Bringing your dog along on your travels can add to the fun and give you peace of mind, but not all dogs are naturally comfortable in a moving vehicle. In fact, car sickness is fairly common among canines. Thankfully, though, there are a few ways in which you can help your pup feel more comfortable while out on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When humans get car sick, we can simply bring it up to those around us and then seek out remedies. Of course, that\u2019s simply not the case for your dog, so you\u2019ll need to keep an eye out for the following signs to know when they\u2019re not feeling so great during a car ride:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dogs also yawn when they\u2019re feeling anxious, so don\u2019t assume it just means they\u2019re getting sleepy if you see them yawning during a road trip. They may actually be closer to throwing up than they are to taking a nap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding how to prevent and treat your dog\u2019s motion sickness can become much easier when you understand the reasons behind their queasiness in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While there\u2019s not necessarily a universal answer to the question, the general consensus around the cause of motion sickness in dogs is overstimulation of their vestibular system, which is located in your dog\u2019s inner ear and primarily responsible for providing your pup with their sense of balance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a lot of input being fed into your dog\u2019s vestibular system during a car ride, from the rapid motion outside the windows to the shaking and bumping in the vehicle and balance shifting. All of that at once can be overwhelming enough to make them feel nervous, disoriented, or outright nauseous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The back seat tends to be bumpier and more likely to overstimulate your pup\u2019s vestibular system, so sometimes, simply bringing them up to the front with you can help a bit. That\u2019s not always the case, though, and you may need to pursue other avenues to get them feeling more comfortable on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having a pup who suffers from motion sickness can make traveling with them a treacherous experience. Not only is it awful to see your poor dog struggle, but it\u2019s also intensely stressful for you to be worried \u2014 and thus distracted \u2014 while you\u2019re driving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try not to lose your cool; the following tips should help you and your pup travel with greater comfort from now on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slow acclimation can help dogs who are known to get car sick overcome the issue. Before you have your pup come with you on a long drive, make sure to give them some shorter rides in the vehicle so that they\u2019re comfortable with it when it\u2019s time for the big road trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helping your dog stay secure in one spot can prevent the overstimulation of the vestibular system that leads to car sickness. Not only that, but it can help to keep their eyes off of the world flashing by outside the windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve all enjoyed the sight of a dog with their head hung out a car window and their tongue waving in the breeze, but interestingly enough, that may not have been purely recreational for the pup: The fresh air and equalized air pressure that comes with an opened window can reduce motion sickness symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On top of the vestibular overstimulation, there\u2019s also a sense of nervousness and unease that comes from the unfamiliar and uncomfortable experience of riding in a car for a dog. Help them feel more at ease by bringing along a favorite toy of theirs or a shirt that smells like home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only will an empty stomach help prevent nausea, but it will also help to prevent a big awful mess should your pup fail to overcome the urge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many ways to help your dog feel calmer and more comfortable in the car, and some of them are all-natural. Lavender, ginger, and valerian root are three great examples, but just make sure you speak to your vet first before giving your dog any.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your pal\u2019s motion sickness may be the result of an ear infection. If that\u2019s the case, your vet can help them get the treatment they need, so make sure to reach out to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If nothing else on this list seems to be working, then there are various medications that you can try out which may do the trick. Reach out to your vet about things like anti-anxiety and anti-nausea meds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Various medications that may be able to help your dog feel calmer and more comfortable during car rides include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Designed to prevent dogs from vomiting due to motion sickness, maropitant is considered safe and highly effective, and most dogs over eight weeks old should be able to benefit from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Antihistamines, like Dramamine and Benadryl, can both be effective at treating motion sickness in dogs, but they may have the unwanted side effect of making your pup drowsy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your vet may prescribe anti-anxiety medications, such as trazodone or alprazolam, to help your dog feel more relaxed in the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the tips listed above, you should be able to help your dog become a great passenger on drives of all lengths. It\u2019s always important to speak with your vet about your dog\u2019s motion sickness and any potential treatments you\u2019re considering, and if you decide they would be better off staying behind, then Wag Hotels can provide them with the 24\/7 individualized care they need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bringing your dog along on your travels can add to the fun and give you peace of mind, but not all dogs are naturally comfortable in a moving vehicle. In fact, car sickness is fairly common among canines. Thankfully, though, there are a few ways in which you can help your pup feel more comfortable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/iStock-1338733844.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":418,"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions\/418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.waghotels.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}