Is it possible to give a cat activated charcoal?

When a pet is ill, the owner tries to help him in all ways. And if the emergency call of the veterinarian to the house is far from affordable for everyone, then there will always be a first-aid kit in the house. Among the drugs that are intended for humans, there are also those that can be given to animals. The difference is only in dosage, because a cat is much smaller than a person. One of the drugs that are suitable for treating four-legged friends is activated carbon.

Poisoning and activated carbon

No wonder they came up with a curiosity about a cat's curiosity. Kittens are interested in everything they see around them, they all want to try their best. With age, animals gain experience and learn to bypass the dangers, but even an adult pet can decide that a tasty or unusual smelling object is completely edible. Therefore, almost any cat can be poisoned. Poisons in the form of liquid or powder can get on the hair, and the cat licks them during washing. A cat can eat a rodent that has been poisoned with a special compound. It is important to immediately take action and give a safe and affordable drug.

Coal adsorbs well, absorbs toxic substances. It is not absorbed by the body and leaves the digestive tract, taking with it the poisonous components. It acts equally on the human and feline organism. It can be given to cats of all ages, as well as pregnant and lactating.

Signs of Poisoning

There are several symptoms that are characteristic of poisoning:

• weakness;
• profuse salivation;
• frequent loose and watery stools;
• trembling limbs and the whole body;
• cough;
• vomiting
• intermittent or heavy breathing;
• spotting in the feces;
• cramps
• disorientation in space;
• pain in the abdomen (with palpation);
• loss of consciousness.

If there are several symptoms at once, you can give the medicine without a doubt. Some symptoms are found in other diseases, for example, with intestinal infections and digestive upsets, but activated charcoal will not do harm even in this case, since it also adsorbs pathogenic bacteria and food components.

Diseases in which it is important to give activated carbon to a cat
Black tablets will help with food allergies, increased gas formation in the intestines, diarrhea after taking anthelmintic drugs and reduce the high acidity of gastric juice.

Amount of drug

How to give a pill

A pet can choke on a whole tablet, so it should be divided into smaller parts. It is better to give a kitten a quarter, and an adult pet - half or a third. All procedures are best done with someone else's help, so that one person holds the animal and the other heals. It is necessary to open the cat's mouth and put the medicine closer to the root of the tongue, then close its mouth and raise its face. Then wait until the pet swallows the pill, it will be noticeable by the movement of muscles on the neck.You can look into the cat's mouth to make sure that the medicine is swallowed: it happens that the animals move the pill by the cheek or closer to the tip of the tongue, then the procedure must be repeated.

How to water a cat

During poisoning, animals can drink large quantities of water, because instinct tells them to. But sometimes sick cats lose interest even in water, and even after taking the medicine they may start to be suspicious of any proposal from a person. Then you need to drink the patient by force, using a syringe. Half a milliliter is enough for a kitten, and an adult needs to pour in 1-2.

It is necessary to close the animal’s mouth and pull the lip off with a finger, insert a syringe with water without a needle into the resulting gap and gently inject a small amount of drink onto the cheek. The trickle must not be too strong or too weak. Then you need to slightly raise the head of the animal up and wait for it to swallow water. Then repeat so that the cat drank in several steps.

How to avoid overdose

Too much activated carbon can harm a pet's health just as much as food poisoning. The adsorbent acts indiscriminately, it absorbs everything, including water and mucus inside the stomach and intestines. This can lead to dehydration, which causes constipation. Toxins do not leave the body, and this only exacerbates the situation.

How to understand that an overdose has occurred:

1. Feces are difficult to remove, in small quantities, it is too dry.
2. The stool does not come out at all, although the cat diligently pushes.
3. The cat does not allow touching the stomach, because it hurts.
4. Hard lumps are felt in the intestinal area.
5. The skin loses its elasticity. This is the result of dehydration, it is especially noticeable when, after pulling the skin at the withers, the crease smoothes out more slowly than usual.

To avoid this, you need to water the animal with water, not milk or kefir. After poisoning, the cat should drink at least a glass of clean water (250 ml) per day, and at least 10 ml should be allocated for each tablet of activated carbon. It is possible to remove coal, which was retained in the intestine, by taking enveloping drugs and a laxative. Prescribe additional treatment should only be a doctor.

When coal doesn't help

Tablets only enter the digestive tract and act exclusively in it. If the symptoms are recognized correctly, and toxic substances have not yet entered the bloodstream, coal will alleviate the condition of the animal and reduce its suffering while the owner takes the patient to a veterinary clinic. When too much time is lost, coal has nothing to absorb in the stomach and intestines: poisons are already in the blood; specialist help is needed. The adsorbent can be useless even with bites of poisonous insects.

Feline self-medication

Animals that walk freely along the street can be treated on the go. As soon as they feel unwell, they begin to eat grass, and then burp what is in their stomach. For a domestic cat, you can grow grass in a pot, because instincts work not only outside the home. It should be borne in mind that there are more dangers outside, the probability of stumbling into poison is much higher, so it’s better to carefully watch your pet, even if it’s quite independent.

What else do you need to know

1. It is necessary to find out what exactly the cat was poisoned with: it depends on how it will be treated.
2. Coal absorbs everything, even medicine. Therefore, it is worth giving it separately from other prescribed drugs.
3. You can not delay a visit to the clinic. Improving well-being may be temporary, because poisoning affects not only the intestines. The biggest blow is in the liver, which removes toxins from the blood. It requires an individually selected treatment regimen and diet, which only a veterinarian will prescribe.
4. If the doctor has warned about the dangers of taking activated charcoal, it is better not to treat the animal on its own.
5. If the poisoning is severe, coal may be useless. The veterinarian can prescribe injections and droppers with special solutions that will perfectly cope with the task.

When you can not give coal

Even such a harmless drug has contraindications:

1. Gastric and intestinal ulcers.
2. Internal bleeding.
3. Chronic kidney disease.
4. Diabetes.
5. The need to take other medicines. Coal reduces their concentration and the effectiveness of treatment in general.

Activated carbon is not a panacea, it only removes poisons from the intestines and stomach, eliminates one symptom - diarrhea, and its causes may be different. This medicine cannot cure the underlying disease. It also can not be given for preventive purposes.

The medicine is released in various forms, in the form of powder, suspension, capsules and paste, so you should not be upset if the cat spits the tablet out over and over again. The main thing is to observe the dosage, water the cat with water and not neglect a visit to the doctor.

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