Our dogs have to travel with us, and those car rides can be harrowing journeys riddled with car sickness or the expectation of car sickness. What's the best way to treat car sickness so that both you and your dog can have a more pleasant journey? Is there a dog car sickness natural remedy?
For Them and For You
Your dog has a higher quality of life without car sickness. It allows them to accompany you more places, including on wilderness adventures or on a date to the dog park (because your dog can smell out a keeper).
Treating dog car sickness is one of those things that improves both your life and the life of your dog. When they can happily ride around in the car, they can go on more adventures. Don’t think about treating your dog’s car sickness as something selfish! It’s for both them and for you. Owning a dog is good for your health, and owning a healthy dog is even better!
Options for Car Sickness
Keep Them Healthy
Healthy dogs are generally less likely to get carsick than a dog that is unhealthy, all other things being equal. Give them a good diet, plenty of exercise, quality medical care, and good old fashioned affection. Your dogs need supplements to stay healthy, so look into some great supplement options as well.
Train Over Time
There’s a lot of things that you need to get a new dog accustomed to in order to give them a high quality of life. There’s a great argument to be made that one of those things is the car. In order to get your dog used to the car over time, you’ll have to be patient and start small.
When introducing your dog to the car, give them time to play and sniff around when it isn’t moving. This will help familiarize them with the space in a non-motion environment, which helps them be less nervous about running up and into the car. If your dog is nervous about being carried into the car, then they’ll be stressed and anxious before the trip even begins.
Once your dog is used to the concept of getting into the car, you’ll now need to get them comfortable with the space in motion. You don’t want them stressed when you’re taking them places. Start with smaller trips and work up to bigger road trips. Offer plenty of stops along the way and verbal praises while you drive.
Make Sure That They’re Comfortable
Dogs that are uncomfortable in the car are more likely to begin to feel nauseous and unwell. Keeping them comfortable reduces anxiety, stress, and the likelihood that they will begin to feel sick.
To make sure that your dogs are comfortable, you can also introduce them to an “out of the car” item that will eventually make its home in the vehicle. Purchasing a cargo liner that you leave in your pet’s sleeping space or lounging areas (before putting it in your vehicle) can provide them with a known material that they associate with comfort. This familiarity can help orient them to the motion as well, preventing additional vertigo.
Take a look at some further tips for driving with your dog. The key is to pay attention to your dog so that you learn what they need. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different seating arrangements and patterns of traveling to make your dog comfortable!
Dog Car Sickness Natural Remedy
You’ve got a few different options when it comes to treating your dog’s car sickness naturally. Many of these don’t even require that you give your dog anything in the form of medication.
There are a few different dog car sickness natural remedy options that you can try.
Some car sickness can be attributed to the behavior of your dog. Think about the way that most humans get carsick. If you sit in the back and don’t focus on the road, or you don’t have a lot of airflow, you might get carsick. Dogs are the same way! If your dog moves around a lot and doesn’t understand what is going on, they can get disoriented and begin to feel sick.
Dog’s especially need a lot of airflow. Make sure to keep the car cool and roll the windows down a bit if possible. This additional airflow will keep things calming for your dog and help them orient to the fact that the car is moving. They can feel the way that the air is moving and acclimate to the motion of the car more easily. Also, cooler temperatures will help prevent them from overheating and feeling more nauseous than they are.
Limiting food before the car ride can also help prevent sickness. Imagine taking on a rollercoaster with a full stomach. Due to the size difference between you and your dog, this is what it can feel like for them. Giving them less food (but plenty of water and sleep) before a car ride puts their body in the best shape to fight off the motion sickness queasiness.
Dog Motion Sickness Medicine Over the Counter
Sometimes when a dog car sickness natural remedy option doesn’t work, you may have to try a kind of over the counter medicine. Always talk to your vet about beginning such treatments. You should be careful that the medicine doesn’t interfere with other medication your dog is taking, and that it doesn’t negatively affect their lifestyle.
Over the counter options for your dog’s car sickness should generally be pursued in situations where the natural remedy options were not effective. Adding an over the counter medication to a dog’s diet who already needs other supplements can be more negative than positive. Remember that riding in the car can be a weird experience for dogs. Be patient with your dog and give them time to adjust to the process and motion. Be gentle and patient, that way they feel comfortable and are not negatively chastised for nausea that is not within their control.
Dog Drooling in Car
Dogs drool for a variety of reasons, most of them quite normal and natural. Excessive drooling can be a sign of mouth health problems, but this isn’t too common. If your dog is excessively drooling in non-car situations, you may want to try and check on this.
Dogs drool, and they can drool a lot in the car. Make sure you have seat covers so that your car seats don’t get ruined!
Dog Car Anxiety Drooling
A lot of doggy drool occurs in the car, and this can be a sign of car sickness. If your dog is not drooling excessively when they aren’t in the car but then drool a lot while driving around, this could be a sign of car sickness. Learn to tell whether or not your dog is stressed through a variety of different signs, including drooling in the car.
Final Advice
Be patient with your dog. The car is something that they can’t understand on a deeper level and can rightfully be afraid of. Start small and work up to bigger trips. Try natural and experience based remedies at first, and then talk to your vet about over the counter options if car sickness problems persist.