Curbing Car Sickness in Dogs

Pets like cats and dogs are used to fast motion but only when they are on their own feet. Pet owners may find it quite difficult to manage dogs while traveling in cars and other vehicles as the speed at which the vehicle moves causes anxiety and fear making the dogs drool, shake and vomit. You don't need to panic if you have a car sick dog. There are quite a few remedies to treat the car sick dogs.

Remedies for Car Sick dog

While there are medications that can treat dog car sickness, a few remedial measures taken beforehand can save you and your pet the trouble of medications.

Get your dog accustomed to the car. Feed your dog a few times sitting together in the car. The earlier you start the better, as puppies have less of a fear factor and it is also easier for you to carry the dog inside. Training a bigger dog is also not difficult, you will only need that much more patience. Don't keep the car running or take a ride immediately after feeding. Encourage your dog to jump around inside the car as much as possible. If your dog is too scared to even come inside the car, start by feeding it very near to the car and gradually tempt it to go inside.

Once the dog is used to being inside the car a couple of times, run the engine but don't ride. The sound and movement of the engine may cause the dog to become nervous. Speak to them continuously and reassure them that everything is alright. Don't be in a hurry, let the dog get used to the running engine and learn to relax before you end the session.

After doing the above a couple of times, slowly move your car with your dog inside. Don't go too far, just to the front and the back of the garage so that your dog is able to know how it is when your car moves. After doing this a couple of times, dog car sickness would have gone and he or she will be ready for longer drives. However you may need to keep repeating this a few times before proceeding. Remember to speak reassuringly each time you drive out with your dog. Over time dogs will think the car to be a great place for praise, attention and treats.

If even after repeated sessions, the car sick dog refuses to go in try some non-prescription medicines like Pet Calm, Rescue Remedy or Serene-um. Some dogs may suffer from true motion sickness and may need treatment by a veterinarian who may advise Dramamine medication.