The Dog Owners Guide Dog Motion Sickness
Dog motion sickness (travel sickness) can affect younger dogs and of course older ones too. This fairly common problem can affect your pooch if he or she is traveling by car, boat or by air (although for this article we will focus on car travel problems).
Symptoms Of Motion Sickness In Dogs
Symptoms of travel sickness can include vomiting, yawning and nausea. However, one of the most common symptoms to affect a dog travelling by car is excessive salivation and drooling (and when we say excessive we mean serious dribbling (your car will be a mess)! Your pooch may also exhibit some behavioral changes – he or she may appear anxious, distressed and just generally out of sorts (as the owner you know your pooch best so will be able to notice if he or she finding the journey distressing).
Is There A Cure For Dog Motion Sickness?
Well you can certainly reduce the chances of your dog or puppy becoming distressed during the car journey. Below are some top tips (and home remedies for keeping your dog or puppy happy during each journey).
1. Start by introducing your dog to the car and each journey slowly. Don’t put your puppy or young dog in the car on their very first journey and drive for ages going over bumps, hills and around corners. Start very slowly and make the initial journey short – just around the block will be perfect and give your pooch a reward (positive reinforcement) this will reinforce to your puppy or dog that travelling in the car is an ejoyable experience (and she gets a treat too)!
2. When you do take your pooch out in the car don’t feed her a large meal just before she travels. Travelling on an empty stomach may reduce the chances of her feeling sick (and if she does vomit she is less likely to make such a mess).
3. Don’t make every journey a bad or frightening experience so this means don’t make every journey that your dog or puppy has in the car one that involves going to the Vet – this is very important because as soon as your pooch starts to associate the car with fear you are on a losing streak. Take your dog or puppy out for short car journeys and reward her when she returns home.
4. There are conflicting views on whether a dog responds better to travelling in the front, back, facing forward or having a view of the scenery. It really depends on your individual dog – just go with what works for you and your pooch. If you do decide to have your dog in the front or back (and don’t use a crate) make sure that you use a belt or seat designed for pets that travel. You can also open the window and let some fresh air in but you need to determine what works for your pooch.
5. Make things easier – choose the easiest route, there is no point making things worst by going up hills on bumpy surfaces, around corners etc if you can make the journey more pleasant by choosing a smoother route (even if it does take a little longer).
6. Start by getting your young puppy or dog used to being in a car. This means just sitting in the car for a few minutes a day for up to a week. Each time you have sat in the car with your pooch give him a reward or praise so that she associates happy experiences with sitting in the car. When you think your pooch has become used to the car you can then start the engine. Now continue the process with the car running for a few days (again rewarding your dog during and after the experience). After you feel that your pooch is happy and content with being in the car you can start going out for short journeys slowly building up the amount of time you both spend travelling in the car (reward your pooch after the journey).
Treatment For Motion Sickness In Dogs
Treatment for dog motion sickness can involve the vet prescribing medications including Dramamine and Gravol. There is also a new drug called Cerenia that is still being tested – but early studies have indicated that it does work well with vomiting and dog motion sickness.
Herbal & Homeopathic Home Remedies For Dog Motion Sickness
1. Cocculus 6c & Petroleum 6c in tablet forms are a great homeopathic remedy – both should be taken twice daily for three days. It is recommended that these tablets are taken half an hour before each journey.
2. Diesel smoke 6c is also a great remedy for dog motion sickness.
3. Ginger is also considered to be a great remedy for dog motion sickness.
A Couple More Videos About Dog Motion Sickness We Thought You’d Enjoy
Dog Health Problems Online > Dog Motion Sickness
