Category: Poisoning in animals
Activated carbon is one of the most famous remedies used for various problems with the digestive system. The medicine is allowed to be used not only by people, but also by animals. How to give activated charcoal to a dog? What dosage is acceptable for animals?
The digestive system of dogs is much more sensitive than that of humans. Intestinal disorders are not uncommon.
The animal's stool is disrupted, which leads to dehydration and leaching of beneficial microelements. Why does this phenomenon occur? There are a number of causes and factors that cause diarrhea in a dog.
Factors:
- Poor nutrition, fatty foods, excess feed;
- Poisoning by chemical compounds;
- Worm infestation;
- Sudden change in diet;
- Entry of foreign objects into the intestines;
- For allergies;
- Infectious diseases;
- Lack of important vitamins and microelements;
- Stomach damage, cancer;
Constant diarrhea causes the dog to become lethargic and lose its appetite. If diarrhea is caused by one of the described reasons, then treatment must be started immediately. Diarrhea is a serious risk. (you can offer not only coal, but also rehydron for dogs)
After some time, dehydration develops, and pathogenic bacteria continue to spread in the intestines, irritating it. It is unacceptable to feed the animal during this period; the food will not be digested, and diarrhea will intensify.
How does poisoning manifest in a pet? Serious intoxication is characterized by intense symptoms and signs.
Signs:
- Increased salivation, foam from the mouth;
- Severe vomiting, bile and food residues are present in the masses;
- Rapid heartbeat;
- Change in body temperature up or down;
- Convulsive manifestations;
- Weakness, lethargy, apathy;
- Changed color of mucous membranes;
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The appearance of suspicious symptoms simultaneously with diarrhea is a serious reason to consult a doctor.
Dosage for an animal
Activated carbon is a sorbent that is highly effective.
Acceptable for use in cases of poisoning by gases, food, and heavy metal salts. The medicine is non-toxic and, when used correctly, does not provoke the development of unpleasant sensations.
Approved for use in adults and children. Can be used on animals. Available in the form of tablets and black powders.
It is prescribed for dogs for allergic reactions, poisoning, and diarrhea.
How to calculate the dosage of activated carbon? For a pet, the permitted amount of the drug is calculated based on the weight of the animal - one tablet is taken per ten kilograms of weight. The dosage is reduced for the puppy; it is allowed to give half the specified amount.
Dosage of activated carbon for a dog with diarrhea
Carbon sorbent is a natural substance with a porous structure. It is obtained from natural organic raw materials by charring and further activation at high temperatures.
After opening the pores, their specific surface can reach up to 2 thousand square meters. m for each gram of substance. The drug is available in the form of dense black tablets that are easily crushed into powder.
They are odorless and release air bubbles with a hiss when they come into contact with moisture.
The mechanism of action of activated carbon is based on its ability to adsorb toxic compounds on its surface due to the formation of hydrogen or intermolecular bonds. In this case, the sorbent particles are not absorbed by the intestinal mucosa, but, together with toxins, are eliminated from the body naturally. Coal is prescribed:
- for various types of intoxication;
- intestinal infections;
- allergies;
- flatulence;
- cold pathologies.
It should be noted that long-term use of the drug is undesirable, since it can adsorb compounds that are beneficial to the body.
Can be used for dogs
Is it possible to give activated charcoal to a dog? The sorbent can also be used for animals, since it does not contain components that can harm their body. Veterinarians themselves often prescribe charcoal to dogs:
- for various intoxications;
- liver diseases;
- digestive disorders;
- infectious diseases.
According to veterinarians, the most common reason for visits to clinics is due to poisoning. Coal should be used when the first symptoms of intoxication appear. It effectively adsorbs toxins and removes them from the body. But sometimes the observed signs may indicate a serious illness. You should not give activated charcoal to your dog if:
- gastric bleeding began;
- there is a peptic ulcer;
- an allergic reaction to the components of the drug is possible.
- Use of sorbent for diarrhea
In some situations, poisoning may be accompanied by dehydration, which makes the use of carbon sorbent useless. Intestinal upset occurs and stool is disrupted. If you are not sure whether your dog can use activated charcoal, then you should not use it. It is better to show your pet to a veterinarian.
Diarrhea can be caused not only by poisoning, but also by other reasons:
- unhealthy diet;
- large amounts of fatty foods;
- helminthic infestation;
- entry of small foreign objects into the intestines;
- sudden change in diet;
- lack of essential microelements.
In these cases, activated charcoal will not harm a dog with diarrhea. But diarrhea is dangerous due to the possibility of dehydration and proliferation of pathogenic microflora in the intestines. In case of severe intoxication, it is supplemented with:
- increased salivation;
- severe vomiting, possibly with bile;
- increased heart rate and temperature changes.
If such symptoms occur, you should immediately consult a specialist.
Dosage of the drug
If your pet is not treated promptly or completely, complications may arise. To get the expected effect, you need to correctly calculate how much activated carbon to give your dog. According to the recommendations of experts, the dosage depends on the degree of intoxication and ranges from 0.5 to 2 g per kilogram of animal weight. For puppies, the dosage is usually reduced by half.
The drug is not toxic, but may cause a side effect such as constipation. When prescribing activated charcoal to a dog, the doctor will calculate the dosage and duration of administration depending on the degree of intoxication. If necessary, he will prescribe additional treatment.
The sorbent tablet has neither taste nor smell, so it will be difficult to force the dog to swallow it. We'll have to come up with a clever trick. How to properly give activated charcoal to a dog if it is poisoned? You can choose one of the following methods:
- placing the tablet on your pet’s tongue, hold its mouth closed until it swallows it;
- if we are talking about a puppy, mix the crushed tablet with water and pour it into its mouth using a syringe;
- if you crush the tablet and mix it with tasty porridge, the dog will eat it without any problems.
Before giving your dog activated charcoal, you should make sure that enough time has passed since the previous medication was taken. Otherwise, its effect will be reduced due to adsorption by carbon.
Analogues of the drug
Today, many analogues of activated carbon are produced. They are effective in much smaller dosages, but their cost is noticeably higher. All analogue drugs can be divided into two large groups.
Organic sorbents. Their active ingredient is a special polymer compound that is isolated from algae and some plants. The composition of drugs in this group also includes carbon sorbent. Among them, the most popular are Polyfan or Polyphelan. Their use may cause side effects such as constipation.
Source: https://podberi-mmc.ru/dozirovka-aktivirovannogo-uglja-dlja-sobaki-pri-ponose/
What to do if your dog is poisoned?
If you notice signs of poisoning in your dog, you should contact a veterinarian. In the first hours, it is necessary to provide medical care to the pet. Actions are taken to remove the poison and normalize the dog’s condition.
Actions:
- First, the animal's stomach is washed with a large volume of water. The solution is poured into the mouth using a syringe or from a bottle. It is allowed to use a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then the gag reflex is provoked.
- After the procedure, the dog is given sorbents.
- To alleviate the condition, you can do an enema, this will help quickly rid the body of toxins.
Further treatment is carried out by a veterinarian in a specialized institution. He will determine how to properly administer medications to your pet.
Can activated charcoal be used for a dog: dosage, indications and contraindications, veterinarian advice
Home and family April 21, 2018
Proper and regular nutrition, timely vaccinations and, of course, attention. This is the key to good health for any pet. A caring owner understands this very well.
And if something in the pet’s behavior or condition has changed for the worse, he immediately asks the question: how to correct what happened? What medications should I use? Is it possible to give a dog or cat what you use to treat yourself?
In this article we will talk in detail about whether dogs are given activated charcoal. And if so, in what situations and doses?
About the medicine
Activated carbon is a drug with high adsorption potential. It contains:
- charcoal;
- coal and petroleum coke;
- coconut shell elements and many others.
When should I take it?
This remedy should be used if one of the following cases occurs:
- with flatulence;
- poisoning;
- liver cirrhosis;
- diarrhea;
- gastritis;
- metabolic disorders;
- to cleanse the body and lose weight;
- dysentery, etc.
Effect of the drug
With regular use of activated carbon, the following processes occur:
- fight against diarrhea;
- providing a detoxification effect;
- adsorption of harmful substances in the body;
- removal of gases, salts of heavy metals;
- absorption of harmful substances appearing on the skin;
- removal of poisons and toxins from the stomach.
Now that we have figured out what kind of medicine this is, we can begin to consider the issue of whether it is permissible for a dog to use activated charcoal.
Contraindications
If your pet has one of the following disorders, you should not use the medicine:
- when there is bleeding in the stomach;
- presence of peptic ulcer;
- hypersensitivity to the drug or its individual component.
Disadvantages of the drug
There are also situations when giving a dog activated charcoal will be useless. Among them are:
- lack of knowledge about what the pet is sick with;
- if the animal is severely dehydrated, the effect of charcoal will be significantly reduced.
Dosage
To get the maximum effect from the medicine, you need to give activated charcoal to your dog in strict compliance with all norms. Standardly, this is from 5 milligrams to 2 grams of the drug per 1 kilogram of animal weight.
ATTENTION! Only a veterinarian should calculate the dose. Based on the symptoms and duration of the disease, he will indicate the required amount of coal, and will also complement the treatment with other drugs.
Can activated charcoal be given to a dog expecting a litter? The answer is yes. The drug is absolutely harmless, and therefore suitable for use not only by pregnant animals, but also by puppies. Its remains are eliminated from the body within 9 hours, along with other harmful and dangerous substances.
The duration of administration of activated carbon is determined only by a veterinarian. And after all treatment recommendations have been received, you need to immediately begin to implement them.
Signs of the disease
Your dog may need to use activated charcoal in the following situations:
- Increased salivation.
- Change in urine color.
- The appearance of shortness of breath.
- Increased heart rate.
- Changing the normal temperature level in any direction.
- The occurrence of a sharp reaction to light.
- The appearance of seizures.
- Dry nose.
- Vomiting with bile or mixed with blood.
- Loss of consciousness.
How to give medicine at the first signs of poisoning?
If the first symptoms of poisoning appear, it is necessary to give the dog activated charcoal as soon as possible. But before that, it is important to do the following:
- Induce vomiting. To do this, you need to place your finger in the animal's mouth. Next, pressure is applied to the root of the tongue (not strong).
- Organize gastric lavage. Dilute a liter of potassium permanganate solution and pour it into your mouth. This will have to be done by force, since the animal will not want to eat or drink anything. You can use a syringe without a needle or a syringe.
ATTENTION! Before giving your dog activated charcoal, make sure that more than 40 minutes have passed since taking the main medication. Otherwise, the sorbent will simply reduce its level of action.
Results
The use of activated charcoal when treating a pet is standard practice in veterinary medicine. However, the dosage of this drug must be regulated by the doctor himself. Otherwise, problems with the body may arise that can lead to various diseases.
Source: .ru
Source: https://monateka.com/article/274052/
Is it possible to give coal to a dog?
Can I give this drug to a dog? This sorbent is used for animals. Charcoal helps remove toxic substances from the body and prevents toxic compounds from being absorbed into the intestines.
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The product is tasteless and odorless, so you can simply give it to your dog. When using, you must follow the instructions and accurately calculate how much activated carbon you are allowed to give to your pet.
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How much activated charcoal should you give your dog for diarrhea?
Diarrhea often occurs due to a common stomach upset: when changing food, introducing a new product into the natural diet or treats. Situations are not excluded when the dog simply picked up some nasty stuff on the street or took treats from the hands of compassionate passers-by.
In such situations, the owner can easily cope alone. Need to:
- Eliminate any food and treats. Puppies are not fed until 12 hours; adult dogs can easily withstand a hunger strike for 1-3 days. The exception is obese pets. In them, complete starvation disrupts liver function.
- Give your dog a sorbent for diarrhea. Enterosgel, Atoxil, activated carbon.
- Drink plenty of water. Frequent bowel movements lead to dehydration and disrupt electrolyte balance.
- Drink herbal decoctions. Blueberries will do; sage; St. John's wort; cinquefoil, oak bark, pomegranate peel. They strengthen, soothe the intestines, and reduce fermentation.
- Prepare rice or flaxseed broth. They have a fixative effect, envelop the walls of the stomach and intestines and, thereby, protect their mucous membrane.
But sometimes diarrhea is caused by chronic or acute pathologies. You cannot act independently when:
- there is blood in the stool: scarlet color indicates bleeding in the rectum, black indicates hemorrhage in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT);
- vomiting occurred;
- the temperature has risen or dropped;
- a depressed state is noted: the dog hides in a corner, whines, and does not allow itself to be petted;
- There was discharge from the eyes and nose.
On the topic: Vomiting and diarrhea with blood in a dog.
If you notice one of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately. A delay of even a couple of hours can result in the death of your pet. These signs indicate:
- intoxication with poisons;
- entry of a foreign object into the gastrointestinal tract;
- helminthic infestation;
- pathologies of the digestive system;
- acute infectious conditions - infection with distemper, rotavirus, parvovirus;
- cancer.
Regardless of the causes of diarrhea, you absolutely cannot:
- Use medications for people that slow down intestinal motility. They retain toxic substances inside the body, which increases intoxication.
- Use antibiotics. Yes, they help with diarrhea, especially if it is caused by a bacterial infection. But the prescription of antibacterial agents is the prerogative of the doctor. Only he will select a safe drug and dosage.
- Force feed. The food still won't be digested. But it will increase diarrhea, vomiting, intestinal fermentation, and gas formation.
- Feed with vegetable oils. Sunflower, olive, and flaxseed oils increase diarrhea.
After the condition improves, the animal is kept on a diet for a couple more days. On the first day they give empty rice, on the second - fermented milk products. From the third day, lean boiled meat, eggs, and sea fish are allowed. Only by the end of the 1st week do they return to their normal diet.
Drugs for veterinary use are usually prescribed and administered only by a doctor. But some of them can be bought at pet stores or veterinary pharmacies. I advise you to look for such medications and replenish your emergency first aid kit for animals with them.
Activated carbon has the appearance of a black fine-grained powder without taste or odor; at the micro level it is a porous substance. Usually sold in the form of compressed carbon tablets weighing 250 milligrams, 10 pieces per package.
It consists entirely of carbon, which is extracted from coal, various types of coke, but more often the starting material is wood pulp, which is heated to 900oC, and then washed and activated by blowing with steam or strong acids.
Due to its high porosity, a gram of the substance has a surface area of 1000 m², that is, 50 grams of activated carbon has a surface area equal to the area of 10 football fields. Because of this property, activated carbon is effective as an adsorbent medicine. Has a high tendency to chemical reactions. Oxidized by oxygen, carbon dioxide and ozone (O3).
Mechanism of action
Adsorbs most chemicals on its surface, thereby reducing their absorption into the bloodstream from the intestines. Adsorption (not to be confused with absorption) is based on the chemical binding of the toxin to the pores in the activated carbon, which are filled with liquid.
The effectiveness of the drug (adsorption rate) depends on:
- the rate of absorption of the toxin into the blood;
- pH value of the environment;
- volume ratio of activated carbon and toxin;
- the presence of undigested food residues in the stomach and intestines;
- the ratio of the mass of activated carbon to the body weight of the animal;
- kind of animal;
- the time the drug enters the body after the onset of symptoms of poisoning.
When eliminating intoxication, the dose of charcoal can be calculated based on the amount of toxins. The carbon-toxin ratio is 10:1. However, in case of poisoning with substances that participate in enterohepatic recirculation, several doses of activated carbon must be administered.
Such connections include:
- digitoxin;
- digoxin;
- nortriptyline;
- theophylline;
- phenobarbital;
- phenytoin.
The enterohepatic recirculation process is a closed ring process:
- The toxin is absorbed into the blood in the intestines.
- It enters the liver through the portal vein.
- In the liver, the toxin binds to glucose.
- Excreted with bile in the duodenum.
- In the intestine, the sugar-toxin complex breaks down, releasing the sugar and the toxin.
- Absorption occurs again, the circle closes.
Indications for use
Used to absorb chemical toxins. At the same time, it has very high efficiency, its effectiveness is much greater than with gastric lavage. It is used for any chemical and drug poisoning, as well as for intoxication with products of plant and animal origin.
But you need to keep in mind that activated carbon is useless against some poisons:
- iron;
- methanol;
- strong alkalis;
- strong acids;
- cyanides;
- ethanol;
- ethylene glycol.
The drug is contraindicated for ulcerative lesions of the duodenum and bleeding.
It is not recommended for use in case of constipation, since a common side effect in such cases is complete or partial blockage of the intestines.
If it is necessary to use it for constipation, the animal must be given laxatives, preferably of natural origin, so that there is no reaction with the toxin.
Dosage
It is better not to give tablets, suspension or powder, since tablets are 25% less effective (this must be taken into account when dosing). When using powder, a suspension is made from it; for this, a gram of coal is dissolved in 3-50 ml of water. In case of poisoning, the dosage is calculated based on the volume of toxins eaten, the ratio is 10 grams of powder per 1 gram of toxin.
If the amount of toxins or the cause of diarrhea is unknown, then the dose is calculated based on the weight of the animal. For puppies, this is 1-4 grams of coal per kilogram of pet weight or 1-3 tablets. The powder is dissolved in water before use, and when using tablets, the animal must be given water; puppies are given 50-200 ml.
Half an hour after feeding activated carbon, the animal is given a laxative if it does not have diarrhea. This is necessary for the successful evacuation of the complex formed when coal binds toxins. However, if your pet has diarrhea, then this is not required - the body will remove everything on its own.
Source: https://zdorov4ik.ru/skolko-aktivirovannogo-uglya-davat-sobake-ponose/
When should you give the medicine?
In what cases is it permissible to use this drug? There are several indications when a substance will be useful for an animal.
Indications:
- Disruption of the digestive system;
- Allergic reactions to food;
- Liver diseases;
- Poisoning with various substances;
- Intestinal upset, diarrhea;
- Infectious diseases;
The drug does not harm the animal, but it is not recommended to abuse it.
It is allowed to replace the drug with its analogue - white coal. This product contains silicon dioxide, which binds and removes toxic compounds from the dog’s stomach and intestines.
Dosage and instructions for use
Before starting treatment that is not prescribed by a doctor, you should be as sure as possible of the diagnosis. If the cause of diarrhea cannot be determined, the most common ones need to be considered:
- Poisoning.
- Allergy.
- Reaction to medications.
- Dysbacteriosis.
- Stress.
Separately, it should be said about milk , which can cause diarrhea in a dog with lactose intolerance. Most animals simply refuse milk if they cannot digest it, but it happens that pets happily drink a treat and then suffer from diarrhea. Similar situations can occur with a sharp reaction to chicken eggs, honey, sugar, or when consuming raw liver or boiled beets.
Note that activated carbon is used not only for oral use. With the addition of the drug, cleansing enemas . When administered orally, charcoal must be dosed according to the instructions, since its amount is calculated based on body weight. When used as enemas, the tablets are ground into powder and dissolved in water, so their dosage can be increased up to two times.
People need to take the prescribed dose of activated charcoal at one time; problems can arise with dogs. It’s not easy to “push” 4–6 hissing tablets that stick to the tongue into the mouth of a resisting, large pet. If problems arise, you can prepare a wet paste from the coal and smear it on the dog’s tongue (closer to the root).
source
How to give activated charcoal to a dog?
How to give a pill to an animal? Not every dog is ready to swallow medicine. However, there are several ways to give your dog medication.
Methods:
- Place the tablet on the root of the tongue. The mouth is kept closed until the animal swallows the drug.
- Grind the medicine into powder and mix with liquid food. The medicine has no taste, so the dog can easily swallow it.
- Prepare a solution - crush the tablet and mix with water. Pour the finished product into the dog’s mouth. In this form, the medicine is easy to give to a puppy or small animals.
Thus, it is possible to give your pet activated carbon if you use dexterity and cunning.
How to give medicine to a dog
The drug is given to the pet orally.
The drug can be fed in the form of tablets or a water suspension. To prepare a suspension, the tablets must be crushed into powder and diluted in boiled water. The amount of solution depends on the size of the dog and the dosage of the drug. 1 tablet will require 5-10 ml of water. Give the drug 1-2 hours before or after feeding . Do not mix the sorbent with food or nutritional liquids (broth, milk)
The break between taking activated carbon and other medications should be at least two hours. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the medicine is reduced.
To feed a dog a charcoal tablet, place it on the root of the tongue, close the mouth and slightly lift the animal's head, stimulating swallowing. Give the dog water.
The suspension is poured into the mouth from a syringe onto the inner surface of the cheek. If the dog has a calm character, you can drink the solution from a spoon. The suspension has no taste or smell.
The drug is sold in tablets of 0.25 and 0.5 g. The daily dosage of activated carbon for a dog is 0.1-2 g per 1 kg of weight for all breeds and ages. This amount is divided into 2-4 doses.
The veterinarian may increase the dosage at his or her discretion. The duration of taking the drug depends on the purpose of therapy and ranges from 3 to 14 days. If necessary, the course of treatment is repeated after 2 weeks.
For dyspepsia and increased gas formation, the drug is prescribed 2-4 tablets 3-4 times a day for 3-7 days.
For rotting and fermentation in the intestines, increased acidity of gastric contents, the drug is prescribed 5-10 g 3 times a day for 1-2 weeks.
In case of poisoning
For maximum effect, you should give the medicine to your dog in case of poisoning immediately after eating the poison or within 1–2 hours.
Algorithm of actions:
- Do gastric lavage through a tube with a 10-20% suspension of activated carbon. The stomach is washed out by a veterinarian!
- After the procedure is completed, the dog is given a sorbent to create the required concentration in the intestines. Doses: 10-20 g per dose in the form of a suspension, diluted in half a glass of water.
- Dosage by weight: 0.5-1 g per kg of dog weight. This is the daily amount, it is divided into 3-4 doses.
- If the dog vomits after taking the medicine, then the suspension is fed again.
- If your dog is poisoned, you need to give the sorbent for 2-3 days.
If there is a lot of feed in the stomach and intestines, then it is necessary to increase the dose to create an excess of the drug, since part of it will be neutralized by the contents of the gastrointestinal tract.
If the amount of sorbent is insufficient, then already bound toxins will be released and absorbed into the blood.
In case of intoxication with drugs that, during circulation in the body, are excreted by the liver back into the intestines (indomethacin, cardiac glycosides, opiates), the course of the drug is extended for several days.
How to give for diarrhea and vomiting
A veterinarian prescribes this medication for dogs with diarrhea and vomiting. These disorders may be the result of serious poisoning or an infectious disease, so a diagnosis must first be made.
To treat diarrhea and remove toxic inflammatory products from the intestines, the drug is prescribed as part of complex therapy.
Prescription of the sorbent is possible for the following infectious diseases:
- colibacillosis (escherichiosis);
- salmonellosis;
- campylobacteriosis;
- viral enteritis;
- distemper of dogs.
Doses are selected individually depending on the manifestation of clinical signs. If there is frequent vomiting, it is not recommended to give your dog charcoal.
How to give sorbent to a puppy
Giving medication to puppies is not recommended. It is believed that coal particles can injure the intestinal mucosa. In this case, the choice leans towards more modern drugs (Enterosgel, Polysorb, Smecta).
Is it possible to give activated charcoal to a pregnant or nursing dog?
Pregnancy and lactation are not contraindications to the use of the drug. Since the medicine transits through the intestines without being absorbed into the blood, feeding it to the bitch will not affect the puppies in any way.
Contraindications for use
This sorbent does not cause serious harm to the body. However, there are cases in which it is not recommended to use such a medicine.
Occasions:
- Constipation;
- Bleeding in the stomach or intestines;
- Ulcerative diseases;
- Compound intolerance;
If the dog does not have such phenomena, then you can safely use activated carbon to get rid of diseases.
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If constipation occurs from taking activated carbon, it is recommended to give the dog a little oil and drink plenty of water.
Activated charcoal can be given to dogs in many cases. When used correctly, the medication will help you quickly get rid of unpleasant sensations and remove toxic substances from the body. However, it is recommended to remember that if the animal’s diarrhea does not go away, then a visit to the veterinary clinic is mandatory. Timely assistance will save the dog's life.
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What is this?
The sorbent can also be used for animals, in particular for dogs. The absence of effects after administration and the absence of compounds harmful to the dog’s body in the drug promotes rapid recovery. The active substances of coal are removed quickly enough and without consequences.
The animal has black stool. Together with them, all toxic elements that have not had time to be absorbed into the blood are removed. This shouldn't be scary. But it’s better to play it safe by visiting a veterinarian, whose authority and power is to promptly and promptly make the correct diagnosis and prescribe proper treatment.
Dogs are prescribed in such cases:
- all kinds of digestive disorders (diarrhea, high acidity, flatulence);
- liver disease;
- salmonellosis;
- allergic rashes;
- poisoning;
- intoxication.
ATTENTION .
The sorbent will not give a positive result in all situations. Sometimes imaginary poisoning becomes evidence of serious illness. The animal must be examined by a doctor. an absorbent preparation is strictly prohibited for :
- opened bleeding in the stomach;
- peptic ulcer;
- immunity to the drug itself.
Operating principle
Activated carbon acts in the stomach and intestines. After taking the tablets in their natural form, they actively absorb moisture and break up into small grains. By absorbing liquid, charcoal absorbs toxins for several hours, after which the drug is eliminated from the body naturally.
Note! After taking activated carbon, the stool turns black. If this does not happen, most likely you have identified an intestinal blockage at an early stage and your pet needs urgent qualified help.
It is known that during diarrhea, the intestinal mucous membranes work very actively. The secreted fluids bind toxins and are released naturally. This is why stool becomes liquid. As for the frequency of bowel movements, it becomes more frequent. This is explained by the natural processes of cleansing the body and irritation of the intestinal walls. With acute diarrhea, the dog literally cannot restrain the urge to have a bowel movement, this must be treated with understanding. If you punish the dog, and it tries to endure it, increased intoxication and acute spasmodic pain will be added to all the troubles.
Please note that acute, persistent diarrhea should not be ignored! The longer the mucous membranes work in hyperactive mode, the more friendly intestinal microflora dies. The dog's gastrointestinal tract is quickly colonized by pathogenic microorganisms, which leads to dysbiosis, even after diarrhea is eliminated.
Important! Veterinarians recommend using activated charcoal to treat all types of diarrhea, but only as directed. In some cases, diarrhea needs to be controlled, but cannot be stopped.
Diarrhea is very dangerous because it quickly leads to dehydration . The problem is that the mucous membranes are actively working. Trying to cope with the constantly multiplying pathogenic bacteria, the intestines constantly take water from the body. What happens if diarrhea continues but dehydration has already set in? It’s simple, pathogenic bacteria get complete freedom, the body’s defense mechanisms no longer interfere with their reproduction, which dramatically increases intoxication and irritation of the intestinal walls.
Intestinal motility, due to a lack of mucus, does not decrease, which leads to physical damage to its walls. If the owner does not adhere to the rule of a starvation diet, the walls are also scratched by food that has entered the intestines. In this case, food is not digested or absorbed, since the intestinal walls are injured, too irritated and cannot perform their direct functions.
Note! Activated carbon works like a sponge - it absorbs liquid with toxins and leaves the body with feces. The drug does not enter the bloodstream, so it is almost pointless to use it to eliminate long-term or acute intoxication.
Contraindications for use
Activated carbon for diarrhea is quickly absorbed in the cat's body. But when giving the drug to your pet, you need to be aware of the possible occurrence of adverse reactions.
It is prohibited to give this medicine to animals:
- with gastric ulcer;
- with internal bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract;
- with intolerance to sugar and starch, which are additional components of the drug.
It is prohibited to use the medication while the animal is taking antitoxic drugs, in which case the charcoal will interfere with their absorption. Meanwhile, the effect of using pharmaceuticals occurs only after complete absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.
If the cat’s condition sharply worsens while taking the drug, you should stop giving it to the animal, because Perhaps the pet has developed an intolerance to the drug.
With long-term use, constipation, black stools are possible, and a lack of calcium, fats, proteins, and vitamins may appear in the body. Pregnant cats and small kittens are not contraindicated.