Thursday, July 24, 2014

Car Sickness In Pets

Does your dog throw up in the car when you go for rides? He may be experiencing typical motion sickness, just like some people do. Motion sickness usually begins very shortly after starting the car ride. The dog will begin to drool and then vomit. It’s not serious, but certainly not something that we like to clean up! To solve the problem, first try acclimating the dog to car rides. Do this by simply putting him in the car for a few minutes each day without going anywhere. Then try just going down the driveway and back, and the next day going around the block. Gradually build up the distance and time the dog rides in the car.


 Sometimes this will help to decrease the dog’s anxiety over riding in the car and may help to decrease vomiting. If that doesn’t work, there are some over-the-counter medications you can try. The medication will need to be given about an hour before the car ride. Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation as to what drug to try and the dosage for your pet.


(Never give any medications to your pet without your veterinarian’s advice!) These drugs are safe, with drowsiness usually the only major side effect. But since your dog isn’t driving the car, that shouldn’t be a problem! If over-the-counter drugs don’t work, your veterinarian may be able to suggest another method for curing the car sickness.


 Source: http://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/pet_health_library/dog_care/general_health/car_sickness.aspx

4 comments:

  1. My dog gets really car sick when we are driving in the canyon. The other day we were going up a really windy road, and he threw up all over my wife's lap. The poor little guy just couldn't handle how curvy the road was. http://www.ncacofnaples.com/site/view/125369_AboutUs.pml

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  2. This is really great to know! Our family pet gets sick all the time in the car. I am definitely going to have to talk to my vet at the local animal more about it. http://www.amctallahassee.com

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  3. It's good to know more about car sickness in dogs. I was worried that I would have to take my dog to a pet hospital the other day. He usually doesn't get car sick, so I thought that it was really strange that he was feeling sick. I thought he was sick from something else. I'm planning on taking him to see his vet anyway to make sure that nothing is wrong with him.
    http://www.vanloonanimalhospital.com

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  4. One of my friends has a dog that seems to always get sick every time he's in the car. He's planning on moving out here pretty soon, and I know he's been pretty nervous about the long car ride with his pal. I don't think he'll have time to try and acclimate him to car rides, like you suggest, but I'll have to have him look into possible medications. I'm sure he can find a vet somewhere he can talk to about it.
    Andre | http://www.amberleafanimalhospital.vetsuite.com

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