A Dog and Travel Sickness

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by Kriss
(MO)

My dog gets car sick! She begins to drool as soon as she gets in the car. She always seems very willing to get in the car and does not need to be encouraged, she jumps right in and even acts excited about going. But she makes a mess drooling all the time. We have tried taking her on short little trips around the block. and across town to get her used to riding in the car. She appears to love it, but does drool. If we take her on a long trip (1 -2 hrs) she will also throw up. Any ideas?

Our Response

Hi and thanks for your question. Most dogs and puppies will be car sick at some point and it is quite normal. Below we have provided some tips for you to follow…

1. The more your dog goes in the car on a journey the less sick he will be – he will get used to the sensation.
2. If your dog is being sick you are taking things too fast – one or two hours is too long to start with. Start with really short trips and build up to an hour over a period of time however long this might take.
3. Make the journey as pleasant as possible – avoid traffic jams, bumps, don’t brake suddenly, avoid hills and missed gears! Try and make the journey short and smooth.
4. After a period of time the motion sickness will decrease and will ultimately fade. Try and mix each journey – make one really interesting and the other a little more mundane – you don’t want your dog to become to used to each specific journey.
5. If your dog is showing signs and symptoms of motion sickness then speak to your vet about medication – your vet may recommend Dramamine or Benadryl – but medication should only be resorted to if after several months of prolonged exposure to traveling in the car he is still showing signs of motion sickness.

Below are some of the signs and symptoms of motion sickness or travel sickness.

1. Excessive panting and rapid breathing
2. Excessive drooling and froth around the mouth
3. Groaning
4. Burping
5 Hicupping
6. The eyes might roll showing the whites of the eyes

Hope this helps