Travel sickness is a common occurrence, affecting 1 in 6 dogs of all ages.
It is more common in puppies, but for some dogs it may persist into adult-dog-hood. Your pup may come to associate car trips with nausea after a bad experience, with anxiety and stress also exacerbating travel sickness.
Symptoms of car sickness can include:
- Whining and trembling
- Excess drooling
- Lip licking or smacking
- Lethargy or generally subdued behaviour
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Anxiety
It always helps to introduce your dog to travel gradually, especially a new puppy and older dogs who haven’t travelled much or are having problems with sickness –
- Acclimatise your dog to the car, start with the car turned off and parked and reward calm behaviour with treats and praise.
- Progress to turning the engine on without driving anywhere.
- Next you can take short trips around the block.
- At this point , it’s a better idea to just use praise rather than treats.
- Eventually aim for a 30 minute car ride to somewhere they would enjoy, like the park.
There are several other things you can do to alleviate car sickness:
- Travel on an empty stomach- don’t feed for 6-12 hours prior to travel.
- Use a secured crate or seatbelt to minimise movement.
- Open windows or use air conditioning.
- Ask us about anti-nausea medication.
- Relieve anxiety with a pheromone spray like Pet Remedy.
- Give them a favourite toy or blanket in the car to remind them of home.
Please do book an appointment online if you have concerns about your pet’s health. We can supply both anti-nausea medication and pet pherome sprays.
Heathfield Vets – Quality Care With A Friendly Face
