Top 10 what happens if a dog eats charcoal You Need To Know

Dogs always have a knack for finding the strangest and most dangerous things to eat, right? If you’ve discovered that your dog’s eaten charcoal from your barbecue or your fire pit, you’ll want to give this a read to keep him safe.

If your dog eats charcoal, he may end up with slight burns in his mouth. Charcoal itself isn’t toxic to dogs, but sometimes additives such as lighter fluid or larger chunks of wood in the charcoal can be dangerous. 

Below, you’ll learn about what can happen if your dog eats charcoal, how serious it could end up being, and what danger signs you should be watching for.

What happens if a dog eats charcoal?

The actual process of a dog eating charcoal is about the same as you’d expect from eating anything else. The concerns to watch for will be:

• Burns in the mouth and throat
• Blockages from the charcoal bits
• Toxic additives

Burns in the mouth and throat

Dogs have no understanding of heat. Like, at all. If they have access to still-smoking coals, they will eat them without understanding that they’re too hot to eat.

This means that you’ll need to watch for burns in his mouth (including his tongue) and down his throat. 

If the burn is severe enough from the temperature of the charcoal, his throat or tongue may swell, too, possibly putting him at risk of struggling to breathe.

This depends on the size of your breed and how hot the coals were, of course.

Blockages from the charcoal bits

Charcoal isn’t a fine powder in most cases. Any bits of wood and other debris you were burning can cause a problem when your dog eats them.

In this case, a blockage. It could make it hard to pass in their digestive tract and also create a tear in their system, which will need surgery to correct.

Toxic additives

Lighter fluid, gasoline, etc., are all extremely dangerous for your dog, often to the point of being toxic.

If you know that any of those have been used/added to your fire and your dog has eaten its coals, you’ll want to call the veterinarian immediately and have them taken in to get looked at to counteract any poisoning side effects.

What should I do if my dog ate charcoal?

No matter how attentive you are, accidents happen. If your dog ate charcoal and you’re not wondering what to do in a panic, here are the steps to follow.

1. Remove him from the charcoal
2. Assess how much he ate
3. Give him plenty of water
4. Call your vet
5. Watch for danger signs

Remove him from the charcoal

The moment that you know he’s eaten some make sure he can’t get anything else from the pile! Remove him (and all other pets, if applicable) from the charcoal source itself at all times.

Assess how much he ate

The amounts that he ate can often determine how potentially dangerous it is. Try to get as precise a measurement as you can since this can often let you know how serious it may be.

For example: was it a lick? An entire mouthful? Several mouthfuls?

Give him plenty of water

Water will help him wash it out of his mouth and help curb the pain from the burns, too. Ensure he has plenty of access to fresh water and do what you can to keep him drinking as much as possible.

Call your vet 

Even if it’s just a lick, you’ll want to consider calling your vet seriously. Or any vet that is open if it’s after hours.

You’ll need to inform the vet of his age, size, breeze, weight, and what was in the charcoal (like lighter fluid, for example). Also, an estimate on how much he ate.

Watch for danger signs

If your dog’s veterinarian doesn’t tell you to bring him in right away, you’ll want to keep a very close eye to watch for danger signs in your dog’s behavior or appearance.

These could be signs that he is either struggling to digest the charcoals or that something in the charcoal is potentially poisoning him. 

Danger signs to watch for when my dog eats charcoal?

If your dog ate charcoal, the good news is that most of these danger signs will happen pretty quickly after eating the charcoal, so you don’t have to wait for days to notice a problem. These include:

• Symptoms of pain or distress
• Vomiting, or a refusing to eat or drink
• Difficulty breathing
• Restlessness or lethargy
• Sores or tremors

The last items, sores or tremors, could indicate that he is struggling with any chemical additives or toxins in the charcoal. If you notice either or both of these, take him immediately to the vet.

How can I stop my dog from eating charcoal?

Preventing your dog from eating charcoals in the first place is definitely a great approach to take! Thankfully, it’s much easier than you’d think. Firstly, keep your dog away from any source of charcoal. 

Not only will it keep him safe from accidentally catching his wagging tail on fire, but it will also make sure he won’t get access to the charcoal at all. Since charcoal tastes like food from the meat juices, etc., he’ll want to snack on it!

When you are done with your fire, make sure you cover the ashes and all the remaining charcoal firmly with the proper fire pit equipment. Most store-bought grills or fire pits come with a mesh cover for this reason.

Once the coals are cold, you can dispose of them following your local guidelines!

Difference between regular charcoal and activated charcoal?

This is an excellent question! There is a big difference between regular charcoal and activated charcoal, so you’ll want to make sure you know which is which

A regular charcoal briquette is what you get from fire pits and barbecues. It contains food bits and improperly burned wood and other fuel that can be dangerous when your dog eats them.

Activated charcoal is processed using oxygen, and it has had all of its impurities removed to maximize its absorbency for toxins.

The activated charcoal will bind to the toxins to remove them from the body harmlessly. You cannot DIY your way from regular charcoal briquettes to activated charcoal! This is done in a lab for a reason, after all. 

Is it safe to give my dog activated charcoal?

You might be familiar with vets and other professionals recommending activated charcoal for dogs when they’ve accidentally eaten toxins.

This is how it works, actually. In theory, it’s a good idea. In actuality, though, it’s not something to do without the express permission of your dog’s vet!

Eating charcoal creates some severe stomach upset, not to mention burns in your dog. Make sure you keep him far away from your coals just to be safe!

In short

If your dog eats charcoal, he may end up with several health issues such as burns in his mouth and stomach, digestive issues, or even poisoning. Know the signs to watch for to keep him as safe as possible.

Know someone who has a dog especially fond of coals and charcoal? Could you share this with them to keep him safe?

• Author: dogadvisorycouncil.com

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• Sumary: Dogs always have a knack for finding the strangest and most dangerous things to eat, right? If you’ve discovered that your dog’s eaten charcoal from your

• Matching Result: If your dog eats charcoal, he may end up with slight burns in his mouth. Charcoal itself isn’t toxic to dogs, but sometimes additives such as …

• Intro: My Dog Ate Charcoal – Symptoms You Should Watch Dogs always have a knack for finding the strangest and most dangerous things to eat, right? If you’ve discovered that your dog’s eaten charcoal from your barbecue or your fire pit, you’ll want to give this a read to keep him safe. If your dog eats charcoal, he may end up with slight burns in his mouth. Charcoal itself isn’t toxic to dogs, but sometimes additives such as lighter fluid or larger chunks of wood in the charcoal can be dangerous.  Below, you’ll learn about what can happen if your dog eats…

• Source: https://dogadvisorycouncil.com/my-dog-ate-charcoal/

• Author: joypetproducts.com

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• Sumary: My Dog Ate Charcoal- Should I Be Alarmed? 5-Step Recovery There are many types of charcoal available, such as fuel charcoal, natural charcoal and activated charcoal. But what would happen if a dog ate charcoal?

• Matching Result: Large pieces of charcoal can become stuck in a dog’s airways and cause choking. Even if it is successfully swallowed, it can become lodged in …

• Intro: My Dog Ate Charcoal- Should I Be Alarmed? 5-Step Recovery | JoyPetProductsThis post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy we may make a commission, at no additional charge to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.  There are many different types of charcoal available for human use, such as charcoal briquettes, natural charcoal and activated charcoal.   But what would happen if a dog ate charcoal? With activated and natural charcoal, do not be worried if your dog eats a small chunk as they actually have many beneficial uses, such as aiding digestion and helping to clean…

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• Author: dogable.net

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• Sumary: Oh no my dog ate charcoal, what do i do? Here we have the answer and the knowledge if charcoal is toxic to dogs.

• Matching Result: While charcoal is not poisonous if your dog ingests it, it can still cause serious problems inside your dog’s body. Charcoal can cause stomach upset in your dog …

• Intro: My Dog Ate Charcoal Sometimes dogs can be very mischievous and get into things they are not suppose to. This also goes for things they eat but shouldn’t be eating. If your dog has just eaten charcoal and you are unsure what this might do to your dog, then you came to the right place. Dogs that eat charcoal are actually very common, and dogs do this for a major reason. Typically, meat juices from the meat cooked on the grill fall onto the charcoal, and dogs can smell it on there. This causes them to take a bite out…

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• Sumary: The contents of the OurFitPets.com website, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on this site (“Content”) are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinarian advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian with any questions you may have regarding the…

• Matching Result: There are many reasons your dog may have chosen to each charcoal, but he should be OK. The main issue will be if he swallowed a whole …

• Intro: My Dog Ate Charcoal What Should I Do?Privacy & TransparencyWe and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device.We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development.An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below….

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• Author: mypetchild.com

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• Sumary: Charcoal isn’t considered highly toxic to dogs but may still create plenty of problems in the dog’s body when ingested.

• Matching Result: We would call the vet or pet poison hotline to be on the safe side. If identified early enough (within a few hours of the dog ingesting the …

• Intro: My Dog Ate Charcoal – What to Do Next Disclaimer: The content on MyPetChild.com is for informational purpose only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinarian advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a veterinarian when in doubt. A dog’s curiosity may lead them to eat things they shouldn’t such as charcoal. It might not be considered toxic but charcoal can still cause plenty of problems inside the dog’s body. What happens if a dog eats charcoal? This will depend on a number of factors such as the amount of charcoal ingested and the…

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• Author: animalnerdz.com

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• Sumary: Wherever there is a delicious meat, there is also a curious dog who will try to get a taste of it.

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• Sumary: Dogs don’t run out of ways to surprise us, and they can even go far as to eating things we can’t imagine they would. As always, our pets may eat whatever it

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• Intro: My Dog Ate Charcoal: What Should I Do Now? (4 Tips) – AnimalFateDogs don’t run out of ways to surprise us, and they can even go far as to eating things we can’t imagine they would. As always, our pets may eat whatever it sees. Thus, those things would still be the ones found in our homes. If you’re reading this article, your dog may have eaten charcoal, and it’s not that surprising.So, you may ask: my dog ate charcoal: what should I do now? Charcoal isn’t likely enough to put your pet in danger. However, it can still make…

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