The first time I had to give a dog activated charcoal, I was glad our patient was a black lab. Activated charcoal is given by mouth with a large syringe – it gets very, very messy. At least the stains on his fur wouldn’t show.
This boy had eaten a bag of Halloween candy at some point that day. The owner found a mess of torn bags and wrappers when she got home after work and rushed him to the clinic. Without knowing for sure how much he’d eaten or when the veterinarian decided not to induce vomiting. The chocolate wasn’t likely to be in his stomach anymore. Instead, we would give activated charcoal to soak up the toxins in his stomach and intestine, so his body wouldn’t absorb them.
In veterinary medicine, medications are dosed by body weight. My co-worker and I looked at this bouncy, one hundred pound dog and did the math. Somehow we had to get half a litre of liquid charcoal into his gut. I remembered his owner rolling her eyes as she complained that he’d eat anything, so we mixed the charcoal with some canned dog food, and he dove right in. Halfway through the bowl, probably about the time he tasted what he was eating, the dog slowed down to look at us. “Uh, guys?” his eyes asked, “There’s something wrong with your food, guys.” He forced a few more mouthfuls. “I mean, I’ll eat it, but there’s something wrong with it….”. We praised him through the rest of the bowl, which he licked clean.
There was less mess than anticipated, though who knew how much was on his black fur. He went home a little while later with instructions to watch for vomiting, shaking or any other signs of chocolate toxicity. There would definitely be loose black stool for the next day or so.
We were all glad the client had gotten her dog into the clinic so quickly. He didn’t look sick yet, and getting the charcoal into him as soon as we could to slow down how much his body absorbed. The toxic dose of chocolate varies from dog to dog, and by body weight. Symptoms can be as simple as a restless dog wired on caffeine. More commonly we see vomiting and diarrhea, but symptoms can progress to seizures and heart arrhythmia, which can be fatal. It can take up to 12 hours for symptoms to develop. You may feel your candy-consuming pooch is fine 2 hours after finishing a bag of chocolate bars, but that doesn’t mean he’s safe for the night. Ideally, you should get your dog to a veterinarian right away so they can induce vomiting (and then safely stop the vomiting), or give activated charcoal.
While we are all mammals, we have to remember that humans and dogs are different species and cannot tolerate the same foods. Dogs can’t process the caffeine and theobromine in cocoa bean husks the way humans can. The darker the chocolate, the more of these compounds. White chocolate has almost none; though, like all desserts, the sugar and fat levels can make dogs sick (the high-fat content alone can cause pancreatitis).
What’s so special about “activated” charcoal? Specific materials are burned and prepared in such a way as to leave large pores in the charcoal bits. These holes mean a larger surface area on each bit to absorb toxins. , and the dog poops out the whole mess. And what a mess it can be.
This Halloween, save yourself the stress and the mess. Tuck leftovers and your children’s trick or treat haul in the top cupboard.
Written By: Baleigh McWade, RVT