I take a strange collection of things that I find useful when travelling with my two dogs. One is activated charcoal, this works so well when they have eaten the wrong thing. It helps remove toxins from their body if they have been poisoned. Charcoal is also used by vets in cane toad poisoning. If your pooch has flatulence and you have to keep going phew!!!!!! and winding down the window, then a bit of charcoal in their food every now and then will stop this.  I usually carry the charcoal in capsule form. You can just open a capsule for your pet and put it on their food or if they are sick, mix it in a small amount of water and put it in an eye dropper. My little Maltese, corgi cross ate some palm tree seeds. She began vomiting and was very ill. I gave her a big dose of charcoal just before rushing her to the vet. The vet said that this had probably saved her life. It is also used with snake and spider bites, you make it into a poultice with a bit of water, and also give it internally, especially if you are a long way from the vet. It is best given within the first hour of poisoning.

 It is great for humans too. It can be used for flatulence, over eating, drug overdose, wind pains and if ever you feel you have eaten something a bit wrong, it will help you recover quickly as it removes poisons from your body. You can even mix a bit in your toothpaste every now and then and have lovely white teeth.It is cheap to buy. Chemists carry it in tablet form and health food shops have the capsule stuff. You can buy it loose as well but for goodness sake don't drop the jar, it will take you years to get rid of it. Just buy plain activated charcoal, some mix sorbitol in with it to make it taste sweet, not good, as sorbitol can cause diarrhea. Don't take it with your medications as it will stop them being absorbed.

Remember: Never use activated charcoal for any treatment in lieu of a qualified medical professional. Activated charcoal can be used in emergency situations where your life or the life of someone else is at stake, but this is only to buy you valuable time to get to an emergency room for qualified care