Motion Sickness Anxiety Issues Dog and Travel Sickness
by Jenni
(SA, Australia)
Hi I have a 5 month old Irish Wheaten, he is going to be neutered at 6 months. My problem is that he has just recently started to have anxiety issues. He was okay to be left home alone when we first got him but just recently I had to have 2 weeks off work and was unable to move around and I think he became the dominant dog, now I am back at work he would howl, whine and bark (very loudly), it was very distressing and upsetting for all of us, so we contacted Bark Busters who have given us some good tips and we are trying to get back to being the Alpha Dog. So far (or the last 3 days) he has been pretty good – so fingers crossed it progresses that way. (Thankful for lots of treat toys)
The other concern we now have is that he is anxious in the car and cries (once again he was fine beforehand) and usually vomits. We have taken him to nice places ie: beach, puppy training and now to dog training. We are planning a car trip next week, so took him to our vet who has prescibed some vallium and also motion sickness pills. We have also purchased some DAP spray, and also I have been told that a tablespoon of plain active yogurt may help to settle his tummy. We would prefer not to use the medication and I am hoping that he will grow out of this, any help or advice on how to make him happy would be appreciated.
Our Response
Hi and thanks for your question – travel or motion sickness is quite a common problem in dogs and I can see why you are reluctant to start using medication – you could always try something that has entirely natural ingredients (it’s just worth thinking about). I will start by giving you some idea of the kind of symptoms that are sometimes associated with travel sickness.
1. A dog that is feeling travel sick when travelling in a care might start hicupping or burping.
2. Your dog might panting or even breath faster.
3. Drooling and eye rolling is another symptom of travel sickness.
But what can you do?
Basically the more often you take your dog in the car the more he will get used to the senastion of travelling in a car (his stomach will get used to it). Rather than taking your dog out for long drives you need to do little trips but little and often. After a while you can start building up to longer periods in the car. Try to make the travels in the car nice and smooth i.e. no sudden stops, speed bumps or missed gears. Mix up the journy’s a little so take your dog for an exciting drive one day and a boring longer drive the next – this way your dog will not get used to the same drive. After floowing these instructions for a while your dog will get more and more used to the sensation of travelling in the car.
Hope this helps
