Has your dog been throwing up twice or thrice during the long trip to your mother’s home state? Your Fido is probably suffering from car sickness.
No matter how much fun journeying with the pooch is, it is as much disgusting to see him throwing up all over your seat covers. But, there’s no need to worry as you simply have to be careful about few things that can make the Fido throw up. You will be able to make a smooth journey after following the given tips and tricks.
Symptoms of Car Sickness:
Whenever there’s a problem, identify its root cause so that you can uproot it. Below are the symptoms of car sickness that you need to be aware of:
1. Too much yawning
2. Listlessness
3. Excessive drooling
4. Ceaseless Whining
5. Uneasiness
6. Disinterestedness and Inactivity
7. Vomiting
Reasons for Canine Car Sickness:
Car sickness usually happens in children as their balancing system in the ear structure is not fully developed. Same is the case with puppies and young dogs. Some dogs overcome the feeling of motion sickness at a later stage, but some cannot.
In adult dogs, the major cause of canine car sickness is stress and anxiety in most cases. If he had a bad experience or dizzy feeling during his early years, he might always throw up out of anxiety because of the bad associations in his mind. If the dog only visits the vet via car trip; he will vomit every time due to stress. In some cases, emotional or physical trauma due to a bad accident can create anxiety in the dog during a car ride.
Tips to Avoid Car Sickness:
Here are some of the preventive measures you may take to avoid car sickness in dogs:
1. Create positive experiences of car rides for the pooch. Take him to dog parks, hiking tracks, etc, that interest the dog. In the beginning, take someone to keep the dog calm and happy during the ride. Choose the destinations that are just 10 minutes away from home. Create happy experiences at the dog parks, trails, etc to make the pooch enthusiastic for more visits. Reward the pooch with playtime when you return home. Let him relax and calm down before you give him some favorite treats.
2. Never feed the pooch before a car ride. Always feed the furry friend around 6 to 8 hours before leaving. Car ride on an empty stomach works well for most dogs. However, your pooch might do well on a half-filled stomach. Here are some ready-to-eat raw diets to consider that are not much heavy on dog’s stomach.
3. It’s hard for dogs to handle hours of traveling, so stop often. Give your pooch time to poop and roam around before you go ahead. Take water breaks to keep the pooch hydrated and relaxed.
4. If the pooch feels comfortable in his crate, give him his favorite chew toys and puzzles to stay engaged with inside his crate.
5. Fresh air is better than air-conditioned air. AC will make the pooch feel dizzy and down. Let the pooch breathe fresh air to create happy experiences on the trip.
6. If you have a larger car, it’s better for the pooch as he will have more room to feel comfortable.
7. When nothing works out, the final option is to visit the vet and get the medications. It might be the case that his balancing structures are not developed fully. Vets prescribe Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate) for car sickness (also used by humans) but get clear instructions about the right dose.
Hopefully, you will get a way out after trying these prevention measures out. Let us know how you fixed your pooch’s car sickness in comments
