Car Sick

[sal22]

Can you explain to me why my dog gets car sick... is it that just the motion of the car. We got her from an animal shelter and she got sick on the way home but we thought it was down to nerves... but two months later she is still throwing up in the car.. We go to support matches the whole time and like bringing her with us. is there anything we can do to help her stop gettin sick... it comes out of nowhere???

[Justine Lee, D.V.M., DACVECC]

There are also drugs that you can use - anti-car sickness drugs like Pfizer's Cerenia, or other anti-nausea drugs too! You can always consult with your vet about this. It'll be especially helpful for long car trips!

[Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM]

A Holistic Remedy for car sickness would be to give your dog a piece of a ginger snap cookie about 30 minuted before departure. Ginger is a natural agent that calms the stomach and helps to prevent cat sickness.
Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM

[MarkStrip]

That's a great tip on seat belt devices for pets. I will look into one for my dog..

[Bernadine Cruz, D.V.M.]

A car sick pet is no fun.  You can appreciate how uncomfortable your pet can be if you have ever been sea sick.  

First of all, I hope that your dog is safely harnessed into the back seat.  Dogs should never pop their head out the window or be allowed to roam freely in the car.  Too often, we need to slam on the brakes and the pet can get seriously injured.  There are many great seat belt devices for pets of all sizes.  Cats should always be in their carriers, with the carrier secured with a seat belt.  

Pets and people get motion sickness because of derangement of signals from the inner ear.  The inner ear contains the body's gyroscope...the semicircular canals.  They are responsible for telling the brain where the body is in relationship to the world around it.  Bouncing up and down on the sea or in the back seat of the car, especially if you can' see out can stimulate the vomit center of the brain.

I have a couple of suggestions.  The best and the one that will take the most time is to try and get your pet desensitized to the car.  Pop your dog into the car, on an empty stomach and just sit there with it.  Don't even turn on the engine.  Just sit there for a few minutes and get out.  Repeat this and give your pet a small treat.  The dog will start to think of the car as a fun place to go.  Next, get in, start the car and just let it idle.  Good idea not to do this with the windows up and in a closed garage!  Do this again for several minutes for a week or so.  Now with the pet on an empty stomach, secured in the back seat (get a booster seat specially made for dogs if your dog can't see out the window) and drive up and down your street for several minutes.  Your neighbors may think you are crazy, but who cares.

When you are ready for a real road trip, don't make a big deal out of it. Pop your dog in the car, seat belt on, and see how it goes.  If your dog is still nauseous, ask your veterinarian for medication that can settle its stomach.

Good luck...
Dr. Bernadine