Activated Charcoal: veterinary dose and monograph

At a glance

Drug class

Gastrointestinal

Also known as

ToxiBan, Liqui-Char, Charcoal

Species with doses

Dogs, Cats, Cattle, Horses, Goats, Sheep, Rabbits and Small mammals

General dose range

1000–4000 mg/kg PO single (or q4–6h × 2–3 doses) — check the species tables for the indication

Routes

PO

Last reviewed

1 October 2026

Indications

• Ingested toxin / drug overdose within 1–2 h (and many for >2 h with extended elimination)
• Multi-dose for enterohepatic recirculation (ibuprofen, marijuana, theobromine, NSAIDs)
• Iron supplements, ethanol, ethylene glycol — NOT adsorbed (limited / no value)
• Cyanide, fluoride, strong acids / alkalis — NOT adsorbed

Activated Charcoal dose by species

Doses are per administration unless stated. mg/kg doses scale with body weight; per-animal, per-quarter and infusion-rate doses are shown as the reference writes them.

Dogs

• Single-dose decontamination: Plumb’s: 1–4 g/kg PO (Rudloff 2006; Beasley & Dorman), up to 5 g/kg (Bailey), as a slurry of 1 g in 5–10 mL water; give an osmotic cathartic with or within 30 min of the first dose. Protect the airway (cuffed ET tube) if the patient is sedated or neurologically abnormal. Contact a poison-control service for toxin-specific advice.
• Multi-dose (enterohepatic toxins): Plumb’s (Rudloff 2006): repeat every 4–6 h for toxins that undergo enterohepatic or enteroenteric recirculation. Give cathartic with the first dose only; monitor sodium (hypernatraemia risk with repeated doses). Dose 1–2 g/kg PO per repeat.

Cats

• Single-dose decontamination: Plumb’s (dogs and cats): 1–4 g/kg PO as a slurry; a nasogastric tube is useful in cats (Jutkowitz & Schildt 2009). Protect the airway if sedated.

Cattle

• Pesticide / mycotoxin ingestion: Plumb’s (Puschner 2010): ruminants 1–5 g/kg as a slurry (≈1 g in 5 mL water) by stomach tube; multi-dose helps in several plant intoxications (e.g. oleander). Mix in a cathartic — sodium or magnesium sulfate 250–500 mg/kg or 70% sorbitol 3 mL/kg — unless diarrhoea is present. Activated charcoal is not absorbed — no withdrawal is required for the charcoal itself (the toxin may still require one).

Horses

• Toxin / NSAID overdose decontamination: Plumb’s: foals at least 250 g, adults up to 750 g TOTAL as a slurry in up to 4 L warm water by stomach tube; leave 20–30 min, then give a laxative (Oehme 1987). The 1–5 g/kg range is the ruminant/large-animal plant-toxin dose (Puschner 2010).

Goats

• Pesticide ingestion: Plumb’s (Puschner 2010): ruminants 1–5 g/kg as a slurry by stomach tube, with a cathartic unless diarrhoea is present.

Sheep

• Pesticide ingestion: Plumb’s (Puschner 2010): ruminants 1–5 g/kg as a slurry by stomach tube, with a cathartic unless diarrhoea is present.

Buffalo

No buffalo-specific doses are on file, so buffalo are dosed as cattle.

• Pesticide / mycotoxin ingestion: Plumb’s (Puschner 2010): ruminants 1–5 g/kg as a slurry (≈1 g in 5 mL water) by stomach tube; multi-dose helps in several plant intoxications (e.g. oleander). Mix in a cathartic — sodium or magnesium sulfate 250–500 mg/kg or 70% sorbitol 3 mL/kg — unless diarrhoea is present. Activated charcoal is not absorbed — no withdrawal is required for the charcoal itself (the toxin may still require one).

Rabbits

• Rabbit / cavy toxin ingestion: Plumb’s (vitamin K1 monograph, Richardson & Gwaltney-Brant 2002): rabbits, rodents and small mammals — activated charcoal 1–3 g/kg effectively adsorbs anticoagulants. Do not induce emesis in rabbits or rodents.

Small mammals

• Ferret / rodent toxin ingestion: Plumb’s (vitamin K1 monograph, Richardson & Gwaltney-Brant 2002): rabbits, rodents and small mammals 1–3 g/kg. Do not induce emesis in rodents; 3% hydrogen peroxide is an effective emetic in ferrets.

Contraindications

Unprotected airway (sedated, comatose, seizing patient) — aspiration risk; intubate first or wait. Caustic ingestion (acids, alkalis, hydrocarbons) — charcoal does not bind these and may obscure endoscopy. GI perforation / obstruction. Severe vomiting. Sorbitol-containing products: avoid in dehydrated patients and small animals (hypernatraemic dehydration).

Species-specific warnings

Cats: Cats often resist oral charcoal — light sedation and gastric tube may be needed. AVOID sorbitol-containing products in dehydrated cats.

Dogs: Multi-dose for enterohepatic toxins (ibuprofen / marijuana / theobromine).

Adverse effects

• Black stool (cosmetic)
• Constipation / impaction
• Aspiration pneumonia (most serious — only give to alert / intubated patients)
• Hypernatraemia (with sorbitol-containing products in dehydrated patients)

Drug interactions

• Reduces absorption of orally administered medications — separate oral drugs by 2–3 h
• N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for acetaminophen: give NAC IV when charcoal is used

Pregnancy and lactation

Safe — does not absorb systemically.

Monitoring

• Airway protection during administration
• Hydration status (especially with sorbitol products)
• Clinical signs of intended toxin
• Faecal output (impaction risk with multi-dose)

Toxicity and overdose

Acute aspiration: most serious complication. Pre-emptively intubate sedated / depressed patients before charcoal administration. Sorbitol-containing products: dehydrated patients can develop hypernatraemia and severe hypovolaemia — avoid in cats and dehydrated small animals.

Management: Aspiration pneumonia: standard pneumonia management — oxygen, broad-spectrum antibiotics, supportive care. Sorbitol-induced hypernatraemia: cautious IV fluid replacement.

Clinical pearls

• Within 1 h of toxin ingestion: 1–4 g/kg PO single dose is the highest-yield decontamination
• Marijuana ingestion in a dog: multi-dose charcoal every 6 h × 3 doses interrupts enterohepatic THC recycling
• Ibuprofen ingestion: multi-dose charcoal + aggressive IV fluids + GI protection
• NO value for ethylene glycol, ethanol, iron, fluoride, strong acids / alkalis — wasted dose and aspiration risk
• Cat that won't swallow: sedate lightly with dexmedetomidine + intubate + administer via gastric tube
• Always pair first charcoal dose with a cathartic (sorbitol) to speed transit and clear the adsorbed toxin

Mechanism of action

Highly porous activated carbon — surface area 950–2000 m² per gram — adsorbs ionised and non-ionised compounds within the GI lumen via van der Waals forces, preventing systemic absorption. Multi-dose interrupts enterohepatic recirculation by adsorbing drug excreted in bile back into the gut lumen ("gut dialysis").

Formulations and products

• Activated charcoal powder 1 g per kg (mix to slurry in water)
• ToxiBan suspension (with sorbitol) — pre-mixed activated charcoal
• ToxiBan (Lloyd) — Activated charcoal suspension with sorbitol, Pre-mixed oral suspension

Storage

Dry storage in sealed container — activated charcoal absorbs moisture and contaminants from the air.

Before you use this dose

Reference doses for veterinary professionals. Confirm the dose against the product label, the patient’s condition, current guidance and local regulations before use; the attending veterinarian remains responsible for every clinical decision.

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Frequently asked questions