morning. Immediately took him to the vet even though he was not vomiting and had diarrhea only once, and found out he has parvo. I have been giving him Pedia lite every hour. He recently has started throwing up-Tuesday night- it's not too late to try the activated charcoal is it?
(Mpls., Mn)
10/29/2014
(San Antonio, Texas)
11/02/2014
(Mpls., Mn)
11/02/2014
Hey Hilda!
Try 1 tablespoon into 4 cups of pedialyte and see how he tolerates it from there. If he cannot keep liquids down he is at risk of dehydrating - google on how to test for dehydration. If he becomes dehydrated you have an emergency and should see your vet. Some anti-nausea meds - Immodium and other over the counter meds may help. If he is still interested in food you could mix 1/2 tablespoon of AC into 1 cup of dog food and see if he tolerates that. Dose him frequently, and keep him warm and clean.
Activated Charcoal - How to Administer
(Mpls., Mn)
11/16/2013
Hey Bianca!
You can find AC at your local drug store; aquariums stores have some in a pinch, but its 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. 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 shke 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 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.
Please keep us posted!
(Arizona, US)
05/10/2014
I just found that my 5 week old Chihuahua puppy has parvo. At least I suspect it to be parvo because he was so playful and happy and all of a sudden he just became what looked like depressed. It started on Wednesday of this week so its only been three days, he was just sleeping a lot and it threw me off because it was just so weird. I also realized he didn't want to walk and it looked like he had trouble walking. He's only thrown up three times, once everyday since Wednesday but yesterday is when he officially stopped eating and that was dinner, he ate his lunch and breakfast. He hasn't had diarrhea or any strange things in his poop. Right now im just giving him Gatorade to hydrate him, but I have to use a syringe because he didn't want to do anything but sleep. Since this morning I thought It was really bad because he was so limp and seemed like he didn't want to wake up but after giving him the Gatorade he seems a lot better. I also cannot afford to take him to the vet anytime soon. But is there any suggestions to what else I can do for him?
(Mpls., Mn)
05/10/2014
Hey America!
You can support your puppy by keeping him warm.
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.
Mix one quarter teaspoon of the activated charcoal into one half cup of electrolyte solution and try to get your pup to drink it. Try dosing with the AC solution every 3 hours, and keep up with the plain electrolyte solution every half an hour.
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 mixed into canned wet food.
Lastly, tell the breeder/owner of the litter and any other folks you know with littermates that your puppy has this virus; its likely the entire litter was exposed and all are sick.
(Ontario, CA)
08/30/2014
(Mpls., Mn)
08/30/2014
Hey Jennie!
If your dog has good appetite, try 1/c cup into a large can of dog food - this for one meal, and I would feed at least 3x day spaced out and be sure to offer a bowl of electrolyte for her to drink as she wishes.
If your dog is not eating well, try 2 tablespoons into 1-2 cups of electrolyte solution and use a syringe to get him to drink - do this 6x day spaced out. Monitor to make sure your dog is staying hydrated.
Activated Charcoal - Where to Buy
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Activated Charcoal - Where to Buy
★★★★★
Activated Charcoal Dosing
(Mpls., Mn)
10/13/2014
★★★★★
Activated Charcoal, Colloidal Silver, Coconut Water
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Activated Charcoal, Oregano Oil, IV Fluids
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Then I started giving our 7 month old, 80 pound Boerboel charcoal capsules in his ground beef treats. I also gave him oregano oil - I put 5-10 drops of oil in a capsule and gave him 2 every morning. So I gave the oregano oil in the morning, and then 4 charcoal capsules in the afternoon and evening.
On Friday he wouldn't eat, started to vomit and had loose stool. We took him in immediately, and they started him on an IV and meds. He has not had anymore vomiting or diarrhea and he is eating - a little picky, but he is eating! He will be coming home today.
Our girl will be coming home in a few days - as soon as she will eat by herself.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
(Arizona, US)
05/17/2014
★★★★★
I just want to say thank you for the information. My 3 month old dog who only weighs 2 pounds and will only grow to about 5 pounds was showing signs of Parvo. Because I had just recently had a Pit Bull who had the same symptoms I knew it was Parvo. With my Pit Bull I took him to the vet and spent money on IV's and antibiotics to get him well. I did not have the money this time around to do the same thing so I came online and found this website. I mixed a combination of a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, two table spoons of Activated carbon, Water and Pedialyte into a 16.9oz bottle of water. I began giving the solution to her every two hours. Because it was around 2 in the morning I was only able to give her two doses of that and in between I gave her one dose of just 50/50 Pedialyte and water. When I woke up this morning the baby who was not drinking or eating, throwing up and would not move was waiting on the edge of the couch wagging her tail and waiting for me to put her on the floor. She immediately ran to her bowl and began drinking and eating on her own. I am so grateful to all of you who shared your stories. What could have cost me hundreds of dollars only cost about $25 total and she is back to running around and playing with her best buddy the Bugga the Pit Bull. I will be forever grateful for the advise I received on this site.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Activated Charcoal
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(Louisiana)
09/08/2020
I love your post Tammie and thank you for that info. At the same time I can't help but wonder if the vet visit had anything to do with the pup getting sick. As I child I just can't remember Parvo being a household name as it is now.....
It was just a thought that occurred to me when I read your post.
(NV)
05/09/2021
There is some strong speculation around anecdotal data that the distemper vaccine created a susceptibility to Parvo.
According to Don Hamilton DVM, in his book Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs, the canine parvovirus pandemic of the late 1970s led to the idea of the necessity of annual vaccinations for dogs while there is no scientific evidence that this is necessary or beneficial. Most puppy vaccines give at least 5-7 years of protection, many being provided a lifetime of protection.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Activated Charcoal
★★★★★
Thank all of you!!
(Belize)
03/18/2017
After reading all these post I was in tears 😠hoping I could of brought back Chappie. I watched this virus deteriorate my poor pup's body in nearly 72 hours. He was on IV and antibiotics but but he just couldn't hold down the meds. He's vomited and stool continuously. I knew he wouldn't make it when the Vet told me his vains collapsed. I urge others to vaccinate your dogs and don't give up on them.
(Texas)
09/04/2018
Anastasia,
Mine was vaccinated and got parvo, had another that caught parvo from the vaccine so idk.
(FL)
02/16/2021
★★★★★
Lost my pup from a a parvo vaccine he was fine and playful before the shot then got full blown parvo wish I had known about this before now. I had to give a new pup the vaccine and same scenario... got symptoms after the vaccine. I came across this site gave him this formula and he is doing ok
Apple Cider Vinegar, Activated Charcoal
★★★★★
At that point we force fed him the meds for the worms and we started looking home remedies for the parvo since we didnt have money for what he needed from the vet. So after talking to friends that familiar with the virus, we was told to force feed him baby food, Apple Cider Vinegar with chicken broth and going behind that with gatorade to replenish his electrolytes but everything kept coming up. We went back 2-3 days later to the vet to get him an IV and a shot for the weak stomach which was around $35.
After that point his stomach was fine to keep fluids and food down which was good. I took a chance and came across this forum and seen the charcoal tablets and at this point he was showing no change in his status, so I went out to the vitamin shoppe and got Charcoal Tablets from Nature's Way.
I cracked 2 of the pills open and added to his gatorade, stirred, and force fed that along with baby food and gatorade every 2-3 hours. That was around noon on Sunday, by 7 pm that night he started walking around a little bit more and I did a test and gave him a little bit of his hard puppy food and he started eating some of it on his own.
Although he was coming along better, I still fed him the tablets and the gatorade throughout the night and by the next morning he was almost back to normal. It is now 3 days later and he is now back to biting on things and people lol and eating and drinking on his own. The worms are gone and all of his energy is back along with his weight. Thank you guys so much for posting your best practices on here because it really helped!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Pedialyte
★★★★★
(Mpls., Mn)
12/14/2014
Hey ESSMom!
If this were my litter I would dose the activated charcoal with each feeding for 7 days - even if the puppies look like they are fully recovered, I would keep up with the AC for 7 days. If they are taking food just fine I would be OK discontinuing the electrolytes. The DE likely will have little effect on ascarids - consider the usual wormer from your vet if you have not had them on a regular worming schedule. The ACV won't hurt; no all vets are savvy about alternative approaches, so your vet's confusion while frustrating is understandable. You might consider finding a holistic vet down the road.
Good luck with your litter and please report back!
(Wichita)
03/05/2016
I have a dachshund mix & I've been giving her pedialyte & liqified food, I saw that I could mix ACV w/ Pedialyte But I Don't Know The Right Doses, Usually I've Been Giving Her 4 3mL Of Pedialyte every other hour or 2 3mL Every hour. I Don't Want To Give Her Too Much. She's About 30 Or 35 Pound (Guessing) she seems to be getting a lil bit of energy but I'm not necessarily sure. Please help!
(Mpls., Mn)
03/05/2016
Hello Lexus,
3 ml sounds way too little for a 30 pound puppy - you want to keep her hydrated, so give her as much as she will take; you cannot over do it.
Rather than trying the ACV I would focus on getting activated charcoal into your pup. Please read the entire section as you will learn where to buy it and how to mix it into the food.
(Philippines)
05/29/2018
I have a 3 month old dachshund and she is suffering from parvo right now, it's been 4 days now. She's 3 kilogram, How much ACV will I gave her? is it okay for her? she's not eating at all and she's not drinking by herself. Her poop has a blood and she's vomitting. What can I do to make her better? please help me, Thanks
(Davao)
06/06/2018
Arnica Tea
★★★★★
Also great for bursitis, bumps, bruises & swelling, use as hot compress.
Arsenicum Album, Diatomaceous Earth
★★★★★
*1-24-12* Got some great info I wanted to share, last night around 7 or so my friend called to tell me about her friend's puppy that they just found out from the vet she had Parvo, she was in the first stages of it which is lethargy and loss of appetite... So they came over to pick up some Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) (which kills viruses and bacteria quickly) and arsenicum album. Which is the homeopathic remedy of choice for Parvo... She gave 4 doses of the arsenicum album (2 pills placed in a 2 ounce amber spritzer bottle, hit on palm of hand 8 times before each dose) last night 1 dose per hour for 4 hours and I think two doses of the DE at 1/2 teaspoon per dose. I told her for today to give the arsenicum every 3 hours and the DE 2-3 times (she actually gave a dose of the Arsenicum and the DE both every 2-3 hours throughout the second day). So this morning at 10:30 I called to check in on the puppy and she had got up and gone downstairs TWICE to go potty already! Then I got a call a hour and a half later and the puppy was eating some chicken! She hadn't started drinking yet but already those two things are great improvements! Thank God for His perfect medicine!!! Will keep y'all updated as I hear them...
*Update at 7pm 1-24-12
So far she's been eating more, going outside on her own to potty and playing with her momma, not drinking but peeing so she's still improving greatly, woohoo!!!
* 1-26-12* Ok new update as of today, she began drinking today and is eating and acting normally again!!! WOW, 3 days from start of treatment to being back to a healthy state, I've recommended she continue at least one dose of DE everyday for the next 3 weeks just to make sure she doesn't catch it again, plus it has other health benefits. This treatment had fast results and if everything was purchased new for this specific instance would have run about $15 total, that's a HUGE difference between the other two options which is to let the dog die or hospitalize it which is extremely expensive as it runs for 5-7 days time with intensive care. I think I'd rather do the natural method that's much cheaper, much more effective, and much faster for healing. : D
(Middletown, Ohio Usa)
01/30/2012
★★★★★
SWEET! Got some more good news on treatment for parvo, the puppy has been doing just great and amazing, her mother however, was not so lucky and came down with the parvo and quickly progressed to vomiting blood, this began last night. This morning she was given an anti-nausea pill (not sure what kind) and I was called about her condition, they came over quickly to get some phosphorous that we added two pills to the original arsenicum spritz bottle, she was given this every 15 minutes for an hour and a half and I recommended that it be given again for every hour for four more hours then reassess. At this time she was not throwing up from the anti-nausea pill and was then given a dose of pepto with a tablespoon of DE mixed in with a bit of water so it wasnt pasty. Shortly after she had a bout of diarrhea and began shivering, this was at 11:20 AM.
I called to check in on her just now and she has not vomited again, has not had any more diarrhea, was given a second dose of the DE in plain water and has only received homeopathics and DE alone since then. She is acting like herself again, has been able to sleep for the first time since yesterday and even went out to pee. Sounds like we have another parvo recovery!!! Our Heavenly Father has been so amazing, that despite living in this fallen world he did not leave us without healing
(Middletown, Ohio USA)
01/31/2012
Ok so Just spoke with my friend to get another update on the dog, and guess what?! Ok well let me update ya first ; ) So after 6 pm yesterday she continued to dose the dog with the homeopathics every 15 minutes during the times the dog was up, she was resting and getting in some good naps so she left her be while sleeping but dosed every 15 minutes while awake and when her belly felt like it wasn't hot anymore and then spaced it to every half hour which is perfect, she was following the dogs body and adjusting the dose based on the recovery. She also dosed the dog two more times with DE before bed, the dog was up and drinking again and in the night threw up one last time but it was clear with some DE chunked up in it.
This morning she woke up her owner with lots of kisses, she's been wagging her tail, going potty and feeling great already eating and drinking here and there! AMAZING, 24 hours after the first dosing and she's practically cured, I'm shocked, I thought it would take longer with her case getting so severe so quickly! Since I've forgotten to mention this previously, these dogs are small chihuahuas, this virus is so horrible it needs large frequent doses of DE to extinguish it, the frequent dosing of the homeopathics is to stop vomiting, diarrhea, give comfort and alleviate any pain the dog experiences, it's amazing the quick recovery with these two marvelous God given medicines!
(new mexico)
07/27/2022
(TN)
07/27/2022
Hi Trish,
The most commonly known benefit of diatomaceous earth is that it dries the exoskeleton of bugs, as you mention.
That does not exclude it being helpful for viruses, bacteria, and fungi. I believe that the theory is that diatomaceous earth is negatively charged and adsorbs positively charged bacteria, viruses, etc, thus neutralizing them.
Adsorb, by the way, is not the same as absorb. (I think of "adsorb" like "adhere.") Charcoal also works by the process of adsorbtion.
~Mama to Many~
(Olympia Wa)
04/08/2018
(Calgary)
07/27/2022
I could not disagree with you more!! I use Diamotaceous Earth on infections all-the-time, and it works every-single-time! I think this is due to it having a tiny electrical charge which zaps the bad bacteria, germs, or whatever. I sprinkle the D.E. on the infected area. I do not cover or anything else, I just walk around looking like some powder fell on me and I didn't notice. The stuff clings to the area of infection where it's needed and the rest falls off. D.E. has taken out some serious infections for me, ones I was worried about.
I know you believe it was bad info, but just because it's not in your experience does not mean it isn't true. Please try it yourself on an infection before you tell people stuff like that. Words have power, especially written ones. We wouldn't want anyone to turn away from a healing agent like D.E. simply due to a lack of personal experience.
(South Africa)
10/06/2022
(AZ)
11/04/2022
"arsenicum album (2 pills placed in a 2 ounce amber spritzer bottle, hit on palm of hand 8 times before each dose) last night 1 dose per hour for 4 hours and I think two doses of the DE at 1/2 teaspoon per dose"
I for some reason don't understand the application here. How did you administer the DE?
What does it mean to hit on the palm of the hand?
And where did you Spritz? Sorry but I just don't understand the application of the remedy here. Picking up puppies today and want to be ahead of any problems. Thank you
Coconut Water
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