You love travelling with your dog and taking him out on car rides. But what if your dog starts puking just after a few minutes of the ride. Dog motion sickness is very common especially in younger pups and they take time to adjust to the trips. Even the shortest car ride like taking him out for vaccinations or just to the nearby grocery store can result in a messy leather seat with a green looking pup. Fortunately, there is a way out to quell your pup’s nausea from conditioning him to car rides and using dog motion sickness medications.

Reasons

It is usually seen that young pups are more afflicted to car sickness than older dogs. This could be because the ear structures used for balance aren’t fully developed in puppies. So, most of them, although not all will outgrow travel sickness with age. If the first few car rides have left your puppy nauseated, they start equating travel with vomiting. This is a feeling hard to quell and in these cases the dogs suffer much longer from car sickness. Even if their ears have fully matured, it is the stress of travelling that adds to their feeling green and nauseated.

Signs and symptoms

If you worry about your car seat getting soiled with the unexpected nausea of your dog, it is best that you be prepared to look out for signs. Though the symptoms may vary from one canine to another, still it is best not to overlook if they are exhibiting one or more of these symptoms. Most dogs yawn or whine or drool excessively to show their uneasiness. Some may show inactivity or listlessness and less response to your calls. Smacking or licking lips may indicate imminent vomiting and you should be ready to deal with the situation.

Treatment

Try to make your car ride as comfortable for your dog as you can. It has been noticed that to control nausea it is better to make them face forward while travelling, rather than looking out the side windows. Lowering your car windows a couple of inches helps balance the air pressure inside the car with the air pressure outside, which may help reduce your dog’s nausea and discomfort. A hot and stuffy car inside also aggravates the feel to vomit, so keep the vehicle cool and well ventilated.

Limiting your dog’s food consumption before travel also curbs their feeling of motion sickness. Then right before the trip you can give your dog a small piece of sugary candy to reduce the sensation of nausea. Chocolate candy or treats made with xylitol are a complete no no.

If you feel that your dog is stressed on a car ride due to previous unpleasant memories of nausea, you may try building your dog’s tolerance to car trips. Try going for very short trips first and that too to a place your dog loves. Alternatively, you can try spending some time with your dog in the vehicle with the engine switched off, just to make him like the feel of the vehicle. To divert your dog’s attention in the car you may give him his favourite toy, the access of which he has only in the car to make him look forward to car rides.

Even after all these efforts if your dog persists having motion sickness, consult your vet for medications. For any queries feel free to write to us. Waggfluence is with you and for you, today and always.