>What would I do before they got to the vet that's 20 minutes away. Is >there a way to induce vomiting to see if he would throw it back up? Not unless you know what you're doing. Some things need to be thrown up, some not. You can do harm if you take the wrong course of action. If you know what has been swallowed, such as a poison, meds, etc., call Animal Poison Control and they will tell you what to do. Activated charcoal is used for those things that need to be absorbed. It is given with a stomach tube. Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) is used to induce vomiting. It's a good idea to have both on hand. APC can be reached at 888-426-4435 800-548-2423 (both of these require a credit card; $45) 900-680-0000 (billed to your phone bill; $45) It's a good idea to have a first aid kit in your home to deal with emergencies. Those items can include, in addition to activated charcoal and 3% hydrogen peroxide, Vetwrap (for bleeding and to stabilize fractures), Benadryl (for allergic reactions), Kaopectate or Imodium A/D (for diarrhea). I'm sure others can add to this list of the basics. Many times, if we have the right things on hand, our vet or APC can walk us through what we need to do immediately. Maybe we can at least stabilize the animal until we can get to the vet. Katharine [Posted in FML issue 3996]