Motion sickness in dogs
Some dogs jump into the car without any problems and happily go along for the ride, while others you almost have to force into the car because they absolutely don’t want to go. This latter group of dogs doesn’t like car rides or even gets sick from them. It is possible to help a dog with travel sickness/car sickness overcome this problem. It’s much more enjoyable for you as an owner, and certainly for your dog, if you can simply take your four-legged friend along in the car to the beach or the forest!
Causes of travel sickness in dogs
The balance organ in a dog’s inner ear helps the dog maintain its balance during a car ride; signals are sent to the brain via this balance organ. When the signals sent from the balance organ to the brain don’t match the images the dog sees, disorientation occurs. This activates the vomiting center, which can make the dog feel nauseous and cause vomiting.
Some dogs are afraid of car rides. In these animals, car sickness arises because they experience stress or even fear during the ride.
Car sickness is more common in young dogs because it is still new to them. Make sure that car rides are always a positive experience so the animals happily get into the car.
How can you recognize travel sickness?
If your dog suffers from travel sickness, it may show the following symptoms:
- Excessive drooling
- Panting
- Licking the lips
- Trembling
- Smacking
- Gagging
- Vomiting
A dog is often restless when it has travel sickness. The restlessness can be a result of the fear or stress the dog experiences, but a dog can also be restless because it feels nauseous.
Treatment of travel sickness in dogs
If your dog suffers from travel sickness, you can contact the veterinarian. There are medications available that are effective against travel sickness.
Additionally, you can try to get your dog used to the car gradually. For example, place the dog in the car without driving. It’s also important to drive as carefully as possible when your four-legged friend is in the car with you. Don’t take corners too fast and don’t drive too quickly over speed bumps, as this reduces the chance of nausea. Give your dog a small amount of food shortly before a car ride, but be careful not to give too much so it doesn’t sit too heavily on the stomach.
Also, make sure the windows are slightly open and that it’s not too hot or too cold in the car.
