How Activated Charcoal can Help with Parvovirus

Parvovirus is a disease that attacks the small intestine lining, causing it to stop replicating effectively.

Bacteria/virus multiply in the intestines like how worms would, this makes it impossible for young dogs to absorb nutrients and it allows the bacteria in the intestines to infect the rest of the body. Puppies between the ages of 6 weeks & 6 months are the most vulnerable to parvo, and the mortality rate is 91% in untreated cases.
Administrating Activated Charcoal eliminates and helps eradicate these bacteria inside the intestines and bowels.
Treatment usually involves IV fluids and intensive veterinary care, but what can we do if we are miles away from a vet clinic? Or if we simply cannot afford expensive veterinary care?
For a fraction of the cost, you can successfully treat your puppy at home, it takes around the clock care and dedication , but it will increase the chances of a full recovery.

Dehydration is what kills your puppy, parvo is a messy, horrid disease which involves diarrhea and vomiting, both which deplete electrolytes so these need to be replaced as soon as symptoms first appear.
Not everyone has electrolytes on hand, below is a recipe made with inexpensive pantry staples.
Homemade Electrolytes/ Pedialyte:

  • 4 cups cooled boiled water ( or bottled spring water if you have it)
  • ½ tsp of salt,( Himalayan salt has more minerals than plain table salt so this is a good option if you have it)
  • 2 Tablespoons of sugar
  • A large syringe
  • A jar and lid

Take 1 cup of your electrolyte solution and put it into a clean jar with a lid, add 2 heaped Tablespoons of Activated Charcoal powder to the jar and shake.
To start, dose the plain electrolyte solution every 20 minutes, however much they will take ( with a very weak puppy they will not take this voluntarily , so put it into the syringe, then place it into the dog’s mouth, tip their head back and slowly depress the plunger, allow the dog to drink it slowly.
Every 2 hours dose with the Activated Charcoal /electrolyte solution, however much you can get down, e.g., a small breed may only take 2ccs whereas a large breed might take 4 times as much.
When your dog has an appetite, you can mix the Activated Charcoal solution with canned food.
In the early stages it is critical to get the electrolytes & Activated Charcoal down, so if they won’t eat the canned food don’t force them, just focus on getting the electrolytes and Activated Charcoal down for the first 24-48 hours.
A 4–8-week-old puppy would normally have 4-6 solid food meals a day or more since they should be still nursing from mum, so offer your pup the wet Activated & electrolyte loaded food at least 4 times per day for 5 days & up to 7 days.
The virus generally does not kill the dog. It’s the resulting dehydration that does the damage so make sure you get those electrolytes down!