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Last Updated on June 30, 2023 by Thee Puppypreneur
WHAT IS MOTION SICKNESS IN DOGS
Does your furbaby experience dog car sickness? This is called motion sickness and can occur in dogs just as it can occur in humans. In fact, car sickness in dogs or motion sickness in dogs isn’t just for car rides but can happen anywhere there is motion from boats to even planes.1Golding J. F. (2006). Motion sickness susceptibility. Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical, 129(1-2), 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2006.07.019 Puppies usually get motion sick more than adults as when I had one puppy, he would throw up in the car on any drive but fortunately he outgrew it as is the case with most puppies once they get older.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF MOTION SICKNESS IN DOGS
Believe it or not dogs can actually have similar symptoms to humans when it comes to motion sickness such as;2Leung, A. K., & Hon, K. L. (2019). Motion sickness: an overview. Drugs in context, 8, 2019-9-4. https://doi.org/10.7573/dic.2019-9-4
- Drooling
- Burping
- Yawning
- Dizziness
- Vomiting
- Lip licking
Most of these symptoms are a form of body language. Like for my pups I know that yawning and lip licking is a sign of stress and/or an upset stomach.
HOW IS MOTION SICKNESS IN DOGS TREATED
Your vet may prescribe your pup medication such as dimenhydrinate which is brand name Dramamine® but there are many varieties of Dramamine® available so be sure to discuss with your vet the right one for your pup as this is not suitable for all furbabies especially those with pre-existing medical conditions.3Papich, Mark G. (2016). Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs: Small and Large Animal (4th ed., pp. 246–247). essay, Elsevier, Inc.
Other medications such as Meclizine brand name Antivert® which also has antihistamine qualities as well as preventing vomiting and vertigo4Ettinger, S., Feldman, E. and Cote’, E., 2017. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 8th ed. St. Louis ,MO: Elsevier, Inc., p.3425 or Maropitant brand name Cerenia® which in a study with 9 dogs was found to prevent retching, vomiting and signs of nausea.5Hay Kraus B. L. (2013). Efficacy of maropitant in preventing vomiting in dogs premedicated with hydromorphone. Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia, 40(1), 28–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-2995.2012.00788.x
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR DOG MOTION SICKNESS
There are several different ways that motion sickness in dogs can be handled. Listed below your will find an alternative Dramamine® and several other natural remedies for motion sickness in dogs. If your furbaby is a puppy, then maybe they might grow out of it but if not…
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR DOG CAR SICKNESS
- Do you put your furbaby in a crate in the trunk facing the opposite way you face while driving? If so, then turn the crate around to be in the same direction you are facing and driving.
- I know for ME (not the fur kid) when I am sitting passenger in a vehicle, I get motion sick, so rolling down the windows or having a constant flow of air from the a/c works at making me not nauseous and will most likely help the furbaby too.
- Another thing I used to do for the puppy was make sure we didn’t give him any food or water that morning if we knew we were going somewhere in the afternoon as this would end up being thrown up in the vehicle if he had just eaten.
DOG CAR SICKNESS MEDICINE
As we mentioned earlier Dimenhydrinate is the active ingredient in Dramamine® but this one below is specifically formulated with the same active ingredient and apparently the only FDA registered dog motion sickness medication available
Amazon.com : Nausx Anti-Motion Sickness & Relief for Dogs, Md : Pet Supplies
DOG CAR SICKNESS NATURAL REMEDY
If you are looking for a more herbal done for you approach then
could be an option for you with chamomile, passion flower and ginger to help calm and soothe your furbaby.
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY FOR MOTION SICKNESS IN DOGS
And if you are looking for a homeopathic approach as I sometimes do then
might be an option for you. It is a liquid that you give to your furbaby that contains passion flower and valerian root as well as some other ingredients and can be given orally and also dropped on their bedding around them as well.
PEPPERMINT FOR DOG CAR SICKNESS
Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is a great herb for nausea in fact in one study with patients who were given peppermint essential oil or a combination of essential oil and an anti-vomiting drug the group on just the aromatherapy essential oil actually had better results than the combined EO/medication group.6Mohr, C., Jensen, C., Padden, N., Besel, J. M., & Brant, J. M. (2021). Peppermint Essential Oil for Nausea and Vomiting in Hospitalized Patients: Incorporating Holistic Patient Decision Making Into the Research Design. Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses’ Association, 39(2), 126–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898010120961579
There is a furbaby product on the market called
that combines both peppermint essential oil and acupressure which has been found in one study to improve nausea from 69.3% to 53.9%7Chen, H. M., Chang, F. Y., & Hsu, C. T. (2005). Effect of acupressure on nausea, vomiting, anxiety and pain among post-cesarean section women in Taiwan. The Kaohsiung journal of medical sciences, 21(8), 341–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1607-551X(09)70132-9 This is a band that you put on the pressure point of your dogs arm to help alleviate some of the motion sickness and also combines the aromatherapy of peppermint essential oil.
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