When the snake bites, activated charcoal can be an extremely beneficial first aid treatment for your pet. Keep in mind this discussion can be used for many animals, not just dogs. Charcoal is completely safe, effective, and Super Natural. But are you prepared? Do you have charcoal in your medicine cabinet for you and your family?

Whether it is a rattlesnake or some other venomous snake, if your “Buddy” has just been bitten, you should immediately prepare both a charcoal poultice/bandage and a charcoal slurry.

Treating a Snake Bite Topically with Charcoal

The first method of treating a bite is topically by applying a charcoal poultice or a simple charcoal gel over the affected area. First, if you can, shave or cut the fur away from the bite site. This will give better contact with the charcoal poultice.

How To Make A Charcoal Poultice

Keep in mind you want to make the poultice large enough to cover at least a two-inch radius around the immediate bite site. Place the poultice over the affected area and cover it with a layer of plastic wrap. This will keep the charcoal from drying out making it more effective. Lastly cover everything with an adhesive wrap to hold it all in place. The challenge comes with figuring a way to keep it on the animal and preventing the animal from clawing it off. For small animals we use Vet Wrap to secure and hold the poultice in place. Leave this on and change every 3-4 hours for the first day. Watch How To Make a Charcoal Poultice. If the bite is in an area not easily wrapped, then you can try the gel method.

Charcoal Gel Recipe

Making a charcoal gel is very easy and takes as little as two ingredients, three if you want to keep the mixture moist for longer. First, mix together two parts of Aloe Vera gel (we like Lilly of the Desert) to one part VetDtox™ charcoal powder. Next, apply liberally on the affected area, once again going well beyond the immediate bite site. Our local veterinarian used this simple method when her horse got bit by a rattle snake and had amazing results. Finally, adding a small amount of melted coconut oil [maybe ¼ of a Tablespoon], to the mixture will keep it moist longer. Watch an example of How to Make an Activated Charcoal Gel now.

Treating a Snake Bite with Charcoal Slurry

Secondly you will want to administer a charcoal slurry to help remove the toxins internally. Add 2 Tbs of charcoal powder to approximately ¼ cup of water. Next, administer the entire dose via syringe in the mouth then gently rub the throat to encourage swallowing.

If a syringe application is not achievable mix the 2 Tbs charcoal with ½ cup of water, or another safe beverage that they enjoy and place it inside a bowl they can drink from. Be sure they drink all the contents.

Are Flavored Drinks Safe for Pets?

Water is always the best option for our animals, but there are other things they can drink. Warning, grape juice can be extremely toxic to dogs. Do not use grape juices or any other juices that have artificial flavors, dyes, or added sugars as a means to get your pet to take charcoal. Also, dogs are mostly lactose intolerant after being weaned from mother’s milk, besides charcoal doesn’t mix too well with milk anyway. So, avoid the major tummy aches and try this healthy and safe alternative to just plain water.

The AKC recognizes coconut as safe for dogs. It is also one means of boosting the immune system. Coconut water is a great mixer to make the charcoal slurry more appetizing for pets. Coconut water may provide electrolytes, vitamins and minerals to help keep your pet hydrated during the detox process. Activated charcoal is likewise nontoxic, and therefore you can refresh their regular water bowl with more of the slurry to ensure that a good amount is ingested over the course of recovery.

Pro Tip: Is your dog or pet picky about drinking ‘Dirty Water’? Black water may turn them off from drinking. Simply replace your pets usual bowl with a black bowl to psych them out. Activated Charcoal is both odorless and tasteless so they will never know the difference.

Activated Charcoal for Rattlesnake Bite on Dog

Jeanine from California had three different dogs suffer rattlesnake bites. All recovered without paying a trip to the vet. She also managed to save a pretty penny by having VetDtox™ on hand. VetDtox is 100% pure activated charcoal powder which is used around the world for food and drug poisonings. Thankfully for Jeanine, she learned about this amazing application of activated charcoal, which is also outlined in The Complete Handbook of Medicinal Charcoal and Its Applications.

“I can tell you that three times I have given charcoal to three separate dogs that were bitten by a rattlesnake. In all three cases the dog’s neck or face was swollen. I gave a charcoal slurry drink with a little flavor in it. The most recent was about two months ago. I gave it to him within an hour of the bite and his swelling was almost completely gone. I had also smeared it on the wound on the upper lip. All three dogs were given no other treatment”
Jeanine, California, Aug 2020

Additional Benefits of Charcoal for Dogs

In addition to being an excellent remedy for snakebites, activated charcoal is also useful to have on hand for other infirmities common to the animal kingdom. Check out more benefits of Activated Charcoal for Your Animals.

www.charcoalremedies.com