Motion sickness itself is a stressful condition that affects 1 out of 4 dogs & many cats. Traveling with your pet can be a very rewarding and exciting experience, however motion sickness can prevent your whole family from taking a trip, causing you to miss out on adventures together. Motion sickness can happen when traveling in a car, plane, train or boat.
Leaving your dog behind can be costly as well as stressful to both you and your pet.
Range of symptoms
Motion can affect the inner ear, which sends signals to the vomiting centre in the brain. These are typical signs of motion sickness;
- Increased drooling
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Vomiting
What strategies can you use to reduce the symptoms?
Here are some handy travel tips to make traveling a make traveling a tail‐wagging
adventure
- Plan extra stops, this gives your dog a chance to exercise and take a break.
- Check the Internet for pet friendly accommodation and cafés.
- Make the car ride as comfortable as possible for your dog by opening your car windows a couple of centimeters. This reduces the likelihood of nausea by balancing the air pressure inside with the air pressure outside, as well as keeping your car cool and well ventilated.
- Give treats for good behaviour to make the car seem like a more fun and rewarding
place. - Allow your dog to relieve itself before departing. That’s one less thing for your dog
to get all jumpy about. - If flying, check specific airline requirements and regulations.
- Before leaving, visit us to address any travel concerns, refill necessary prescriptions, and make sure your dog is up to date on all vaccinations.
What treatments are available?
Nowadays there is a non-drowsy carsickness medication available which can get your dog from A to B carsick free. Being non-drowsy, means that your best friend is able to arrive at the destination ready to enjoy the outing.
Hopefully these tips will help all of us enjoy our holidays together!
Make your dog safe by retraining him with a harness attached to a seat belt & keep cats in baskets that are strapped down!
Travel Tips
(Not all of these will apply to every pet or journey of course)
Do you have:
- Car sickness tablets if needed (you may need to have a check-up before we can dispense these)
- Suitable cage or harness for the car
- Sunscreen for white pets
- Spare towels & paper etc to mop up accidents
- Water bowl & bottle
- A route with stopping points planned
- Collar with name & phone number on your pet
- Microchip details up to date
Have You
- Started tick prevention before you leave
- A plan for avoiding snakes, mad cows and goannas!
- A number for the local Vet in the area you are staying
Make Sure:
- You don’t leave your pet in a closed up car
- You don’t walk your dog in hot humid conditions
- Their vaccinations are up to date
